Telling Friends & Family About Medication

Off Topic
21

[quote]Professor X wrote:
TheBodyGuard wrote:
belligerent wrote:
You do not have ADHD, because quite frankly the “disease” does not exist. It is a wholly fraudulent label that was invented to justify giving psychiatric drugs to kids in lieu of addresing the underlying problems of shitty parenting and a worthless public school system. You have a very wise mother and should call her up and fucking THANK HER for keeping you off of kiddie crack while you were growing up.

By the way, my brother is a psych professor and scientist at a major ivy league university and he pretty much believes these diagnosis and meds are bullshit. Take it for what its worth. But, for someone not afflicted in some manner, opinions (again) can be pretty empty. Right? Are you getting my point?

I think they are over-prescribed, but I do not think the existence of this disorder is bullshit. I just seriously doubt that most of the people on medication actually NEED medication. Kids are being dosed so much some of my patients basically come in on a medicated high and they aren’t even old enough to drive. Granted, many of them have had severe emotional trauma (things you experience more of when not working in an middle-upper class environment).

My attention span is short, but it isn’t because ADHD. If someone is speaking at a speed (or teaching) that moves fast enough to hold my attention, I am fine. In school, however, teachers who were slow to get info across lost me. I am the type of person who can multi-task very well and being forced to only focus on one thing at a time makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. It doesn’t mean I need medication. I means I need faster or smarter instructors if the goal is to hold my attention…something I really didn’t get until my junior and senior year in high school.

I am one of those who also thinks the way we teach most males in this country needs an overhaul. Boys are meant to be active, aggressive and quick to change interests. It seems we are trying to force boys in this country to sit with their hands crossed in silence for several hours a day and then reprimand them if they don’t act like robots.

I personally fear where all of this is headed because just driving around this city, people in general seem to be in a daze. They drive like sheep. They all slow down if one car two lanes over slows down…simply because they did. I have seen lines of cars all going 10mph or more below the speed limit…until someone passes them, then they all speed up. Shit like that is strange to me because my mind doesn’t work that way…and I hope it never does.[/quote]

I concur wholely with your thoughts. And I was paraphrasing my brother of course. His biggest objection is the medication and the fact that for most of these drugs and anti-depressants, we know they “work” but we do not even fully understand why. And yes, they are very over-prescribed. He has been published many times and one of his articles dealt with physician incentive and prescription meds and the correlation with prescribing drugs v. the incentive.

Some of our most successful people would have been diagnosed “add”. And you’re right, we are creating a society of drones. My mother was out to dinner once and about 4 of the 8 at the table were on some form of anti-depressant. I would expect this is pretty damn typical…and fucking scary.

22

[quote]NeelyDan wrote:
neelydan doesn’t see how taking a med for a busted brain should be anymore embarassing to share with family than taking a med for a busted arm or taking insulin for a busted …whatever the fuck is responsible for DIABEETUS[/quote]

A busted pancreas my ant eating friend. Oh, and I’d share it with family just not with anyone more then that for the most part.

D

23

i am not a doctor but thankfully i have had the opportunity to work with one of the best. The disorder is REAL the “treatment” causes more harm than good. Take a look at spect scans of the brain on amphetamines, this is NOT what you want to be doing. Yes chemical imbalances can exist but pscyhiatric meds are not the solution and in maost cases will make you much worse over teh long term. I speak from 20 years of suffering with whatever diagnosis they chose to label me with at any given time. Do yourself a huge favor and get the book “The Ultramind Solution” by Dr Mark Hyman.

Also go to functionalmedicine.org and locate a practiioner in your area that deals with nuerological disorders. I am med free for the first time in 20 years and have never felt better…the whole problem stemmed from vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as inflammation and food allergy issues that prevented critical nutrients from being absorbed. THIS IS REAL, THERE IS A BETTER WAY

24

[quote]gkchesterton wrote:
I think it is bullshit that only people with ADD or ADHD can get these sweet ass stimulants.

Of course, like every reasonable man, I find it odd that one has a supposed disorder because they can’t pay attention to uninteresting things. [/quote]

Well that’s the thing. It comes down to what you find to be interesting and how much of the uninteresting things you are willing to put up with before you just say fuck it. Every moment of every day.

25

fact of the matter is there remains huge stigmas around taking any med for mental health issues, that’s where this stems from

you seem like a strong guy, don’t let that bullshit control you, live your life

26

[quote]Dedicated wrote:
NeelyDan wrote:
neelydan doesn’t see how taking a med for a busted brain should be anymore embarassing to share with family than taking a med for a busted arm or taking insulin for a busted …whatever the fuck is responsible for DIABEETUS

A busted pancreas my ant eating friend. Oh, and I’d share it with family just not with anyone more then that for the most part.

D[/quote]

See, I knew I wasn’t asking a crazy question. That’s basically all I wanted was some general opinions on whether I should tell certain people.

27

Unless you live in a place with much different cultures and societal beliefs than the US, I would say just tell them. They are your family and friends, they will understand and support you. First, concentrate on telling one person who you are afraid to tell. Give it a shot and just tell one person you are not really close to. How bad can it be? You told your mom and girlfriend right. Once you tell a few more people it probably won’t be a big deal for you. Mental illness and psychological disorders are nothing to be ashamed of and don’t make you weak, stupid, etc. You will probably go through several more phases of your disorder, your view and value of yourself and your strengths and weaknesses and how the two interact and affect each other.

Eventually you will find more insight and contentment with who you are and the fact that you can’t change it, you can just try to live life and make it as good as possible. I have OCD and when I was in jail I told my cellies because they asked me what medication I was taking in line and why I did certain things a certain way. Guess what, they listened, commented or talked about people they knew who were like that and we moved on. No big deal. I figure if people in that environment can understand and see past it, then fuck the everyday douchebags you meet who can’t.

28

Tell the people whom it affects. If you something happens btw you and your lady, she should probably know. On a different note, some of these give me great focus and awesome workouts. That being said, some give me crazy anxiety, including thermogenics like Atro phex. I have neither ADD or ADHD but have used the meds in college.

29

[quote]samdan wrote:
I’m 22 with ADHD, and I know the exact feelings you’re describing. I had those exact feelings when I took Wellbutrin.

I went through 5 different pills before I found one that I like and can sustain. Started with Ritalin, went to Wellbutrin, then Adderall, Stratera, and now Concerta.

ADHD meds are very personal, so after about a month if you still have the problem, talk to your doctor.

As to the people who claim that ADHD is made up, I assure you it isn’t. It’s not as destructive as parents think, and medication is not always the answer, and it is EXTREMELY overdiagnosed. However, I can assure you it exists. I can estimate decimals to within 0.01 from square roots, ratios, etc. in about 5 seconds but can’t for the life of me pay attention to only one thing that’s going on. I got around this by always having TWO things to focus on, and it works. It’s also why I think I got into Karate… There are 15+ things I need to be thinking about at any given time to make sure I’m going things right. I take my meds maybe 3-4 times a week as I feel I need the added focus, although around test times it’s 100%.

So to summarise: ADHD real, parents need to stop blaming shit on other things and let the real ADHD kids get the proper treatment rather than the ADHD farms that they have now with doctors and meds.[/quote]

That does not sound like any diagnosis of ADHD I have ever heard.

As for the whole ADHD and ADD are made up discussion: The former actually has a noticeable symptom (hyperactivity) that may give it credibility. I know someone who may have ADHD. He is the most active person I know and had shit grades in school. He was not an idiot though. He left school and became a mechanic and is the top of the workshop. The reason for this is that he is in an environment where his need for constant variety within tasks and boundless energy is conducive.

ADD on the other hand is just boys being boys. People, and in particular boys, are not meant to spend hours in a class room studying. I was top of every class and I had the attention span of a goldfish. On most tasks I still have the attention span of a goldfish. ADD is not a mental illness but just a sign that our modern culture is not designed for our natural make up. Every guy has ADD whether they came first in the class or last in the class. There is no way to change it or medicate it except to change society back to a primitive society where our time was focused on the task at hand and our tasks varied as our interest in them did.
However, we have (as a species) found that forcing ourselves to act in unnatural ways has immense benefits for us as a species.

30

Dude, it’s just ADHD, nobody’s gonna judge you, Christ.

31

[quote]Bunyip wrote:
samdan wrote:
I’m 22 with ADHD, and I know the exact feelings you’re describing. I had those exact feelings when I took Wellbutrin.

I went through 5 different pills before I found one that I like and can sustain. Started with Ritalin, went to Wellbutrin, then Adderall, Stratera, and now Concerta.

ADHD meds are very personal, so after about a month if you still have the problem, talk to your doctor.

As to the people who claim that ADHD is made up, I assure you it isn’t. It’s not as destructive as parents think, and medication is not always the answer, and it is EXTREMELY overdiagnosed. However, I can assure you it exists. I can estimate decimals to within 0.01 from square roots, ratios, etc. in about 5 seconds but can’t for the life of me pay attention to only one thing that’s going on. I got around this by always having TWO things to focus on, and it works. It’s also why I think I got into Karate… There are 15+ things I need to be thinking about at any given time to make sure I’m going things right. I take my meds maybe 3-4 times a week as I feel I need the added focus, although around test times it’s 100%.

So to summarise: ADHD real, parents need to stop blaming shit on other things and let the real ADHD kids get the proper treatment rather than the ADHD farms that they have now with doctors and meds.

That does not sound like any diagnosis of ADHD I have ever heard.

As for the whole ADHD and ADD are made up discussion: The former actually has a noticeable symptom (hyperactivity) that may give it credibility. I know someone who may have ADHD. He is the most active person I know and had shit grades in school. He was not an idiot though. He left school and became a mechanic and is the top of the workshop. The reason for this is that he is in an environment where his need for constant variety within tasks and boundless energy is conducive.

ADD on the other hand is just boys being boys. People, and in particular boys, are not meant to spend hours in a class room studying. I was top of every class and I had the attention span of a goldfish. On most tasks I still have the attention span of a goldfish. ADD is not a mental illness but just a sign that our modern culture is not designed for our natural make up. Every guy has ADD whether they came first in the class or last in the class. There is no way to change it or medicate it except to change society back to a primitive society where our time was focused on the task at hand and our tasks varied as our interest in them did.
However, we have (as a species) found that forcing ourselves to act in unnatural ways has immense benefits for us as a species.
[/quote]

Point taken and understood but your solution is impossible without some apocalyptic shit going down.

Let me state for the record that I do not plan to be medicated for the rest of my life, just as I was not medicated for the first 23 years of it. But that this is an attempt to cultivate a different way of thinking in the mean time. I have always experimented with drugs for this exact reason, this time it just happens to be in a controlled environment. Some people will agree with that philosophy and some will not.

32

[quote]Professor X wrote:

My attention span is short, but it isn’t because ADHD. If someone is speaking at a speed (or teaching) that moves fast enough to hold my attention, I am fine. In school, however, teachers who were slow to get info across lost me. I am the type of person who can multi-task very well and being forced to only focus on one thing at a time makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. It doesn’t mean I need medication. I means I need faster or smarter instructors if the goal is to hold my attention…something I really didn’t get until my junior and senior year in high school.

I am one of those who also thinks the way we teach most males in this country needs an overhaul. Boys are meant to be active, aggressive and quick to change interests. It seems we are trying to force boys in this country to sit with their hands crossed in silence for several hours a day and then reprimand them if they don’t act like robots.

I personally fear where all of this is headed because just driving around this city, people in general seem to be in a daze. They drive like sheep. They all slow down if one car two lanes over slows down…simply because they did. I have seen lines of cars all going 10mph or more below the speed limit…until someone passes them, then they all speed up. Shit like that is strange to me because my mind doesn’t work that way…and I hope it never does.[/quote]

Right on.

I was a terrible student due to a number of factors beyond my control. After batteries of testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that I was bored, amongst other things. The solution back then was to push the limits. Put a kid an advanced languages, mathematics, or an accelerated learning program if his aptitudes were high across the boards.

Our accelerated learning programs were a freak show though. You had a bunch of 12-13 year old kids speaking different languages, giving teachers a hard time about concepts that the teacher wasn’t prepared for or able to convey, and in many ways just taking free reign over an educational system that was ill equipped to deal with young kids who demonstrate a high level of intelligence before developing the maturity and discipline required to optimize it. A couple of our teachers had nervous breakdowns, a few others were pulled from the position for hitting some of the kids, and in general, the program flopped.

It’s kind of sad, really. I work for a woman now who is also on the board of directors of the school district which I was eventually expelled from. We were discussing this, and she informed me that instead of improving that system, it was eliminated entirely.

My sister was also one of those problematic students. She dropped out of 10th grade. About 10 years ago, out of curiosity, she tested for MENSA. Scored 180.

33

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Professor X wrote:

My attention span is short, but it isn’t because ADHD. If someone is speaking at a speed (or teaching) that moves fast enough to hold my attention, I am fine. In school, however, teachers who were slow to get info across lost me. I am the type of person who can multi-task very well and being forced to only focus on one thing at a time makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. It doesn’t mean I need medication. I means I need faster or smarter instructors if the goal is to hold my attention…something I really didn’t get until my junior and senior year in high school.

I am one of those who also thinks the way we teach most males in this country needs an overhaul. Boys are meant to be active, aggressive and quick to change interests. It seems we are trying to force boys in this country to sit with their hands crossed in silence for several hours a day and then reprimand them if they don’t act like robots.

I personally fear where all of this is headed because just driving around this city, people in general seem to be in a daze. They drive like sheep. They all slow down if one car two lanes over slows down…simply because they did. I have seen lines of cars all going 10mph or more below the speed limit…until someone passes them, then they all speed up. Shit like that is strange to me because my mind doesn’t work that way…and I hope it never does.

Right on.

I was a terrible student due to a number of factors beyond my control. After batteries of testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that I was bored, amongst other things. The solution back then was to push the limits. Put a kid an advanced languages, mathematics, or an accelerated learning program if his aptitudes were high across the boards.

Our accelerated learning programs were a freak show though. You had a bunch of 12-13 year old kids speaking different languages, giving teachers a hard time about concepts that the teacher wasn’t prepared for or able to convey, and in many ways just taking free reign over an educational system that was ill equipped to deal with young kids who demonstrate a high level of intelligence before developing the maturity and discipline required to optimize it. A couple of our teachers had nervous breakdowns, a few others were pulled from the position for hitting some of the kids, and in general, the program flopped.

It’s kind of sad, really. I work for a woman now who is also on the board of directors of the school district which I was eventually expelled from. We were discussing this, and she informed me that instead of improving that system, it was eliminated entirely.

My sister was also one of those problematic students. She dropped out of 10th grade. About 10 years ago, out of curiosity, she tested for MENSA. Scored 180.

[/quote]

See the thing is, most of my friends were AP (advanced placement) students. I could do their work, the concepts weren’t hard for me to grasp and I actually felt like I was doing something. I hate to pull the race card out here but BAM!: I was the only (half)black kid in my grade until about 5th grade when there was another black kid. I wouldn’t put it past our school system to say that “he’s a minority from a single parent home (step dad wasn’t married to my mom yet) and he acts out so he must have a disorder”.

I’m not claiming that I don’t have a disorder but they might have gone about classifying it wrong. As a result I was put in remedial classes in 7th grade where you’re allowed to fuck up and act out a bit - since concepts are not challenging and you realize that, you do just that; fuck up and act out.

But when they wanted to classify me and put my in LD (learning disabled) classes when I was in 2nd grade. You should have seen the kids in those classes back then, drooling on themselves, riding the short bus, some were in wheelchairs with downs syndrome and shit, severe retardation basically. Once again I thank my mom for not allowing me to be put in those class rooms. I agreed to be put in the LD classes in 7th grade because it was a different classification and program all together; not for kids with severe mental retardation.

If I was to show you my reports you would see that I do have another learning disability they classify it as SLD (specific learning disability) but it’s a vague classification mainly APD (auditory processing).

If you look here it states that APD can be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD Auditory processing disorder - Wikipedia. May be my case. I go back to my Neurologist in 3 wks, we’ll see then.

34

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Professor X wrote:

My attention span is short, but it isn’t because ADHD. If someone is speaking at a speed (or teaching) that moves fast enough to hold my attention, I am fine. In school, however, teachers who were slow to get info across lost me. I am the type of person who can multi-task very well and being forced to only focus on one thing at a time makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. It doesn’t mean I need medication. I means I need faster or smarter instructors if the goal is to hold my attention…something I really didn’t get until my junior and senior year in high school.

I am one of those who also thinks the way we teach most males in this country needs an overhaul. Boys are meant to be active, aggressive and quick to change interests. It seems we are trying to force boys in this country to sit with their hands crossed in silence for several hours a day and then reprimand them if they don’t act like robots.

I personally fear where all of this is headed because just driving around this city, people in general seem to be in a daze. They drive like sheep. They all slow down if one car two lanes over slows down…simply because they did. I have seen lines of cars all going 10mph or more below the speed limit…until someone passes them, then they all speed up. Shit like that is strange to me because my mind doesn’t work that way…and I hope it never does.

Right on.

I was a terrible student due to a number of factors beyond my control. After batteries of testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that I was bored, amongst other things. The solution back then was to push the limits. Put a kid an advanced languages, mathematics, or an accelerated learning program if his aptitudes were high across the boards.

Our accelerated learning programs were a freak show though. You had a bunch of 12-13 year old kids speaking different languages, giving teachers a hard time about concepts that the teacher wasn’t prepared for or able to convey, and in many ways just taking free reign over an educational system that was ill equipped to deal with young kids who demonstrate a high level of intelligence before developing the maturity and discipline required to optimize it. A couple of our teachers had nervous breakdowns, a few others were pulled from the position for hitting some of the kids, and in general, the program flopped.

It’s kind of sad, really. I work for a woman now who is also on the board of directors of the school district which I was eventually expelled from. We were discussing this, and she informed me that instead of improving that system, it was eliminated entirely.

My sister was also one of those problematic students. She dropped out of 10th grade. About 10 years ago, out of curiosity, she tested for MENSA. Scored 180.

[/quote]

I was lucky in that we had a heart surgeon in Houston who started a high school with a focus on getting kids who were able to handle it from possibly lower income households (that wasn’t who made up the whole population) hands on experience in the health field. We were going on rounds in the hospital and learning advanced lab procedures in the 11th grade.

Even they had issues with teachers though as some didn’t understand how to get across to certain students…like me. I didn’t get a teacher that helped me learn how to process info until the 11th grade.

35

[quote]meangenes wrote:

If you look here it states that APD can be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD Auditory processing disorder - Wikipedia. May be my case. I go back to my Neurologist in 3 wks, we’ll see then.[/quote]

That is a pretty interesting read, but be careful. I read through that and the link to Asbergers syndrome, amongst others. The variety of indicators, coupled with whether or not they are affective or effective, and with consideration to what makes them which of the two, can be very confusing.(almost as confusing and poorly constructed as that sentence.)

There is also the question of pathology. I developed a number of serious behavioral problems at a very young age as a result of my environment. The current clinical diagnosis would be very similar to Asbergers, but they were actually coping mechanisms that I had inadvertently developed and used to deal with some extremely traumatic and several ongoing problems within my household.

Some of the problems or obstacles that we develop in life can be very complex. I wish you well in finding a coping strategy that enables you to do well and be happy, but be careful of hanging your hat on any specific definition of an oblique condition which may have multiple roots.

36

[quote]Professor X wrote:

I was lucky in that we had a heart surgeon in Houston who started a high school with a focus on getting kids who were able to handle it from possibly lower income households (that wasn’t who made up the whole population) hands on experience in the health field. We were going on rounds in the hospital and learning advanced lab procedures in the 11th grade.

Even they had issues with teachers though as some didn’t understand how to get across to certain students…like me. I didn’t get a teacher that helped me learn how to process info until the 11th grade. [/quote]

That is fortunate. Yours reminds me of a good friend of mine who had similar experience in the medical field as he grew up. He went on to become an very accomplished and respected MD too.

You also seem to be exceptionally auto didactic, coupled with a strong formal education. That makes for a great combination.

I’ve recently decided to enroll in night classes again at the local CC. It gets frustrating when people confront me with the idea that I should be doing more and better with what I have, and they are right.

37

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Right on.

I was a terrible student due to a number of factors beyond my control. After batteries of testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that I was bored, amongst other things. The solution back then was to push the limits. Put a kid an advanced languages, mathematics, or an accelerated learning program if his aptitudes were high across the boards.
[/quote]

My little cousin had this problem… all the teachers etc… said he had adhd and what not, then my mom flipped out when they wanted to medicate him because she didn’t believe he had any “problems” Turned out that he was just bored… they put him in higher level classes and now hes doing great.

38

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Professor X wrote:

My attention span is short, but it isn’t because ADHD. If someone is speaking at a speed (or teaching) that moves fast enough to hold my attention, I am fine. In school, however, teachers who were slow to get info across lost me. I am the type of person who can multi-task very well and being forced to only focus on one thing at a time makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. It doesn’t mean I need medication. I means I need faster or smarter instructors if the goal is to hold my attention…something I really didn’t get until my junior and senior year in high school.

I am one of those who also thinks the way we teach most males in this country needs an overhaul. Boys are meant to be active, aggressive and quick to change interests. It seems we are trying to force boys in this country to sit with their hands crossed in silence for several hours a day and then reprimand them if they don’t act like robots.

I personally fear where all of this is headed because just driving around this city, people in general seem to be in a daze. They drive like sheep. They all slow down if one car two lanes over slows down…simply because they did. I have seen lines of cars all going 10mph or more below the speed limit…until someone passes them, then they all speed up. Shit like that is strange to me because my mind doesn’t work that way…and I hope it never does.

Right on.

I was a terrible student due to a number of factors beyond my control. After batteries of testing and troubleshooting, it was determined that I was bored, amongst other things. The solution back then was to push the limits. Put a kid an advanced languages, mathematics, or an accelerated learning program if his aptitudes were high across the boards.

Our accelerated learning programs were a freak show though. You had a bunch of 12-13 year old kids speaking different languages, giving teachers a hard time about concepts that the teacher wasn’t prepared for or able to convey, and in many ways just taking free reign over an educational system that was ill equipped to deal with young kids who demonstrate a high level of intelligence before developing the maturity and discipline required to optimize it. A couple of our teachers had nervous breakdowns, a few others were pulled from the position for hitting some of the kids, and in general, the program flopped.

It’s kind of sad, really. I work for a woman now who is also on the board of directors of the school district which I was eventually expelled from. We were discussing this, and she informed me that instead of improving that system, it was eliminated entirely.

My sister was also one of those problematic students. She dropped out of 10th grade. About 10 years ago, out of curiosity, she tested for MENSA. Scored 180.

[/quote]

I definitely agree that intelligence often outpaces emotional maturity. I was hyperactive/disruptive as a kid. In first grade they estimated I was reading on a ninth grade level and later on rated my IQ at 140. A wise psychologist told my mother that, if he could, he’d recommend taking me out of school- he felt I’d already learned everything I was going to for the next couple of years - and working on my social skills. They ended up trying the advanced classes along with medication.
The result? I rarely made it to the nurse’s office for my “red pill” and found a more “advanced” setting in which to be a disruptive little prick.