I don't think anyone who is medicated should be on medication without developing the skills that the medicatjon is supposed to help you learn better (neurons that fire together must wire together) and i think people vastly under-appreciate how much of a *mood disorder* it tends to be, thus no mere pill-popping, but a slew of approaches simultaneously
I also have both some issues with ans a theory that the levoamphetamine in adderall exists to offset the poor self-esteem issues that therapy and other tools would help with, as a former taker of adderall *sorry for typos, learning to type on phone without spellcheck
ADHD case here. I'm 51 now. I was 23 when they diagnosed me with ADD. Now, we call it ADHD. Fine. Nothing you've mentioned is offensive. You're bringing up worthy questions.
When I was diagnosed in the late 90s, most of the psychiatric profession was clueless. My psychiatrist prescribed SSRIs. I said, "No thanks," and left. Glad I did.
Recently, I tried low doses of Ritalin to see if it would help with some of the lagging ADHD characteristics that cause me grief, but it wasn't for me. I live in Mexico, where we don't have Adderall or Vyvanse, the latter of which is proving quite effective. So, I am back to what I've been doing for the last few decades.
Keeping my habits: daily resistance and cardio training, daily meditation, calendarizing everything, and a laundry list of other habits. This covers most of the holes, but I can still be an ADHD-hole from time to time. I've learned to apologize with sincerity.
Worth noting: I am one of the lucky ADHD cases for whom the above works. It's not so easy for all of us. As a coach, I have clients who simply bounce off execution. Nothing I do or say helps. For them, medication helps, but it can be tough to sort out.
But it does work, way better than SSRIs work for depression, and most of what we produce as medication. Dr. William Dodson is pretty influential on my perspective. He's done some great work talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly with meds.
Regarding your son, who stopped taking his meds. This is not talked about much, but there seems to be a number of cases where the brain is remodeled in adolescents. In such cases, they can either lower their doses or completely stop. Why it's not talked about it concerning, though, and why some of us question what's true.
What is definitely true is that this is a relatively new diagnosis and treatment. There's just a lot we still don't know. We'd all be wise to stay loose.
Agreed. I’m not completely averse to medication. But I’m incredibly slow to consider it with anyone under 16. The brain is developing. I don’t want to do anything to hinder that. And most of my clients with ADHD respond to behavioral interventions. Just my insight.
It's a totally valid concern, one I sometimes lean into myself. Even though I don't know you, I would be remiss not to push you to keep an open mind. It's what I tell myself anyway.
FWIW, I realize I'm biased. That counts against me and for me as I see it. I just can't deny the number of young people for whom meds have been life-changing.
The hard part is that these are not set-it-forget-it meds. They require ongoing review and honing by someone who isn't just winging it. It's hard to find that person, especially for the average parent. Where would the average soccer mom stand to know who is good and who is not? The safer bet is yours: nope. So I get it.
I don't think anyone who is medicated should be on medication without developing the skills that the medicatjon is supposed to help you learn better (neurons that fire together must wire together) and i think people vastly under-appreciate how much of a *mood disorder* it tends to be, thus no mere pill-popping, but a slew of approaches simultaneously
I also have both some issues with ans a theory that the levoamphetamine in adderall exists to offset the poor self-esteem issues that therapy and other tools would help with, as a former taker of adderall *sorry for typos, learning to type on phone without spellcheck
ADHD case here. I'm 51 now. I was 23 when they diagnosed me with ADD. Now, we call it ADHD. Fine. Nothing you've mentioned is offensive. You're bringing up worthy questions.
When I was diagnosed in the late 90s, most of the psychiatric profession was clueless. My psychiatrist prescribed SSRIs. I said, "No thanks," and left. Glad I did.
Recently, I tried low doses of Ritalin to see if it would help with some of the lagging ADHD characteristics that cause me grief, but it wasn't for me. I live in Mexico, where we don't have Adderall or Vyvanse, the latter of which is proving quite effective. So, I am back to what I've been doing for the last few decades.
Keeping my habits: daily resistance and cardio training, daily meditation, calendarizing everything, and a laundry list of other habits. This covers most of the holes, but I can still be an ADHD-hole from time to time. I've learned to apologize with sincerity.
Worth noting: I am one of the lucky ADHD cases for whom the above works. It's not so easy for all of us. As a coach, I have clients who simply bounce off execution. Nothing I do or say helps. For them, medication helps, but it can be tough to sort out.
But it does work, way better than SSRIs work for depression, and most of what we produce as medication. Dr. William Dodson is pretty influential on my perspective. He's done some great work talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly with meds.
Regarding your son, who stopped taking his meds. This is not talked about much, but there seems to be a number of cases where the brain is remodeled in adolescents. In such cases, they can either lower their doses or completely stop. Why it's not talked about it concerning, though, and why some of us question what's true.
What is definitely true is that this is a relatively new diagnosis and treatment. There's just a lot we still don't know. We'd all be wise to stay loose.
Agreed. I’m not completely averse to medication. But I’m incredibly slow to consider it with anyone under 16. The brain is developing. I don’t want to do anything to hinder that. And most of my clients with ADHD respond to behavioral interventions. Just my insight.
It's a totally valid concern, one I sometimes lean into myself. Even though I don't know you, I would be remiss not to push you to keep an open mind. It's what I tell myself anyway.
FWIW, I realize I'm biased. That counts against me and for me as I see it. I just can't deny the number of young people for whom meds have been life-changing.
The hard part is that these are not set-it-forget-it meds. They require ongoing review and honing by someone who isn't just winging it. It's hard to find that person, especially for the average parent. Where would the average soccer mom stand to know who is good and who is not? The safer bet is yours: nope. So I get it.