Well, might as well throw my 2 cents in....I'm not a hypochondriac i swear lol, just had interesting dealings with meds.
I have type 2 (inattentive) ADHD/ADD, however you want to put it, every specialist has their own opinion on whether to include the h in the title or not, whether it's 2 different disorders, or 6 different types under one name. You get the general idea...whatever you may call it 8)
I was raised vegetarian. My tree-hugging, new age type parents were so obsessed with 'health foods' that I distinctly remember eating cashew nut butter (instead of peanut) as a child because it was seen as more natural in their eyes lol. So i literally grew up on beans, pulses, tofu, soy milk, fruit, vegetables, dairy, wholegrain (and sometimes potato) organic bread from a local bakers etc etc and natural RAIN water (can't blame fluoride etc). Was NEVER allowed soft drinks, sugary cereals, chips, lollies etc with the exception of a few easter eggs at easter.
TV was only for the news and sesame street
No cartoons, no computer, no video games, hell...no playing indoors unless i was playing musical instruments. Rest of the time was playing outside on our massive rural properties.
I used to be terrified of needles and avoided vaccinations like the plague, cant blame any of that.
If i messed up, i copped a slap. I was well behaved. My parents were pretty strict. So discipline isnt the issue here.
Now im pretty sure my mother didn't drink or smoke when she was pregnant or anything. So where does my ADD come from? Lack of oxygen at birth? LOL
It's genetic. I have an uncle with Aspergers, apparently this is expressed on the same gene. Well, some believe it's evolution (the eddison gene bla bla bla). Others believe we are special reincarnated alien or earth creator type creatures who have come back to teach the world. There are some really amusing theories out there.
I agree that many people are misdiagnosed, seems like parents are more willing to claim 'environmental toxins' or some kind of behavioural disorder are the reason their kid is the poster child for contraception - a total brat.
But for those of us who legitimately suffer from this condition, we are often dismissed, laughed at, or just told to do some yoga 8)
I never believed in ADD either, until I got diagnosed. Hospital staff never believe me, until im given any kind of opiate painkiller via IV and they're freaking out as my heart rate is nearing 200 bpm, blood pressure is up, any incision they have made is now bleeding out and im unable to sleep no matter how much they try to dope me up.
It took me years of being a total mess to get diagnosed (finally, at the age of 20). By then i'd been trialed on just about every antidepressant known to man, which either did nothing or made me violent, agressive yet numb, suicidal and self harming (so embarrasing). Also been trialed on temazepam, thioridazine (which i swear has made me lethargic permanantly), zyprexa, xanax and probably a bunch of other crap i cant remember. ALL of this apart from the zyprexa was trialed on me between the ages of 12 and 14. Tried again with antidepressants and zyprexa (the z is for zombie
) from age 16-19.
Discovered amphetamines at university. Rather embarrassing when they make you go and sit down at a rave when all your friends are bouncing off the walls. Didnt recognise this as a sign until later. Cocaine has zero effect on me other than numbing my throat.
Since being prescribed 45 mg dexamphetamine daily my heart palpitations have stopped, blood pressure LOWERED, insomnia dramatically lessened, general crazyness gone. No side effects, just pissed off that I have to avoid citric acid, fruit juice etc.
Ritalin however, im a little suss on. Have heard its a bit hit and miss, tried it myself and it made me feel numb and disconnected yet edgy. If I had young children of my own who were suffering, I would be ok with them taking Dexamphetamine if they had hit rock bottom and really really needed it. I Would be pretty uncomfortable with Ritalin though. Unfortunately it's standardly prescribed to ADD kids in AUS as it doesn't have the word 'amphetamine' in the name and the 'druggie' assosciation. Therefore more acceptable. Stupid.
The other mood stabilising drugs commonly prescribed as an alternative to amphetamines have a lot to answer for. I think I posted somewhere else in this forum about Epilim (sodium valproate) which is prescribed in combination with amphetamines as a 'protective' measure (pfffft). Was told as well as stabilising mood, it would prevent mania and brain damage etc etc. Ended up with valproate induced hyperammonemia and brain swelling. Really close call. Still recovering, fingers crossed there's no lasting damage. Sticking to amphetamines only nowdays. Never want to see a psychiatrist ever again. Will investigate neuropsychiatrists and neurologists instead if i must. Gotta see the funny side lol, i ended up with mania followed by a depressive irrational state which developed into a catanonic state then a biiiiig nap that lasted 3 days before I realised 'shit, this isnt good'. Thank you emergency meth stash! Considering the next 2 stages were coma and death, i think i owe mr meth one! Brought my abnormally low blood pressure back up. So the possible things this drug were prescribed to prevent happened as a result of that same drug. Riiiiiiight.
So yes, psychiatric medications are really dangerous. So is denial of treatment. People are so quick to get into a hysterical state over the use of stimulants though. Even some doctors. I dont understand why they freely hand out antidepressants, especially when they know you are lacking dopamine. Why fuck with serotonin when dopamine is the issue? When is that ever going to end well? I have seen stimulants really help people. Look at their listed side effects when compared to most SSRI's
Why give kids Clonidine etc to treat ADD? I've heard so many horror stories.
Check out the Amen clinic brain scans before (at rest and concentrating) and after stimulant treatment. Interesting viewing. Maybe scans should be used more often so we can see the areas of the brain that are lacking. Makes more sense than going into these things blindly and experimenting with drugs until we find the right combination. ADHD symptoms are similar to a variety of other things. Starting off with an accurate diagnosis in the first place would be a good idea wouldn't it?
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
