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Amphetamines: Wrong to give to children?

Yes, but mainly because of the bad rap meth and other stimulants get when used by consenting adults in their "street" form (crystal meth, etc). A child has no say-so in whether they take these drugs, how much they take or when they take them. While they're supposedly innocuous when used for medical purposes, amphetamines/Ritalin can cause stunted growth and may even make a child more likely to abuse drugs/become an addict as an adult according to some studies. (They've also been linked to sudden death, increased Parkinson's risk and other rare and horrendous conditions).

I'm not saying all parents and doctors who give these drugs to kids should be dragged out in the street and shot, but in 90% of cases, changes in lifestyle and parenting/guidance could reduce or eliminate ADHD symptoms without the risks associated w/ speed. Since it's impossible to detect/diagnose ADHD based on physical symptoms like we do w/ heart disease or cancer, the condition itself is questionable and totally dependent on each doctor's assessment.
 
Yeah, it's considered to them, performance enhancement. Parents are always going to try to give their own kids an unfair advantage. It's only natural, the emotion that is, however the measures they go to can get pretty crazy.

However, take it to extremes and say parents could, for a price, alter the DNA of a child before it's conceived. Engineered to have better logic skills, supposedly better vision, fixing any possibilities of a hereditary disease or mutation, if they could alter a gene that affected IQ..... they would. If they could afford it, they'd do it.

I'm not sure if this is best suited for OD though.
 
I'm not so sure about the thread placement either (maybe DC, Tri?)
Regardless, I'd like to chime in here as myself and my daughter take methylphenidate.
To the OP...I'm SURE this does happen to some degree. I'm guessing you're speaking of older children middle or high school age? Can't imagine doing something like that to a small child.
My AD/HD went undiagnosed as a child. My mother did the best she could, but she totally ignored all of the signs. As young as age 6, my report cards always said the same things..."disrupts other students, needs to apply herself, doesn't pay attention, doesn't finish classwork", etc... the older I got the worse it got. My mom was asked to come in for conferences repeatedly, and she always had excuses as to why she couldn't. Turns out she just didn't want to deal with it bc it was painful for her to admit there was something wrong. She and I had a long talk when I got diagnosed about 7-8 years ago.

I'm a female, in my early 30's. When I was young, nobody heard much about AD/HD, especially in girls. The only things anyone heard about were the stereotypical hyperactivity, behavior problems, and all that stuff. I remember there seemed to be one or two kids every year from about third grade on up, who would get sent to the nurse's office every day for medicine. They were always boys, and the ones who always got in trouble...I bet some of you remember kids like that growing up? Maybe you even WERE that kid.

Although my outward problems were certainly hard for me (being unable to sit still, always tapping my foot or my pencil, constantly asking for restroom breaks), they were nothing, NOTHING, compared to my emotional and social problems. I was very socially awkward through my elementary years. I had a horribly painful desire to be liked by the other girls and my teachers, but I just wasn't. I was always the last one to be chosen for teams, I got my feelings hurt all the time. I remember my dream back then was to be "Student of the Week". Never happened, for many reasons. (Wow, this is bringing back lots of painful memories; my chest hurts as I type this post, which is turning into a ramble ...sorry.) I ALWAYS felt different from the other kids, and was bullied alot. I put up with it because I wanted so badly to fit in and be liked....but I just didnt, and wasn't.

In the 8'th grade, I became friends with a popular girl. She was the kind of girl who was always getting into fights (and winning lol), was sexually active, and smoked pot and drank. My friendship with her alone, earned me more respect. She was the person I got drunk with for the first time. We drank Milwaukee 's Best, and it was like magic. All my fears and pain left me. From that moment on, my life's purpose was to drink as much as possible. It was the one thing I was good at.

Then came the drugs and promiscuity. I found out having sex with people made them like me. Imagine that! ;)

I will stop my life story there...Again, sorry for rambling.

After I got diagnosed I threw myself passionately into learning all I could about AD/HD in girls. Numerous studies have shown that girls with untreated AD/HD appeared to be strongly disliked and rejected by their peers: most of the time for no apparent reason. I found out so many things that explained pretty much my entire life.

It was very painful when I saw my daughter suffering as I did. she is now on ritalin as am I, and doing great.

As I said, I'm sure others abuse the availability of these meds. For myself and my daughter, they have been life savers.
Sorry For the abrupt ending, but my phone is going dead lol. I know I got way off course, but I guess I needed to get it off my chest.

thanks to whoever takes the time to read this jumbled mess! :)
 
is it cheating to study? any one can study or not study, and anyone can use amps or not use them. the use of legal amps by adults in an academic setting is essentially the same as drinking at a bar or smoking a joint at a rock concert, when in rome! right. imo these people are NOT in any way cheating, cheating involves deception, this does not, the use of amphetamine by responsible people has the potential to increase quality of the work! like tricomb said they're performance enhancers!
 
Back in HS i used to slang my addies all day to them old white-boy tweakers...some of them went on to meth. My-fault? HEll no, if anything i was trying to help their academic carrer out some.
 
hmmm...interesting topic. I think some people need it to be normal if they have serious adhd, but i also agree with the O.P.

ADD meds are very interesting because they are not cut/dry like opiate scripts. If you have a broken back, lol, you need opiates...it's alot harder to determine who needs add meds.
 
Thought I would share an email I got on this subject.

" Dr. Hallowell's Response to

NY Times Article on

Students Abusing Stimulant Medication


Students Abusing Stimulant Medication: On June 10, 2012, in the New York Times, there was a front-page, above-the-fold commentary on the abuse of stimulant medications by students who are trying to use the drugs to boost their grades.

I don't understand why what is arguably the top paper in the country has such a bias against the use of stimulant medication (this is not the first time the paper has attacked stimulants in an unbalanced way). Sure, some students who do not have ADHD find ways to get stimulants to improve their grades. But that is only one part of the story.

The rest of the story is that these medications, which when used properly, are among the safest and most effective medications we have and have changed the lives of millions of children and adults who have ADHD for the better.

When used properly, these medications are as effective as eyeglasses. Not a cure to be sure, any more than eyeglasses are, but a very safe and effective means to improve focus. What's wrong with that? Would the good people at the NY Times prefer that students with ADHD be forced to squint harder, rather than be able to get their equivalent of eyeglasses? The Times' position offers a classic example of what one man called "psychopharmacological Calvinism."

Of course, I favor the proper use of stimulant medication, which means doing all we can to make sure stimulants are prescribed properly and not misused. But it is wrong only to cite and deplore the misuse, while ignoring the tremendous amount of good these medications do every day around the world. They turn failing students into successful students, and underachieving adults into people who soar to the top and contribute mightily to the well being of this world.

Warm wishes,

Edward "Ned" Hallowell, M.D."
 
When people who are not in need of these meds use them, it is, in my opinion, cheating - don't get me wrong, I used ritalin for an exam (once) and got an A without a single hour of studying (I was expecting an E).

I cheated, and felt so shit I never did it again.
 
phatass said:
@macd610 ... obviously you were/are at a point where taking ADD/ADHD meds is "normal"... t's like givng a person with serious cancer, their meds or chemo (ina sense if you see my point...) i'm mainly wondering, how do you define a line between the point where its just kids being kids, and a disease (like in your case...)

thanks fo our answers guys... interesting stuff!
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Hi Phatass!

With my daughter, I KNEW what was happening. She started showing symptoms in first grade...however, it wasn't even when her teacher brought up the possibility in 2'nd grade that caused me to take action. It definitely played a role in the end, but like people have said: it's definitely a situation that is too easily used as an excuse or an easy way to deal with behavioral issues.
It was when I saw HER suffering, and seeing that SHE was unhappy. She could NOT wait her turn to talk; she interrupted constantly and rudely and she clearly felt remorse as soon as she realized what she'd done.
Lots of impulse control issues, especially with friends. Lots of accidents due to her being right on top of somebody ( Going across the monkey bars right behind another child... Accidentally kicked the child so that they fell and got injured). She would start lots of different activities and never finish them so that they were huge messes all over the house.
It broke my heart when I saw that her friends were backing away when they saw her coming...not bc they didn't like her, but bc she was SO physically rough. I mean, she would hurt people from running into them and hugging them. I remember many instances of both my daughter and whomever she was hugging falling down due to her sheer force and excitement lol.
One thing that really hit home was one hellish night during homework time. As usual, my girl was having a hard time sitting still. I remember saying to her, "God Dammit, can't you be still for just one minute!?" It was as if I had gone back in time, as that's what my father used to say to me, and I remember how much it hurt me as a child :(
And the thing is, she genuinely tried, she just couldn't help it. She would literally writhe on the floor, making totally purposeless movements. Sometimes she would walk aimlessly around the house, literally bouncing off the walls. It was almost as though she was drunk.
Her teacher was so relieved when we went in for a conference to address the issue.
We took her to a dr who specialized in children, specifically AD/HD. He observed her in a roomful of toys and talked to her for quite awhile. he diagnosed her that day and told us that we had done the very best thing we could have for her...and we may well have changed her life's path.
He said 80% of children who go undiagnosed develop substance abuse issues and are far more likely to have sex early...Hmm, sounds familiar lol!
Pretty much, I could see she was not happy, and her social and emotional well-being was at stake. I'd like to think most parents know their children as I do mine. I could see that she had the same feeling I use to live with daily... no matter where I was I wished I were somewhere else.
I could go on forever, and I am sorry this post is so very disjointed... I've had a busy afternoon and have had to write this in increments.
I feel like I have left out pertinent info...If I realize what it is, I'll post again.
I think if some parents automatically think "AD/HD" if they have a child who misbehaves (especially if they are boys). Maybe for some, that's an easier pill to swallow than the alternatives. For parents like me however, going through this with your child can be painful in the sense that it opens old wounds. To this day it is sometimes hard for me to separate my issues from my child's... but we are working on it as a family:)
 
tricomb said:
^Very interesting M <3

I hope that your daughter is doing well! :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, my Sweet :)
She's doing pretty well. She's 9, and going through a smart ass attitude phase. Not AD/HD related at all, and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to handle it.
I'm doing one thing that absolutely makes things worse...When she speaks to me in a disrespectful way or doesn't listen, etc...if I get mad enough I will threaten her with all kinds of punishments. I don't follow through most of the time.
I need to hold my tongue in those situations, as hard as it is.
WOW, WAY off topic lol.
Have a great Saturday :)
 
verso said:
I think that amphetamines should be used sparingly, very sparingly, but there are children I have encountered who I believe need to be medicated ASAP.

I swear, sometimes I just want to ask the parents of these children, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Your child is about to be a freshman in high school, and he can't sit still for even the shortest length of time."
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This. Other methods have to be tried before resorting to methylphenidate.
Changes in diets, different kind of meds (supplements) can make a huge difference.

It always struck me as weird to see something as 'strong' as ritalin usually being the first choice for treating ad(h)d, especially since so many people have adhd these days you'd expect alot more R&D into healthier alternatives.

Also, what about desoxyn? (I really don't know, is this prescribed for "severe adhd"?) What a joke. I have nothing against meth, but I don't think it should be prescribed, ever.
 
I'm 17 and a senior in high school I'm the varsity first string center, varsity 220lb wrestler, and also the first sting varsity shot put thrower for track and field. I have a 3.9 GPA I have awards for math science and social studies and was nominated for a national convention of young people. i also plan on going to college to be a chemist. I have a girlfriend I love so very much and hope to marry one day. i am ADHD and have been on adderall for 10 years. and it does not give me any rush or high, i feel calm when im on it and i know when it wears off as well because of the unfocused feeling i get near the end of the school day. i do not drink or do drugs my momma was a nurse in a hospital before becoming a stay at home mom while my dad is a police officer.

people who take the medication and don't need and abuse the drug are just your average morons looking for a faster way to kill them self's

so all the shit is a bunch of bulll
 
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devo364 said:
I'm 17 and a senior in high school I'm the varsity first string center, varsity 220lb wrestler, and also the first sting varsity shot put thrower for track and field. I have a 3.9 GPA I have awards for math science and social studieds and was nominated for a national
Click to expand...

Lol. (sorry for feeding troll, but i laffed.. )
 
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