Swearing Off The Adhd Drugs And All Psychotropes

ADD and later ADHD were "invented" by school psychologist and guidance counselors to give a name for kids they could not control. Then they foisted off this "diagnosis" on "child psychiatrists" and it was made "official" so insurance companies would pay for medication to stun the poor kids.
When I DEMANDED to see the medical license of a school guidance counselor the principal threatened to call the police so I did and filed a complaint of practicing medicine without a license against the counselor and was banned from the whole school system by the edict of the head paper pusher.

 

Bravo my good sir!

 

That really sums it up.

Most of the people I've met that have been diagnosed with ADD have been extremely smart, but not at all in a conventional way, or one that would make a person easily succeed in life. It makes sense because it ultimately boils down to conformity, and a person's success within the system is in many ways based on how well they conform. I am not referring to conformity in a way that pertains to style or attitude, but rather one's way of thinking.

 

Exactly! You shoulda seen the battle of diplomacy when my 504/IEP was being discussed, my personal counselor/therapist v.s. school administration - it would have been funny if it weren't so boring and full of underlying tension. They still haven't really accommodated because they haven't figured out how to handle me. And I don't even have a proper diagnosis behind me in my case - we gave 'em the full set of lines, blurs, gray patches, and everything. No ADD/ADHD diagnosis, though anxiety and depression were in there. If they can't fit you into the system they're afraid of you. Most kids with special plans they can make fit the system, and many of them are (/are made to be) that way, but the others simply don't work like that and it scares them, if they cause trouble or not.

Conformity. People.

 

You're right. I don't often speak with or see my sister. But I civilly discussed my issues with her becomming a child psychiatrist a few weeks ago.

Since I first opened this thread I've come to terms with psychiatry a bit more. Nonetheless I still believe that ADHD actually stands for: Another Doctor Handing-out Drugs. My sister knew I wasn't happy with her career choice for quite a while, yet we never talked openly about it. Now we've finally talked and I let her know that I am ok and no longer resent her career decision. I explained that the reason I was so critical of her goals was because of psychiatrists convincing me and my parents to believe that I could not function in society without psychiatric medications daily. How I've been lied to and had my secrets revealed by psychiatrists. She even agrees with me that the DSM is very shady and trivial. All I asked of her is to be very critical about writing prescriptions for stimulants and anti-depressants for small children, and especially never do it because a teacher or a parent puts pressure on her to write one out.

 

A psychiatrist can find a diagnosis and a medication for ANYTHING. Don't breath to fast, don't breath to deeply, don't blink your eyes, don't yawn. All of these "dangerous" symptoms are cause for immediate medication. Trying to get off psych meds. with the knowledge of the shrink is a recipe for having your whole life smeared by the shrink. You will never be able to prove that the shrink was wrong and you will loose the chance for a rewarding, satisfying career.

 

Fuck offa me, bitch.

 

I truly wish you the best on your detox and recovery, but by now your probably long over it. I hope you have continued to feel better because I need to know a few things now. I was recently prescribed 30mg IR adderall because I had some serious life changing experiences. First I had a seizure and feel on my face. I was taken to the ER where they did a CT scan for any fractures in my skull. What they found was mind blowing, I had a tumor the size of a flattened out tennis ball which was blocking my ventrical which produces brain & spinal fluid. By that time my left hemisphere of my brain was nearly dry and my lower back was not receiving the proper lubricant. All this caused my seizure and I was rushed to emergency surgery. What they did was call endoscopic fenestration which is removing the fluid from the hardened mass and then drilled a hole 3 1/2 inches through the mass to the ventrical in hopes that the fluids would flow through it properly and come back to keep reproducing the fluid (like the heart with blood). Well after a 7 hour brain surgery I was released 7 days later. I felt great, the pressure was relieved from my head which I thought was chronic migraines and only took Advil for the headache. 6 short months later I had another seizure and was right back in the hospital. This time a lengthy 10 hour brain surgery Dr's put in a vp shunt because the hole they drilled the first time clogged up. This shunt has a reservoir at the back which is a hard plastic bubble that now replaces the piece of skull they removed. I get a huge needle put into it every six months to suck out the access fluids, not fun I tell ya. Dr's cannot remove this benign growth because of its size and it is considered aracnoid. Meaning it grew legs deep into the crevices of my brain and attempting to remove it could leave me paralyzed, loss of some functions like my eye site and even dead. Because this tumor blocked the fluids to my back I ended up with degenerative disc disorder. L1-l5 are completely shot with barely any discs between vertebrates. I get what are called facet shots into my spine once a month deadening the nerves. Very painful shots I might add for minimal relief. Before all this I was extremely sharp and eager to do anything quickly advancing in my job for Caterpillar and making $80k a year. Now my attention span is very short and my memory is even worse. I became a liability for Caterpillar and can no longer work there. I am actuall disabled now and it is very depressing. I have been on a butt load of anti-depressants, pain killers, sleep agents and mood enhancers ever since which make me feel completely out of it and a feeling of dragging everyday as if I were on a hangover. Recently I was put on adderall 30mg IR's, but they wanted me to continue all the others. I did for a little while, but still felt lethargic and moody so I quit all the anti-depressants like Zoloft, Rameron, Depakote, and others I can't remember and just stuck with the adderall. I fell so much better now, I'm alert and I want to get out and do things even though I'm limited to what I can do. I live in Colorado and have things to do year round. Skiing, mountain biking, hiking, golf, rafting and so much more, but my condition doesn't allow me to anymore. I guess my point is that I believe the adderall is doing great for me. I just don't want to become dependant on it.

Has anyone become physically dependant on adderall?

I still need to get off of the oxycodone 15mg IR's and the 60mg ER OxyContin's. As soon as I'm off probation I am going to start with medical marijuana like the famous Charlottes Web and pray that this one plant can replace all these nasty pharmaceuticals. I do love in Colorado where it is all legal and with my condition it shouldn't be hard to get my medicinal card.

Anybody else with depression, anxiety, or pain given up all their meds for marijuana oils and extract?
If so how well do you feel?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

I see a lot of teens and or collage students seeking out adderall. It's really not that hard to get prescribed. All you do is look up the symptoms and go to the psychiatrist and tell them what you memorized from the Internet and if your good enough act out the symptoms right then and there. I had two former friends do this and walked out of the office prescription in hand for 60 30mg IR's and with their mommy and daddy's insurance they are paying $3.

 

I made the choice to go off of my ADD meds back in February. I felt like, after taking medication for 15 years, they were starting to suppress my personality in a way and I felt like the medication was kind of sucking the life and energy out of me. I can see the benefits of taking the medication when I was younger and while I was in college, but now, as an adult, I find it is easier for me to teach and remind myself to focus on the task at hand, rather than relying on a medication to do it for me. I am also free to be 100% me, without being held back by pharmaceuticals. I was a lot quieter when I was on meds.

I find I sleep a lot better now, and have more energy to channel into my workouts than I did when I was taking medication. The medication made my heart feel kind of funny when I was working out, to be honest, and it made me uncomfortable. I actually think working out for an hour, 5 days a week, has helped me to be more focused in my daily life, although my hyper and silly sides have surfaced more.

In any event, good for you for deciding to go off your meds. How is it going so far?

 

I went off Adderall about 4 years ago and it was a great decision! I think I function much better now.

 

Thank you for your take. I do think dexedrine has advantages for some people like yourself. It's good to see a different opinion like yours in this thread. I think it's possible to become physically dependent on it; I probably was. When I took adderall I took it daily. If a day went by when I forgot to take it, it clearly showed in my work performance. I would get incredibly spacey and forgetful throughout the day. Being without my medication fueled my insecurities and really led me to believe ADHD was real. I suppose this is how the pharmacutical industry engineered it to be: The user gets so physically and mentally dependent on this substance that when a day goes by without taking it, they begin to malfunction.

If you want to get off the pharmacuticals, I suggest talking to a specialist about how to do it (if you can find one who is willing to listen to you). My best advice for getting off of adderall is to take smaller and smaller doses over a 2-3 week period until you aren't taking anymore. It's best to ween off of it slowly.

 

Cannot agree more!

I too think I was quieter and more self conscious when I was on meds. I feel a lot freer and more relaxed without the medications. The medications may have helped me focused on the tasks at hand, but they also fueled my anxiety and nervousness around new people and going to job interviews. They poisoned my dating life for that reason. I too have a lot more energy to work out more and do more exercise and athletic activities. I think the problem was I became reliant on the ADHD medications to supply all my energy. And once the drug wears off in the mid afternoon, I've lost all the physical energy I need to accomplish anything important.
And now that you mention it, I HAVE noticed myself working out at the gym a lot longer and harder than I used to since the time I've detoxed in January.

I'm glad to see it's working out for you as well.

How is it going for me so far? Well it's going great. However there are times when I contemplate taking a short-acting tablet just to get an important task done or motivate me to clean the house. I haven't done that yet though.