I'm new to this forum and find it so full of great info, I wish I had found it a long time ago. There are so many people who are willing to share their experience or who have done thorough research and can share info and point to great resources for getting more info.

That brings me to my question. As a new Adderall user, I find myself getting freaked out (okay, that's probably not the right term. I never freak out. My husband says a granade could land at my feet and I'd be like, "Oh, shoot, I better get out of the way" and then sort of wander away from it as if it were a kitten and not a bomb.) So I'm not freaking out, but I genuinely get concerned about my health, and I wonder sometimes about the horror stories about Adderall I read all over the Internet.

It seems like people are very willing to say, "This is what happened to me on adderall. It was horrible, I almost died, I ended up in the ER, I got addicted, I have lasting problems, etc, etc. And this happens all the time and your doctors don't tell you about it. If you stay on this drug you're going to die."

Personally, I think if these statements are made, they should be backed up with some sort of hard facts. Don't get me wrong. I think it's fine to say that you had a terrible experience. Maybe people can give you advice about what else you could try. What makes me nervous is the addition of "and what happened to me is extremely common and if you don't heed my warning this drug will destroy your life." (On the flip side, I'd feel similarly if somone said, "Adderall was great for me and it will make your life better too, so run, don't walk, to your doctor and get a prescription, because if you don't you will never, ever feel normal in your life.")

Just as I wouldn't beleive anything good about adderall without some evidence or facts and figures behind it, I don't believe the bad either unless I see proof. I think with any drug there can be people who have amazing results and people who have severe reactions to it.

What I know about Adderall is that it's not a magic pill or a Godsend in any way, but it is something that is allowing me to feel, for the first time in a long time, like I might be able to manage my day better and maybe even feel slightly "normal" (whatever normal is.) I genuinely feel bad for those who have adverse or severe reactions to stimulants, because it must be very scary, and because I would be devestated if something that's helped so many others could not help me. And I imagine it would make me gun shy to try another drug as well.

All this (boy, now that I have some clarity I realize how long it's always taken me to get to the point!) brings me to my reason for this post. How much stock should I put in these "Adderall is the devil" type things I keep coming across that aim to scare me off using it? I've had people tell me that even though I seem to be having a decent improvement on it that I should stop now before it's too late. What is that? I've found great info here and other places on the benefits of Adderall, along with it's known side effects, but does anyone know anywhere I could go to read actual studies or facts about how Adderall is slowly killing me while my doctor counts his cash and laughs?

I know that sounds sarcastic, but I'm genuinely asking. This medication seems to be helping me. I think I've been pretty lucky in terms of side effects. I've never felt "euphoric" or high on it. I've haven't had sleep problems, chest pains, breathing trouble, anorexia, or any of the other much scarier sounding things that could happen. I think I'm responding well to it and tolerating it well. But is it going to end up hurting me in the long run? Are the "It nearly killed me and it'll get you too" people intending help me and is there proof of what they say? If not, then I think posts like are really irresponsible, and then what's the proper way to respond to them? I just don't think you can make a blanket statement like "Adderall will kill you eventually" without having some kind of data to back that up. People who normally experience anxiety must really freak out when they read that, and unless there's real evidence that this stuff is detrimental to the majority of the population, they should be able to find out if Adderal will help them without being scared off. Like I said, I'm almost too calm about things, and even I wrote a somewhat panicked sounding post about a bit of an increased heart rate that I wasn't even concerned about, but the horror stories had me thinking maybe I was being too "blase," and maybe I should be more concerned.

I'm sorry to be going on and on. I just really want to be functional and have a little less trouble living a so-called normal life, and don't want to do anything that will screw my life up even more. Amphetamines aren't candy by a long shot, but is this stuff really dangerous, or is it generally safe, or do we just not know either way?

I've had people tell me that even though I seem to be having a decent improvement on it that I should stop now before it's too late. What is that? In response to your question about "What is that?" Well, what it is is against the rules for anyone here at this forum to give medical advice. If someone told you to stop taking your medication here at the forum, I would appreciate a link to their post.




does anyone know anywhere I could go to read actual studies or facts about how Adderall is slowly killing me while my doctor counts his cash and laughs? No




is it going to end up hurting me in the long run? Good question. I don't think anyone knows the answer to that since Adderal has only been used to treat ADHD since Febuary of 1996. Prior to that it was used decades ago under a different name to treat obesity, but people using the drug to treat obesity did/do not take it chronically for years like people who are using to treat their ADHD symptoms. It was/is used strictly for short periods of time only when being used for obesity.





Are the "It nearly killed me and it'll get you too" people intending help me and is there proof of what they say? Please point out the post that are saying "it'll get you too," if they are here at this site. It's difficult for anyone to know what anothers intentions actually are, but irregardless of intentions, telling someone that a drug will "get them too" is not tolerated here.




If not, then I think posts like are really irresponsible, and then what's the proper way to respond to them? If they are occuring here, the proper way to respond is to report the post. I personally would not respond to a post that said something that foolish simply due to the fact that a person who says that obviously has no idea that each of us can and do respond differently to these drugs. The only reason I respond to post like that (not that I've seen one around here yet) is because I'm a moderator in the medications forum.




I just really want to be functional and have a little less trouble living a so-called normal life, and don't want to do anything that will screw my life up even more. Very well said. I think we all can relate to that statement very well.




Amphetamines aren't candy by a long shot, but is this stuff really dangerous, or is it generally safe, or do we just not know either way?As far as how safe it is, that depends on so many factors. For starters, we each can and do often respond very differently to these drugs. That being said, what works best for one, may be worst for another. Secondly, taken in therapeutic doses amphetamines are safe for most people, however taken in high doses that is not the case. Lastly, do you mean safe in the short term or long term? In the short term they appear to be very safe for most people when taken as prescribed, however in the long term I don't think anyone really knows for sure.


.

I'm awfully sorry, I should have been very specific in stating that before I found this forum I was being told to get away from Adderall asap, as it was a very, very bad drug. I almost didn't take my first dose! Fortunately, sanity got hold of me and made me realize there are irresponsible people who don't understand what repercussions their words have. When I was first prescribed, I didn't even know I had ADD, and I had no clue about treatmetns. I was desperately seeking to arm myself with knowledge and found myself all over the web looking for advice and answers. I landed on so many sites that are meant to be a place to talk about ADD and treatment where a few people generally just want to share their scary stories and instill fear in people who are just looking for answers.

I came across something like that this morning (again, not here), and it made me angry, but then I started to wonder. What do I know really about what I'm putting in my body, other than it's helping. Then I got angry again, because it is helping, and I should be able to just enjoy this newfound ability to actually focus better and not have 917,654 thoughts going on at once. I went to a site looking for information and insight, but instead I was left wondering if this is going to end up hurting me down the road.

The reason I posted my question/concern on this board and not elsewhere was because I wanted rational, thoughful responses from people who know what I'm going through. I guess I was expressing frustration, things like that might be keeping people from getting some help.

Thanks for responding and reiterating the most important fact, that we all respond differently to these drugs. That's really the one thing to keep in mind.

I'm awfully sorry, I should have been very specific in stating that before I found this forum I was being told to get away from Adderall asap, as it was a very, very bad drug.
Hey, that's quite OK, and there's no need to aplogize. I'm just glad to know that you were not told that here at the forums. ;)

Well, I am not a doctor and I don't take Adderall, so my 2 cents is probably not even worth that that if I gave you a nickel too.

But, I think horror stories are generally just that. Stories.

The truth is generally a lot less interesting.

Hey ProcrastN8R2--your quote alone is worth the 7 cents and then some! ("I was going to, but I saw something shiny"....brilliant!)


And good point on the stories. Too bad some folks don't realize their stories can have lasting repercussions.

Ah well. Such is life, right?

LOL!

When I am being really really ADD, my husband will say "Did you see something shiny?"

I think the comment that they are stories is totally insensitive. And what is meant by ""too bad people don't realize their stories can have lasting implications" ? So what if someones TRUE story has an effect on you. Sometimes the truth hurts....you should just take the information and use it.
That's like me being offended that I heard about someone's rape because now I feel uncomfortable about walking through a park at night and I really like my night time walks. So I'm mad that someone tells me they were hurt doing what I like doing. So what??? I need to know, and if I decide to go anyway, that's my choice but I appreciate the information. :confused:

I WISH someone had warned me about their "stories" before I had to experience my own. I thought most people want both sides of things so they can make good decisions. If you are one of those who don't like to hear things that worry them, then so be it. But to imply they are just stories is not right. And to imply people are wrong for sharing them with you is just totally asinine. I had a bad experience on Adderall, and I can't understand how anyone would resent a sincere account of an adverse experience so that you have all sides. You never know what reaction you could begin to develop over time. What do you think this stuff is, apple pie? These are POWERFUL, mind altering, man-made chemicals that directly affect your brain. You should want all sides of these stories.

I apologize if I sound rude, but I find that so nearsighted. This is one of the instances people baffle me....its as if we think our reality is the only one. I just don't get that.

If you dont think its going to happen to you, then keep taking it, why would someone else sharing their experiences bother you. I think that's just weird. I'm totally offended by these comments. And they sound ridiculous.

I guess Im gonna be offended whenever i hear someone was hurt doing something that I like doing, cause it worries me and i don't like to be inconvenienced by their experiences and want to live in a little world where whatever I'm doing for the moment is everyone else's favorite thing too. It's my world, afterall and its ALL about me and how stuff makes me feel. I mean, come on.:mad:

Even though Im amazed i'd have to explain this to someone, when people go out on a limb to share their personal private and painful experiences, they're doing it to help people. I would feel bad not letting people know what happened to me, because they may fall into the same category, and would need to know. :eek:
And you can't ask anyone else if they're "safe" because we all respond differently. I personally am glad to hear others' reactions to something I'm about to put in my body.

Are you one of those people who would rather not be told they have something on their face and get offended because they don't like the feeling it gives them, rather than being glad they can now take it off of their face? i never understood people like that, and That's how your reasoning sounds.

I think the comment that they are stories is totally insensitive. And what is meant by ""too bad people don't realize their stories can have lasting implications" ? So what if someones TRUE story has an effect on you. Sometimes the truth hurts....you should just take the information and use it.
That's like me being offended that I heard about someone's rape because now I feel uncomfortable about walking through a park at night and I really like my night time walks. So I'm mad that someone tells me they were hurt doing what I like doing. So what??? I need to know, and if I decide to go anyway, that's my choice but I appreciate the information. :confused:

I WISH someone had warned me about their "stories" before I had to experience my own. I thought most people want both sides of things so they can make good decisions. If you are one of those who don't like to hear things that worry them, then so be it. But to imply they are just stories is not right. And to imply people are wrong for sharing them with you is just totally asinine. I had a bad experience on Adderall, and I can't understand how anyone would resent a sincere account of an adverse experience so that you have all sides. You never know what reaction you could begin to develop over time. What do you think this stuff is, apple pie? These are POWERFUL, mind altering, man-made chemicals that directly affect your brain. You should want all sides of these stories.

I apologize if I sound rude, but I find that so nearsighted. This is one of the instances people baffle me....its as if we think our reality is the only one. I just don't get that.

If you dont think its going to happen to you, then keep taking it, why would someone else sharing their experiences bother you. I think that's just weird. I'm totally offended by these comments. And they sound ridiculous.

I guess Im gonna be offended whenever i hear someone was hurt doing something that I like doing, cause it worries me and i don't like to be inconvenienced by their experiences and want to live in a little world where whatever I'm doing for the moment is everyone else's favorite thing too. It's my world, afterall and its ALL about me and how stuff makes me feel. I mean, come on.:mad:

Even though Im amazed i'd have to explain this to someone, when people go out on a limb to share their personal private and painful experiences, they're doing it to help people. I would feel bad not letting people know what happened to me, because they may fall into the same category, and would need to know. :eek:
I agree. Stimulants are powerful medications and it's important we get all the information.

It seems like some people are always in the extreme of 'stimulants are totally safe' or 'stimulants are the devil and will destroy you'.

I think the reality is probably somewhere in between both of those statements and it's important we take both of them into account and be careful.

Not all negative stories about stimulants are untrue, they can cause major problems if not taken with care and respect.

OK, sorry about the harshness of my post. I just read through it again and its a little sharp. There's that impulsiveness again....

It just sort of shocked me, and I felt like I would really hate it for someone to take my sharing of my experience as some sort of insult, because its really a sacrifice to share that, and I do it to help people see all sides and know all possibilities because the companies aren't going to broadcast the drug's dangers and problems any more than they absolutely have to, you know?. But as for my tone....not necessary.

Sorry. :(

But I hope you realize that all of the shared information is valuable, not only the stuff that makes us feel good....I mean, so does eating ice cream every day for breakfast lunch and dinner, but we wouldn't LOOK so good if we did that, know what I mean, lol.

But I apologize.

First off, I would respectfully ask you to please go read my original post again. Because you missed a KEY thing. I did not say sharing stories was wrong. In fact, I think it's quite important. I said sharing YOUR individual story and then following it up with "And so no one else should, ever, ever take this stuff because it's BAD" is irresponsible and flat out not helpful.

Recall in another post where you were extolling the virtues of naturopathy and I said I tried it and it didn't work for me, but it does have merit. I would NEVER say, "Hey, everyone, I tried it, I spent a lot of money, some stuff gave me rashes or made me break out, and some stuff caused migraines, so since that happened to ME that means naturopathy is crap and is full of witch doctors who lie and steal your money."

Now wouldn't that be quite ignorant and irresponsible of me?

Your first response was not "sharp." It was flat out uncalled for. You misconstrued my words and then proceded to pronounce me some kind of pollyana who only wants to hear the good in the world. When that was never what I said.

A little fact about me: After spending many, many years of childhood, adolescence and now adulthood thinking I was not normal, some kind of fraud for getting good grades when I couldn't even read a paragraph or retain info after cramming for a test, and generally not knowing what the hell was wrong with me, I FINALLY got a diagnosis of ADD just TWO MONTHS AGO. Prior to that I knew very little about it, and since being diagnosed I have been searching for answers to help get my life to a level where I can feel whole. There are a lot of people out there like me, new to ADD and finally learning what's "wrong" with us, and we need to get the info, good and bad. What we don't need is people telling us that their bad experience with one med or another means we should stop trying and run screaming for the hills. THAT was my point, and if you go back and read it again, you will see that.

One bit of info I keep coming across remains consistent. Everyone responds differently to medications, and what works for some may not work for others. Just like you have success with the naturopathic route and I didn't, some will have success with a particular med, and some might never find one that works for them. My beef is with the people who don't do research, don't back up their claims with anything but a personal anecdote and then tell people like me, newly diagnosed, scared and knowing very little about this, that their experience is the norm and that I am dooming myself by trying to find something to help me.

I was so happy to find this particular forum. I read a lot of posts before joining, and found a lot of really great info from people who have been where I am, have tried the meds, have had successes and failures and were willing to share both sides without being judgmental or conspiracy-driven. It's so important to have a place like this, and I found it especially helpful as a newly diagnosed ADD-er trying medication for the first time.

I can't stress it enough. Finally knowing what's wrong with me has left me overwhelmed. I know I'm not alone when I say I'm scared of what I don't know and excited at the prospect of being helped.

But this will be my last post. I will still read the posts every so often, because there is an unbelievable amount of knowledge here, and everyone is doing an incredible service by sharing what they've learned and what they know. I've learned a lot. But I've been a member for 3 days, and I've already found myself having to defend myself more than once, when I'm just looking for information. I've got enough to deal with in my life right now, and I need to be learning about ADD and what will best help me, not being made to feel guilty for asking a question.

I'm pretty sure you can chalk this up to eMOTION. You can't read one's true intentions when they are on-screen or on paper. You don't have tone of voice or facial expressions to help you a long. I could see how someone would be a little defensive based on your first post, but not much bothers me these days. I also see how the other post could create a defensive environment. I encourage you to stay a member and engage yourself. You're in an environment where people really can't judge you, they don't know you. You're a in a pefect space to learn about experiences and create your own opinions. Healthy diaglog is to be expected now and then. Point is, we all have the same goal here. I feel as though you should not refrain from posting due to a small miscommunication. It sounds like you have a lot of helpful feedback that might make someone's day, and honestly, I admired your post. I too, am a little tweaked about taking adderall. Addiction of sorts runs in my family and it makes me nervous. Please don't feel as though you should not post.

When you really get down to it? No matter what they seem to say...its just a font. That's it. :)

First off, I would respectfully ask you to please go read my original post again. Because you missed a KEY thing. I did not say sharing stories was wrong. In fact, I think it's quite important. I said sharing YOUR individual story and then following it up with "And so no one else should, ever, ever take this stuff because it's BAD" is irresponsible and flat out not helpful.


Now wouldn't that be quite ignorant and irresponsible of me?

Your first response was not "sharp." It was flat out uncalled for. You misconstrued my words and then proceded to pronounce me some kind of pollyana who only wants to hear the good in the world. When that was never what I said.

A little fact about me: After spending many, many years of childhood, adolescence and now adulthood thinking I was not normal, some kind of fraud for getting good grades when I couldn't even read a paragraph or retain info after cramming for a test, and generally not knowing what the hell was wrong with me, I FINALLY got a diagnosis of ADD just TWO MONTHS AGO. Prior to that I knew very little about it, and since being diagnosed I have been searching for answers to help get my life to a level where I can feel whole. There are a lot of people out there like me, new to ADD and finally learning what's "wrong" with us, and we need to get the info, good and bad. What we don't need is people telling us that their bad experience with one med or another means we should stop trying and run screaming for the hills. THAT was my point, and if you go back and read it again, you will see that.

One bit of info I keep coming across remains consistent. Everyone responds differently to medications, and what works for some may not work for others. Just like you have success with the naturopathic route and I didn't, some will have success with a particular med, and some might never find one that works for them. My beef is with the people who don't do research, don't back up their claims with anything but a personal anecdote and then tell people like me, newly diagnosed, scared and knowing very little about this, that their experience is the norm and that I am dooming myself by trying to find something to help me.

I was so happy to find this particular forum. I read a lot of posts before joining, and found a lot of really great info from people who have been where I am, have tried the meds, have had successes and failures and were willing to share both sides without being judgmental or conspiracy-driven. It's so important to have a place like this, and I found it especially helpful as a newly diagnosed ADD-er trying medication for the first time.

I can't stress it enough. Finally knowing what's wrong with me has left me overwhelmed. I know I'm not alone when I say I'm scared of what I don't know and excited at the prospect of being helped.

But this will be my last post. I will still read the posts every so often, because there is an unbelievable amount of knowledge here, and everyone is doing an incredible service by sharing what they've learned and what they know. I've learned a lot. But I've been a member for 3 days, and I've already found myself having to defend myself more than once, when I'm just looking for information. I've got enough to deal with in my life right now, and I need to be learning about ADD and what will best help me, not being made to feel guilty for asking a question.I'm sorry if I missed the key point in your post. Was just sharing what I thought on how I interrupted this thread

People here are sometimes impulsive and this is something I'm personally working on. Sweets apologized if his post offended you and I think this was pretty nice of him. It's also hard to figure out what people mean when you just have text, balance's post was very good I thought.

You seem to be going through heaps of things most of us that get diagnosed with ADD go through at first. We all had to put up with the bull**** so I'd recommend you try and ignore some of these very extreme stories that say no one should ever try stimulants.

Don't stop posting just because someone misunderstood your post, I think me and sweets were probably replying to this post more than yours anyway:
Well, I am not a doctor and I don't take Adderall, so my 2 cents is probably not even worth that that if I gave you a nickel too.

But, I think horror stories are generally just that. Stories.

The truth is generally a lot less interesting.

*interpreted

damn spellcheck :P

*interpreted

damn spellcheck :PPssssst...speak to Lars. He might agree to edit this for you if you ask him.


Unless, of course, Elvis happens to show up again, in which case you are probably just fresh out of luck. ;)

Well, again, I apologize:foot:.....I do want you to understand how it sounded though.

Consider this quote from your post:

"I came across something like that this morning (again, not here), and it made me angry, but then I started to wonder. What do I know really about what I'm putting in my body, other than it's helping. Then I got angry again, because it is helping, and I should be able to just enjoy this newfound ability to actually focus better and not have 917,654 thoughts going on at once. I went to a site looking for information and insight, but instead I was left wondering if this is going to end up hurting me down the road.


The whole bit about "i should be able to just enjoy this...." and the subsequently posted statement about stories being ""just stories", and that "its too bad people dont realize their stories have lasting implications" really sound as though you feel inconvenienced by people sharing, and that you are entitled not to have to think about the inconvenient unpleasant experiences others have had because now you have to wondr if its going to hurt you....which, by the way, is good to think about if its a possibility! :(


My issue with your response post is that once someone apologizes, what is the point of you holding on to it? I mean, I'm just very blunt, but if I realize I"m wrong, I apologize. I think you may be a little hypersensitive here. I mean, do you know how many adverse comments I got about my opinion on homeopathic medicine?:eek: But... So What? lol. I just share my opinion and go on with my day. Sorry, but sometimes people misunderstand each other.

If you dont accept my INITIAL apology, which I made before you even responded, then I respectfully consider it your problem. But again, I do realize it was sharp in tone and did not mean to over react.

My advice would be for you to be open to occasional criticism for your posts, and the chance they may be misunderstood, and if they are, you explain. Especially if the person apologizes to you, it takes a big person to just let it go.....I have only been on the forum ONE DAY LONGER THAN YOU!! LOL And I have already had to let stuff go where I thought certain comments were harsh, and those persons/ people haven't even apologized. I dont NEED them to apologize...its all good, and if that person needed anything from me I'D DO IT IN A HEARTBEAT. We're all in the same boat. I personally could care less who agrees with my posts anyway....none of this is personal and we all just share opinions.

Just my two cents. But again, sorry about that bite....I'm actually pretty mild tempered...that was just a little impulsive. You'll do it one day too, you'll see....we all make mistakes......

Hope you keep posting:)

Can we consider the misunderstanding over please? I would very much like to continue with the discussion in a civil manner.


And this happens all the time and your doctors don't tell you about it. If you stay on this drug you're going to die."


I don't have a bunch of facts and figure but will a decade and year help?


I have been on Adderall for ten years, 8 months I take 80mg- 100mg a day and so far I am alive and well.

Before I was on Adderall I was on Ritalin so I have been on ADD medications sense I was 29 I am fixing to turn 44 in two weeks.


The worrying is more apt to do damage than the medications, If you have problems you will notice okay? A little healthy knowledge is a good thing but fear is not warranted. Just keep up with your yearly physicals and follow ups and what will be will be. Some do have side effects but that is true with just about every thing. . . there is a saying I share frequently

Every thing that has an effect on the body can have a bad effect, this includes herbal supplements, all natural remedies and foods.

So in essence you have been taking the same risk all of your life by simply putting things in your body that have an effect upon it, but to stop eating would be silly.

If I eat an orange I will break out in horrible whelps and itch some times I have problems breathing. Does that mean every one who eats oranges will do like wise? Every thing that has an effect of the body can have a bad one and oranges have an effect on the body. . . . . .To most folks oranges are a good source of vitamin C I just happen to be allergic to them. My reaction is individual that doesn't mean it did not happen to me but just because it happened to me doesn't mean it will happen to every one, Few are allergic to citric acid as it is a natural source of vitamin C. . . .it makes me break out in a rash big time, I must take asorbic acid supplements that is all.


If I accidentally drink some thing that has citric acid in it my taste buds let me know to stop. . .. it will suddenly taste like aluminum foil. . . . if your body doesn't agree with the medication it will normally let you know just like mine tells me when some thing has too much citric acid in it. {I do try to read the labels but some times there is no labels to read I trust my tongue}

Don't let fear make decison for you. . . . just do your follow ups and keep up with your yearly check ups and listen to your body while you live and enjoy your life. . . .

I hope this helps. . . .. .

Sheesh, I said I wasn't a doctor and did not take Adderall and that my two cents was not even worth that - how do you make a disclaimer more disclaiming than that??

What I said about stories was meant in a general sense, the urban myth sense, not specifically to anyone's personal experience.

I have a friend who won't eat at KFC because she thinks there are rat parts in the chicken. She's heard a lot of horror stories.... I think they are just stories - I like KFC.

And, notwithstanding anyone's personal experience, there are a LOT of horror "stories" out there about any drug you care to name. Stories are not always the same as facts.

....=.

Understoo procrastinator, but when you are talking about very personal stories of bad reactions to drugs, especially those where people have had the worst experiences of their lives (and believe me, I can relate to that), its a sensitive subject and that choice of words may have been harsh. A better way to say it may be that those stories are RARE reactions, and may not even happen to you. But I'd be willing to bet that anyone who put there horror experiences (not just stories) out there don't want anyone to imply that they were in any way fictional.

Hallucinating and having a child hallucinate, or the stories where people risked harming their own children because they were completely out of it.....those things are pure Hell. They're not just stories. They deserve to be heard, too.....even if they do make someone feel a little worried. Then that person just needs to think a little harder about whether they want to take the drug or not....its called L-I-F-E.


When I heard that smoking could cause cancer, (This is an extreme example, but true, lol) it "worried" me too. But are those dying people's experiences just stories, and inconveniences that "shouldn't make me have to have 9,000 thoughts going through my head" about enjoying my cigarettes? no.

Just because these experiences are more rare, they are still just as POSSIBLE and just as true.

Well, again, I apologize:foot:.....I do want you to understand how it sounded though.If you are sincere in your apology, then you would care less how another sounded to you, because you would be the one who is sorry for what it is that you are apologizing for. However, it appears to me that you use the word sorry simply as a way to pacify the opposition in order for them to listen to what it is that you are not sorry for at all.

Actions speak louder than words, and your actions indicate to me that you are neither sorry, nor willing to tolerating others views on some things that you feel passionate about without trying to lure them into an argument over junk science.

I happen to respect real science, and the truth is a lot of things that are now real science were once junk science. Homeopathy has been around since the 1700's, and I have yet to see any clinical evidence to substantiate its validity. Does that mean I do not like homeopathy? Nope. Does that mean that I myself have never used homeopathy? Not at all, I used to use homeopathic sleep aids, and it seemed to help briefly. What's interesting is how you do not mention the power of the placebo effect at all in your post, yet will profess some of the junk science as being real. Real science is testable, repeatable, and is the standard by which the Drs who prescribe our medications base their decisions.

I will allow this thread to remain open at this time, but if this thread continues to go off topic in a negative way, which is how I see it going by your insincere apologies, then I will close this thread. This is a helpful, and supportive site, and you are being neither helpful nor supportive in your tone and actions to the members you continue to apologize to.

This is not law school, and even though I'm sure you are being trained in ways to argue that are very helpful as a future attorney, this is not a forum to practice arguing with other members. This is a helpful, and supportive site.

I like discussions about alternative medicines, and alternative therapies, but this is the "medications forum." There are other forums at this site that cater to the areas you seem pasionate about. Please take the time to find those forums. I also encourage you to contribute here in the medications forums when you feel that you have something supportive, or helpful to say.

Meadd823, thank you for your thoughtful response (and congrats, I am a newlywed myself :) )

You've had much experience with ADD medications and I've read your other posts, which are so informative and offer so much insight.

I 100% do not want this to sound rude, and I hope it doesn't, but it's always a chance in posts that things can sound cocky. But really, really, I am not actually that fearful of taking adderall. My post never meant to indicate I was.

I am afraid, don't get me wrong, but my fear is of all of the unknowns of ADD. I grew up in a very small town, and I know this will be so hard to believe, but ADD was not something I knew hardly anything about until I went to college. And even then it was just, "Oh, that guy has ADD," or whatever, with no real information offered about what it actually was.

And what I knew of ADD medications, well, when I was very young a boy in a neighboring town murdered a classmate, and they all ended up on the TV talkshow circuit because the kid was on ritalin and using that as his defense.

I just got diagnosed two months ago. I'm in my 30s, with two masters degrees, no career, and a list of reasons I feel fraudulent that I think a huge amount of ADDers could understand and relate to. But with that knowledge of ADD and meds as a background, it would have been easy for me to have a very ignorant view of ADD and mistrusting view of medication. But I don't, because I consider myself pretty open minded.

Open mindedness, to me, partly means the ability to consider ALL possibilities about things. And my post was simply expressing that there are people out there who only consider their own experience.

And the question was is it fair to share that without qualifying it? I don't expect people to cite textbook facts and data, but at the very least, I expect them to say what almost everyone here is respectful enough of others to say, and that is "That was my experience, and everyone's experience on this drug is unique."

Instead there are people who feel that it's okay to say, "That was my experience, and it WILL happen to you. If your doctor says there's only a very small chance it will, he's lying."

That's all I was saying. I came here to learn. I came here to hear all of your STORIES. (And Procrast, I understood what you meant by the urban myth thing. We need STORIES. We learn the truth from STORIES. We learn to be misguided and hasty from URBAN MYTHS if we believe them. There's a huge difference between stories and myths, and that was partially my point.)

As for you Sweets, I would just like to explain why having to defend myself to you was frustrating in a way that other debates on this forum have not been. I hope I can make you understand, because I am not thin skinned or emotional. I believe in healthy debate and free speech and everything else that makes for great dialogue. But I also believe in understanding, and treating others in a way you'd like to be treated yourself.

Here's how I see the differnece:

When you talked about, say, naturopathy, you got responses such as "Would you please explain where you got that info," or "I don't understand what you mean, could you please give more detail." Not those exact words, but that's the gist. Or even, "So are you saying you mean...."

The way you responded to me was to say my views were assinine, nearsighted, offensive and ridiculous (all your own words) and then basically implied that I was so stupid that you can't believe you have to explain to me why stories are useful.

Again, if you had responded in a way that said something like "This is what I think you're saying, and if so I disagree," then I could have explained myself better (something all of us with ADD probably have to do a lot more than we'd like, lol) and then this whole uncomfortable discourse could have been avoided.

(Another thing you misunderstood that you kept running with was my statement about having 9million thoughts in my head...that was what my life was like before adderall, which has helped with that. My statement was I should be able to enjoy this new clarity where my mind isn't going crazy with thoughts. I did not mean that I had 9 million thoughts about other people's horror stories. I meant I finally didn't have too many thoughts going at once, and I'm happy about that.)

As for not accepting your apology, well it's not that I didn't accept it. I just didn't see how saying sorry but then again reiterated how stupid you thought my statements were was apologizing. You still were misunderstanding my point, and not trying to understand it either.

I am sorry Sweets, but I hope you can see the difference between the way people have responded to your thoughts that they disagree with and how you responded to mine. I have no problem debating a point with someone who has a differing view. But I don't feel that calling someone assinine and ridiculous has any place in a healthy debate or in a forum where people are trying to share ideas and help each other. (And, yes, I realize you didn't go so far as to directly call me assinine or stupid, but by calling my ideas and thoughts assinine, you did, because you can't really separate the two.)

I hope this helps you understand my feelings on this. Most likely I won't be back after this, but I just had to let you know that there is healthy debate and then there is just plain old telling someone they are wrong and stupid, and the latter should never find it's way into a discussion as important as this, or any discussion for that matter. Maybe you didn't want to do that, but that's what you did, and it's fine to blame your impulsiveness on ADD, but ADD doesn't exclude us from treating our fellow humans with courtesy and respect. (Which, I might point out, is one of the rules of using these forums)

As for my original post, perhaps it could have been worded better and perhaps my point wasn't entirely clear. I think we all need ALL the facts, and I question the motives of people who hang out in forums for ADD or specific meds to tell their story and attempt to sway everyone else from even attempting to use the particular drug they tried. Aren't forums for helping others find their correct treatment, whatever it may be? So what good does it do to stop them from doing that?

I'm probably not being clear enough again, but that's what I was saying. I'm on my first go 'round here with Adderall. Maybe I'll stick with it and maybe I'll move on to one, two, or five others before I find the one that is "for me." And I think that is for me and my doctor to make the final call on, as it is for everyone else. So my question was what do people hope to achieve by telling people (without giving any facts to back them up) that a particular medication is harmful to everyone? Were they so shaken by their own experience that they have some vendetta where they think they can single handedly put the makers of a drug out of business by scaring off anyone else who needs it?

So thanks everyone, for all of your shared wisdom and insight. You all have so much to offer, and I have gained a lot in a short time.

Hope this long post didn't put you all to sleep! :faint:

So long, but please, all of you keep sharing and debating, because I will be here just reading and taking it all in!

Okay, deleted that last thing, because I just noticed, Lars, your response was not showing for some reason when I logged on and responded, but I'd like to thank you for your many helpful and understanding responses to me, and for all your posts.

It seems like some people are always in the extreme of 'stimulants are totally safe' or 'stimulants are the devil and will destroy you'.

I think the reality is probably somewhere in between both of those statements and it's important we take both of them into account and be careful..

I agree... That's why I said the truth is usually a lot less interesting.... because the middle usually isn't as interesting as the extreme at either end.

That's all I was saying. I came here to learn. I came here to hear all of your STORIES. (And Procrast, I understood what you meant by the urban myth thing. We need STORIES. We learn the truth from STORIES. We learn to be misguided and hasty from URBAN MYTHS if we believe them. There's a huge difference between stories and myths, and that was partially my point.)


Thank you Desperate1, that is exactly what I meant, and you explained it better than I did.

I think all of your posts have been very clear and well thought out. I've appreciated reading them. I hope you will not stay away from the forums!

Desperate1, I for one hope that you do stay, and that you do post. I thought you began an interesting and relevent thread.

To reiterate what Lars said (Here I am again, in your forums, dude :o and I am so glad that you are a patient and tolerant man) this is a helpful and supportive forum. From here on in, I would hope that your experience here indicates that to you and to others.

I am SINCERELY sorry that you felt unwelcome here I have a lot of faith in the staff here, my fellow mods and administration.I can say with confidence that staff is dedicated to making sure that this forum remains a place where people can come to together to share and learn.

OK, sorry about the harshness of my post. I just read through it again and its a little sharp. There's that impulsiveness again....

It just sort of shocked me, and I felt like I would really hate it for someone to take my sharing of my experience as some sort of insult, because its really a sacrifice to share that, and I do it to help people see all sides and know all possibilities because the companies aren't going to broadcast the drug's dangers and problems any more than they absolutely have to, you know?. But as for my tone....not necessary.

Sorry. :(

But I hope you realize that all of the shared information is valuable, not only the stuff that makes us feel good....I mean, so does eating ice cream every day for breakfast lunch and dinner, but we wouldn't LOOK so good if we did that, know what I mean, lol.

But I apologize.
I was enjoying your post's and find them interesting.

A forum is not the best means of communication and many times people are misunderstood.

A forum is not the best means of communication and many times people are misunderstood.Very well said brother. ;)

I had a communications class my freshman year of college, and I remember learning that something like 90% of human communication is non-verbal. That would include things like voice tone, voice inflection, voice cadence, intonation, volume, facial expressions, body language, etc.

In a medium like this, all of those things are lost.

That's your personal judgment, Lars, that if someone is really sorry they wont say anything else about the subject. I apologized and it was basically not accepted, so I made another explanation of the original post. In a court of law its called a rebuttal....sometimes you need a second opportunity to address someone's comments made in address to you.

What being a law student teaches is not to argue, but to think objectively...you cannot make arguments that are not grounded in origin to the law. No personal opinions. No emotional appeals (well, not technically, although if you're good you can sneek them in), and if an opinion is stated, then it must be presented a such. Mistakes such as those that have been made here are torn apart, and you lose.

That's why I am able to see that there is a lot of subjectivity, and reading INTO posts with emotions rather than seeing the WORDS that are written. Yes, I did it myself, but I saw it myself and apologized......and it was not accepted.

Personally, I don't care. I don't have to post again. My hyperfocus has allowed me to bleed this forum dry of all that I was interested in the past few days I've been a member, and I don't really need to post anymore anyway. I can see by the hypersensitivity and emotion here that I'm definitely not interested in experiencing the emotional highs and lows that seem to come with the meds. So I'm done here anyway.

People here seem really intelligent to me, but I also noticed some have difficulty seeing things objectively. You just talked about forums like this not conveying emotion. You just chose to ignore the positive aspects of my post and just read into it. Maybe you were crashing or something. Personally, i don;t care either way.

PEACE

That's your personal judgment, Lars, that if someone is really sorry they wont say anything else about the subject. I never said anything about how anyone "wont say anything else about the subject."



In a court of law its called a rebuttal....That's a great point.

However, this is not a court of law. This is a helpful and supportive site. As far as I could tell based on your post, you appeared to be antagonizing those whom which you claimed to be sorry.

Yeah, OK. Maybe this site needs to IMITATE a court of law in terms of the objectivity. That's what makes the justice system FAIR. (Well, as much as possible when dealing with flawed human beings.)

Its so funny how, yet again, you just skipped over the most relevant part of my post, which is where I was explaining that I apologized and it WAS NOT ACCEPTED, which is the ONLY reason I responded again. What about that part??


I dont need anything else here anyway...whatever.

Whatever sweets; you apologized, I'LL accept it and lets move on instead of hijacking this thread with arguements.

As for your original post-

Provided you take it as prescribed, Adderall won't kill you. And that assumes a lot of things - first, a competent doctor won't give stimulants to a junkie or to somebody with heart problems; second - you take it exactly as prescribed (i.e. don't be taking 100+ mg of the stuff or snorting it or etc.).

Adderall = amphetamine. Amphetamines have been used for over 70 years for one reason or another (everything from obesity to ADHD to general 'stimulants' (i.e. the US Air Force gives it's pilots dexedrine as a 'go pill' if they need it)).

I've never heard of someone (who takes it as recommended) overdosing or dying from Adderall. That's not to say it can't happen...BUT...it's kinda like those people who say if you use Saccharin you'll get cancer and die...

Now, having said that, I'll say this: If you ABUSE Adderall, it will **** YOU UP. Heart problems, stroke, kidney damage, liver damage, lung damage are all possible physical side effects that come with abuse. The scariest thing though is probably amphetamine psychosis:eek:. You DO NOT want that at all. You'll start to go crazy - hallucinations, delusions, etc. - you basically go psychotic.:(

I dont need anything else here anyway...whatever.I'm sorry you feel that way, and I am sorry if you think I was ignoring part of your post where you stated "What about that part??"

I was not ignoring anything. However, what I was doing was preventing this thread from going anymore off topic than it already has. You appear to not be capable of staying on topic, or perhaps you are simply not willing to remain on topic.

Since this a helpful and supportive site, I am closing this thread as a result of the fact that it seems clear that it will only continue to drift off topic, by continuing to lead into a series of arguments that have nothing to do with the point of this thread. I am also closing this thread to prevent anyone else from getting their feelings hurt by what I see as antagonistic remarks shrowded in the cloak of an apology. If I'm wrong about how I percieve that, then I apologize. ;)

There is plenty of room for debate in the debates forum, and I encourage you to contact the moderator of that private forum so that you can be honest and passionate about how you feel. It's clear that you have plenty to say about how you feel, however this is not the forum for arguing or debating.

PS I would like to encourage you to go to the forums "Suggestions" thread, and please post your opinions about what the forums should be, or should not be in that forum. ;)