a typical condition of adhd is impulsive behavior i.e. drug use

and yet adderall is under strict rule to not be given to users with a drug history

There are a good amount of people here on this forum with past drug use, that have still been prescribed Adderall. It depends on the doctor, and rather or not he trusts you can follow the directions.

Not everyone with bad ADD are drug users. Personally, I've never even smoked weed and only like to drink on occasion. My impulsiveness was used more toward spending crazy amounts of cash, or running up credit cards for things I didn't really need, or would actually use after the newness went away. Even making poor life choices, like quitting a job at the drop of a hat.

Lots of different vices out there.

Seems that if you have a good doctor, who is willing to work with you and you can keep his trust, it's very possible to get Adderall. I'm sure they would want to try some alternatives for a while before then of course.

ty, i'm not addicted, i used to smoke pot in high school, 22 now and haven't for quite some time, but god am i horrible with money lol, just didn't know how they would view that ... thanks for the info

Good question

With a complicated answer

Which is easy...if we knew how to word it.

It depends on the doctor. It might also depend on the client.

There is no law, as far as I know, saying CIIs can't be given to a person who has used drugs. The drug information that comes from the pharmacy will list substance abuse up there with cardiovascular conditions, but they just don't want to be sued. It's a 'don't say we didn't warn you' type rule.

The potential for abuse is pretty high for Adderall, so giving such medication to addicts isn't always the best course. Sometimes the addiction stems from ADHD...or, maybe the person is an addict first and ADHD second. The docs are trying to protect the patient, as well as themselves - if the medicine is abused and things go bad, it's still that doc's name on the bottle.

It would depend on the doctor and, of course, on the patient. If the patient had been clean for a long time, it would look much more favorable than someone who was still abusing drugs....

Some people forget that the doctor has to cover their own butt too. It's their DEA number on that script, their name on the bottle. Their license is at stake, or at minimum, their reputation among their patients and peers. Most doctors really do try to do what (to them) seems to be in the best interest of the patient. It's a lot of responsibility, and a doctor is held to a higher standard in their job than many other professions because the risks are huge - truly life and death.

I think it all depends on the person being treated.

I was an extremely heavy drug user as a teenager. I smoked weed, drank, and tried a wide variety of harder drugs, including coke and meth...all of which my doctor is totally aware of.

BUT...for me, I used drugs as an escape. It wasn't so much impulsivity (or maybe it was a little, I don't know) as it was my inability to cope with my family life. After hearing my ENTIRE life history that went along with my drug use, my doctor understood the reasoning behind it. I was completely honest with him that I had stopped all drug use except smoking weed and drinking by the time I was 20. I went as far as to tell him I would be more than happy to be tested if it would make him feel better.

There really is no black and white answer to this sort of question. It's very much situational, as is so much in the ADD world.

I think it is part of the reason why we are seeing more and more perscriptions for Vyvance(sp?). Due to the nature of the drug, it must be metabolized first, before it is active. This helps to prevent abuse as snorting, injecting etc will not metabolize the drug and therefore do not induce the high.