ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

I have my appointment with a pdoc in 2 days. I'm nearly certain that I have ADHD (of course, that's for him to decide). I want to be diagnosed and treated without bias, but here's my thing...

I've read that ADHD patients, because of their strong predisposition to addiction, tend to self-medicate with whatever substance (may it be nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, etc.). When I think back, I think I went through the same thing. I know there is no physical addiction to marijuana, but I was literally addicted to smoking (mentally). I smoked basically every single day. I've recently forced myself to stop, which I think is why my "symptoms" have been more intense and why I've finally decided to seek help.

So, my question is... Will telling my pdoc this be beneficial for an unbiased treatment? Or will he just assume that I'm just looking for drugs? Have any of you had a run-in like this (with a pseudo-addiction to a substance) and have you reported it to your pdoc? What was his/her response/reaction?

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

The key variable here is UNTREATED ADHD individuals.

The peer reviewed, unrestricted, valid & reliable, longitudinal research, on this very

subject, OVERWHELMINGLY supports the use of stimulants to treat (authentic) ADHD,

as DECREASING THE RISK OF A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD).

Hope that helps.

tc

mctavish23

(Robert)

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

If you don't mind, could you cite where you received the information? If at all possible, I want to bring in as much information on this as I can for my pdoc, if I were to even mention this topic to him.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

We self-medicate because it's all we can do to decrease our symptoms. After I got on medication I dropped my dependence on coffee so fast. It was hard but I did it. I don't even drink that much alcohol anymore. I just want to be in top shape when I'm on my medication.

You can become addicted to the medication if you go over the recommended dosages. I've never been addicted and now I stick to under 20mg. I have compulsive behaviour such as eating and drinking but the medication controls that.

I'm not sure how a doctor will react. Some might hold off medicating you if they know you've been a user, or you might get an understanding doctor who won't. I forgot to tell my doctor I had an alcohol problem once. It was very short and I stopped before I became completely dependent on it. So I don't really know.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

i certainly hope im not predisposed to addiction...although i do have a bad habit of either nailbiting or hair twirling depending if ive got my retainer on or no...but i do not feel addicted to the adderall i take though

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

Any doctor that is truly qualified to be treating somebody for ADHD and actually understands the condition won't have any trouble prescribing you medication. They will treat you like a human being and not a statistic. If the doctor doesn't do this, I wouldn't go to him regardless.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

I'm not sure. I know some people who can only get strattera prescribed after telling their doc about doing drugs in the past. I guess it depends on whom you are seeing and how knowledgable they are. My psychiatrist said that even if i had adhd he would only prescribe me strattera and not stimulants. I'm not sure why. He asked no if i ever did recreational drugs and i said no but that i had tried marijuana though i didn't like it much. I also told told him that i smoke and before i started smoking and taking both depressants i had a tendency to drink too much. I don't know if that's related though. I guess it really depends on your psychiatrist.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

my addiction to nictotine is unbeliveably hard to beat.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

Some food for thought::::

If you only take half your problems in there, only HALF of your problems will get fixed.

I'm an addict and I tell every doctor. HOWEVER, I don't just say, "hey buddy, I'm an addict and I love drugs"

It's more along the lines of, "I'm an addict, but after some special consideration to adhd and my symptoms, I'm more inclined to believe I was self-medicating and never realized it. Can you help me explore this?"

It's gotten me tons father than anything else. It would also help if you wrote down a few of the problems/symptoms it helped relieve. Then the doctor can adequately decide if your use was directly related to adhd symptoms or just an escape from life as many addicts tend to use them for. Does that make sense?

I hope your diagnosis/abstinence goes well for you. Self medicating is always tough. A great doctor will listen to you and work it out.

I've seen a lot of horrible doctors. Don't get discouraged.

I found personally that referrals from a psychologist/counselor can do wonders for even bad doctors. And it's benefited other areas in my life greatly too. I don't have insurance and work on a sliding scale with most of my docs.

Hope that helps.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

Well, something to be said for Strattera: ONE tablet a day, and the world doesn't end when you forget it... no rebound....

Anyway.

Why do you need to take so much information?

And by the way, quitting marihuana use causes ADHD-like symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals.... so if you really want to know wether you have ADHD it's best to see how you function after several months off it.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

Here goes : (Forget APA format)

Kollins, S.H. (Duke ADHD Program) Abuse liability of medications used to treat
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). American Journal of Addiction,
16:35-44, 2007.

Barkley, et. al., Pediatrics, 2003.

Biederman, et. al., Pediatrics, 2003.

Wilens, et. al., Pediatrics, 2003.

Hope that helps.

tc

mctavish23

(Robert)

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

I certainly don't have a predisposition to addiction. I must be a rare ADHD-er.

I don't have a "need" to drink or do drugs, even though weed/hard drugs and alcohol is very easy to come by. I do have a beer maybe 1-3 times a week if I feel like it.

Everyone is different and there shouldn't be a one way generalization.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

It's more for people with untreated ADHD, as the other poster mentioned. It's because of the fact that the symptoms aren't treated, that they find something else that will treat it for them (self-medicating).

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

I don't have a tendency towards addiction either. I smoke... sometimes. I drink.... sometimes. I've done weed... rarely.

I did self-medicate through behaviour: I have a long history of anorexia... but in my case it's not addiction really; it was a way to survive my childhood and a way to deal with my ADHD.

Re: ADHD patients have a stronger predisposition to addiction?
 

I also dropped my caffeine addiction after starting meds. I'm more of a behavioral addict though, not chemicals. Gaming, and other quick skinner-box style mental stimulations and compulsions.

There's a perfect 'sweet spot' of concentration with the medication level where I can think clearly, but I don't feel anxious or jittery or anything. That's where I want to be. No more, no less.

I used to consume enough caffeine to kill livestock, so I'm pretty sure I was self medicating there.