stimulant meds with no ADHD

[kdrifter440]

After seeing lindsay lohan was misdiagnosed it got me thinking of what happens when people take stimulant meds when they don't have ADHD

I remember the ADHD doctor telling me that the only real way to know if you have it or not is normal people would feel like they drank a gallon of coffee. If you don't feel all pumped up you have ADHD I guess thats what he was trying to say.

It someone does not have ADHD and they are a little hyper do they become supercharged hyper?

google says "up to one million kids misdiagnosed" would these kids become turbo charged on Ritalin? It does not make since

Please post your input and misdiagnosis stories

[salleh]

Well, that pumped up gallon of coffee is for ADHD, and I am not sure I agreee with that even ...but those of us with ADD combined or PI, I think that comparison is waaayyyy off the mark ......

[Naya]

Hmmm, this is interesting. I do senior care and just got back from Florida where I was helping my Mom move (I also just started on Concentra). On my first visit back to one of my clients that I have been with for 2 years, he told me that Florida must have been good for me because I seemed so much calmer. It wasn't really a vacation and I didn't tell him about the medicine.

I was wondering about this too. I don't know anyone who has taken a stimulant without ADHD.

[Shiny Object]

I don't have a misdiagnosis story, but the title of this message hit me.

Based on my research, say you had Bipolar Disorder (but NOT ADHD) and was misdiagnosed as ADHD solely, stimulants could trigger manic episodes. I actually believe I saw this first hand with my ex who snagged one of my Adderall on a night out. (And subsequently had a manic episode that night that caused me to break up with her.)

That's not to say that stimulants could not be co-administered with someone who had Bipolar and ADHD, but it would need to be closely monitored by their doctor. What I'm saying, though, is what your doc is mentioning is true - if the stimulant effects weren't balancing them, it could "pump them up" and make them seem hyper or even hypomanic. ADHD folks can tend to self-medicate and also dose-dump with caffeine from coffee, energy drinks, etc.

I sometimes feel some symptoms of hypomania along with euphoria from Adderall. (Depending on the day, what I've eaten, how I slept, what kind of caffeine I've had.)

Some more research on ADHD and commonly misdiagnosed disorders would be worth it to you. Diagnosing psychological disorders is a DIZZYING effort. It pays to know all of the symptoms, and some things that may seem normal could actually be symptoms. (Part of what makes it so tough.) Symptoms may also be hidden from others by the afflicted for fear of judgement due to the stigma behind it all.

In other words, it's TOUGH, but not impossible. Learn all the symptoms you or a loved one have and learn what you can about the associated disorders so that you have a lot of data to bring to the therapist for proper diagnosis.

Good luck!
-Shiny Object

[Shiny Object]

Just a quick article about stimulants and Bipolar:
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipola...-red-bull-too/

-Shiny

[Dizfriz]

Generally speaking and as far as I understand it, (it is not my area of expertise) stimulants will help most who take them, ADHD or not. Look at the college students who are not ADHD who take the medications to help them study for exams.

Sometimes stimulants will cause what is called a paradoxical reaction and make the individual more hyper. This is a screening point to begin to consider the possibility of Bipolar.

There could well be other reactions to taking stimulants without medical supervision so it is not really a good idea.

Hope this helps a little.

Dizfriz

[ZiggyFry]

I was going to bring up college students taking stimulants too. People react to adhd drugs differently, but I don't think that it could/should have anything to do with the diagnosis. If I had the wrong doctor, they could have read my reaction to ritalin as evidence that I was misdiagnosed, which I'm obviously not.

Sin.Ziggy.

[kdrifter440]

THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN NOT SEEM TO FIND ON ANY SEARCH ENGINE THATS WHY IM ASKING FOR SOMEONES PERSONAL OPINION OR PAST EXPERENCE

1. stimulant meds can cause mania like Lohan
2. college kids can stay up all night and next day to study and take test(but they don't take it everyday like a misdiagnosed person)
3. what else????????


i really want to know what Ritalin does to kids without ADHD can't seem to find any hard data

[Shiny Object]

It causes the typing of all caps?

I feel your pain in trying to find a hard and fast piece of info or proof on a specific combination topic... Unfortunately, such things can require a lot of individual research.

As far as finding info on kids the affects of kids taking Ritalin when not prescribed, I'd focus on the effects of the drug itself and abuse of the drug.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) - Read for the effects, adverse effects, and check out the abuse section.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate

Dopamine - Stimulants affect levels of dopamine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DopamineRegarding

Stimulant Psychosis - From abuse, but anecdotally "possible" from prescribed dosing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimulant_psychosis

I can tell you a FEW off the top of my head, which you'll find in your research:

- Higher blood pressure.
- Tension
- Focus or "Busy-ness"
- Feelings of Elation

Also, if you have a specific situation you're concerned about, you can post it here with the details. Someone might be able to help better then.

-Shiny Object

[Dizfriz]

Originally Posted by kdrifter440

THIS IS SOMETHING I CAN NOT SEEM TO FIND ON ANY SEARCH ENGINE THATS WHY IM ASKING FOR SOMEONES PERSONAL OPINION OR PAST EXPERENCE

1. stimulant meds can cause mania like Lohan
2. college kids can stay up all night and next day to study and take test(but they don't take it everyday like a misdiagnosed person)
3. what else????????


i really want to know what Ritalin does to kids without ADHD can't seem to find any hard data

I do not know what you are after. Do you mean long term use? That is pretty much the same for kids with or without ADHD.

Yes, there are side effects. We know most of them and that stimulants can result in mania in some individuals has been known for a long time. You quit taking them if that occurs and explore what might be causing the mania. This reaction is very often related to other issues.

Be aware that the stimulants are considered to be among the safest psychiatric drugs available. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) has been around over 50 years and Amphetamine (Adderall) over 70. We have hand a lot of experience with these medications. Right now we do not know of any serious long term effects. There are some serious side effects and we have to carefully monitor for these. Keep in mind that aspirin is deadly for some. All things you put in your body have the potential for side effects.

If I haven't covered it here, think through your questions and decide what specifically what you are after. Your questions are too general to give us something to focus on. The people here are very good about trying to help so I think it will be worth your while to pin down what you want..

Dizfriz

[kdrifter440]

hmmm interesting

im asking all this because I have the question everything I read out there

Here is a partial hypothesis on stimulant medication

1. Possible side effects are the same for correct diagnosis / misdiagnosed
2. TRUE ADHD "might" calm down, increased focus, increased concentration
3. TRUE ADD brain speeds up more energy, increased focus, increased concentration

4. NON ADHD/ADD benefit from extended energy gain (more efficient than drinking coffee all day)
-Increased creativity(I read book writers take ADHD meds when writting books)
-euphoria (above normal level of dopamine released into synapse)

please add anything to this

[Trooper Keith]

Everyone benefits from increased focus on clinical doses of stimulants. hth

[Lunacie]

Originally Posted by kdrifter440

hmmm interesting

im asking all this because I have the question everything I read out there

Here is a partial hypothesis on stimulant medication

1. Possible side effects are the same for correct diagnosis / misdiagnosed
2. TRUE ADHD "might" calm down, increased focus, increased concentration
3. TRUE ADD brain speeds up more energy, increased focus, increased concentration

4. NON ADHD/ADD benefit from extended energy gain (more efficient than drinking coffee all day)
-Increased creativity(I read book writers take ADHD meds when writting books)
-euphoria (above normal level of dopamine released into synapse)

please add anything to this

So much depends on getting the dosing right - so even people who genuinely have ADHD and are getting too large a dose may experience the things that a non-ADHDer would experience with stimulant meds.

It's not like you can take Ritalin for one day and determine from the reaction whether or not you really have ADHD.

[gettinsomewhere]

for me as a medicated add'er, if i take too much adderall it makes me feel like i don't want to move.. or like i'll tiptoe around the house. that tells me right there i'm add because that's what it supposed to do slow me down so i can focus, but at the same time there are some instances when i feel a jolt of energy, so hmmm? zoinks!, but that doesn't happen very often..

[Trooper Keith]

Clinical doses of stimulants are not supposed to make people zippy, and they generally do not after the first few days. They may give people more energy, but that goes for both people with and without ADHD.

Response to medication is not a reliable way to diagnose ADHD.

Beyond that, as I said before, everyone gets positive effects from taking clinical doses of stimulants. That's why they are so commonly abused by college students.