ADHD / ADD Support Group

Hey, sorry to burst your bubble but Adderall, which is amphetamine by the way, is Class 2, JUST like opiates. I am twenty years old and I would simply not be able to continue my studies without this drug. I think the majority of people out there DO NOT abuse their RXs as they need them monthly and daily. The only prescribed methamphetamine is Desoxyn. I doubt there are too many doctors that actually prescribe it. I agree that children should not be automatically prescribed amphetamines or cocaine like compounds (Concerta) but sometimes parents feel these medicine genuinely improve their children. Also, without stimulant treatment, children are twice as likely to abuse other drugs, like heroin or cocaine, if they do not seek treatment. They are four times more likely to get speeding tickets. Without these meds, the majority of children would be worse of without them. A great ADHD doctor here in Arizona, Dr. Tanase, would be more than happy to give you the same information and studies I received.

dude, you are wrong on this one plain and simple, you are putting everybody in one bag and making opinions. Now if you are not ADHD which I think is the case then you cannot be in a position to know what ADDErall does for an ADD person who is simply sick. It calms the person so he or she can concentrate, today Adderall XR which is increasingly prescribed cannot be abused because of the slow release. So ADD people need it to survive or else they slowly but surely die if not physically mentally. So do your research and see that almost all people who abuse this are college kids who want to get high or focus better on tests. This drug has immensely diff effects on people who are sickr, they see the world like a healthy person for the first time in their lives and the abuser gets high. It's a life saver almost like oxygen to people who suffer. bad apples do not count..... I think you cannot comment on this one when it involves genuinely needy people.

Wrong wrong wrong. Adderall if taken as prescribed is not addictive. People who get addicted are abusing the drug and chasing the high. It's true stimulants are similar to cocaine and other street drugs. Up to 95 percent similar in some cases. However that 5 percent in a chemical compound level can be a major difference. We are 99 percent the same as chimps on a cell level. We are 75 percent the same as bananas. People who take adderall for years as prescribed may become mentally dependent on it and may have withdrawals just like any other drug. However they will not crave and it is easier to get off if weaned down. My sister took adderall for 3 years and took 3 months to wean down. She was just fine after that, no withdrawals, anything. She said it was easier to stop adderall like that than it was for her to stop drinking caffeine. Should we ban caffeine? Especially if a person needs a stimulant to function. It is not for everyone and should only be prescribed to people with ADHD but it is a helpful not harmful drug

I have to agree with everyone who has commented so far. I'm not on Adderall but I am on Concerta. I tried years and years of behavioural modification and always felt worse because I could never find the answers. Why was I always so depressed? Why couldn't I form friendships? Why was I always so anxious? Why was I so incredibly terrified of failure and yet equally terrified to succeed? Behavioural Therapy is helpful to ADDers usually in combination with medication, but therapy alone is not enough because it does not fix the imbalanced chemistry in the brain.
I find it incredibly frustrating and insulting when narrow minded people tell us what we need to do to "fix" ourselves. I for one function waaay better with medication. I don't get high, EVER. Don't presume to tell me I need to go and find a different way to function because you don't understand the way things work. Thanks but I found the answers I needed.
I sincerely hope it isn't your child who has ADD because you telling him he's not trying hard enough will be killing him inside.