I've never had blood or urine tests regarding ADHD stimulants--not once after being diagnosed years ago. I do, however, have to touch base with the doctor every month, because you can't get refills on these meds (per Federal rules). You need a new written prescription every month.

The meds I've used have all been immediate agents--they don't build up in the blood stream. The are effective only for a set period of hours after taking a pill. At one time, I tried one of the time-release tablets, which release the active ingredients over a 12-hour period. Beyond that, there's nothing that stays in one's system to allow for the type of blood work they do when people are on some psychiatric medications (where average levels are important). Perhaps some of that other kind are in use, but I've never heard of them.

HikingStick, you are correct. There is no blood or urine test. Because the stimulants are Class II narcotics there must be a written prescription. If paid by insurance, it cannot be refilled prior to the projected usage.

The meds do not build up in the system. Again, you are correct. Some people may feel the effects longer or shorter. Caroly is another case of someone that wants to put down those of us that are suffering so that she appears 'smart' while not realizing how she revealed her own ignorance.

I remember when ADD/ADHD did not exist until the the invention of a pill to to cure an imaginary problem.

I don't think that it exists in adults. I can't get a definitive answer about how it differs from bipolar disorder in adults, except I'm told that adults with bipolar disorder often have better focus--can get things done. Other than that, there is no difference. Now I've seen children with ADHD, and there was no way that the children were faking it. Some were so high strung that they weren't potty trained at 4 years old.

@ Carolyn, not every medical condition requires blood work or other expensive diagnostic tests... Please stick to what you know and stop being judgemental. That being said, I wonder if this study was done for children. I found in my practice, (Pharmacist) that most kids didn't need medications, probably a change in diet, more exercise, more school work (or more challenging work), or just parents who took time out with them. Some really did need it, though! Goodness, did they need it!

As a mother with a child that has severe ADHD along with other officially diagnosed mental issues, I never took these medications lightly, I researched the crap out of them and had lengthy discussions with a psychiatrist before beginning to treat with medication.

I think it is really sad that people are abusing these drugs and getting addicted to them as I personally see the advantages of having them when needed. My child went from a failing student in 4th grade working at 1st grade level to almost straight A's and is almost caught up with his class!

@ B.....I must say I find your comment very cruel and unintelligent in itself!

They've never drawn my blood levels. But I decided the Ritalin calmed me down a little too much and went off it after a few years. I don't mind my mind racing so much, its been like that all my life.

@ HikingStick and bencas -

Adheral does remain in the blood stream for days after the effects are no longer felt. Althought the effects are not long lasting, and the levels diminsh dramatically, it will show up in drug screenings up to three days afterwards. I know because I've had it happen to me. I took a dose on Friday morning, and detectible levels showed in my job screening the next Monday morning. The lab called to confirm my prescription with myself and the prescribing pharmacy.

Been on the meds for 15 years now. They work wonders (when they aren't abused).

Brenda,

ADHD and Bipolar are different in that ADHD is a disorder of self-control, bi-polar is a disorder of mood. To grossly simplify, a bi-polar person without treatment is depressed a lot of the time, (sad, pessemistic, low energy), but then can transition into a high energy state of irritability, thinking they know everything and trying to do everything.

IN contrast, someone with ADHD tends to have similar difficulties with managing their lives all the time, especially when it comes to self-direction, concentration, follow through etc.
These differences are harder to sort out in kids than adults for several reasons (both how the disorder affects kids and how kids explain themselves).

In an area, upper middle-class suburb, it was AMAZING how many kids were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD within about 6 months after receiving their drivers licenses--because they would then get a tutor's services during a study hall and they usually got "extended time" to completed homework, and frequently tests and quizzes, too.

Amazing that it was the same physician who diagnosed the vast majority of these cases. It was well-known among parents that for $800 (at that time), they could pretty much get any diagnosis that would result in school support services for their kids.

I am not denying that ADD/ADHD exists - it certainly does.

Im just not convinced that its a true medical condition - versus a learned behaviour. I hope there will be advances in science that will help us determine this, but im not holding my breath.

Big Pharma really enjoys selling lots of drugs, even if most of the recipients dont need those drugs - or plan to sell them on the black market.

If it were determined that we could prevent ADD/ADHD by raising our kids differently - do you think Big Pharma would be happy about all those lost customers?

Even this article barely touched on the fact that many of these "fakers" are people who sell them for profit...though, they snuck it in at the end of the article when referring to the black market on college campuses. If its not the fakers selling the drugs, its people who truly have ADHD but dont really need meds for them to function...

I have a friend with ADHD (supposedly) and when we worked together, she was the worlds worst worker...and used her ADHD like a crutch, and no one (even the boss) expected her to accomplish much because "its so hard for her to focus, like the rest of us"...but, now she's in a different kind of a job - and she's excelling, its more person-person customer service...so, her focus IS TALKING (the one thing she never struggles to stay focused on)...and wouldnt you know it, she's a manager now.

I think people with ADHD can and will survive fine in the working world, they just have to find jobs that are suited for their handicap. A person needing ridalin to make it through med school...needs to rethink whether being a doctor is up her alley...perhaps telemarketer is more her style? or cell phone sales person (like my friend).

You see, I suck at math & science, and therefore...I am not an engineer.

Understand your weaknesses and adjust...dont medicate.

So,

1 in 4 are faking. Boys in overwhelming numbers are the ones who are suggested for testing in grade schools and ultimately drugged. I wonder what the real numbers are for ADD.

Is it entirely possible that our current educational system is geared toward girl behavior? The overwhelming majority of grade school educators (especially in elementary and middle school) are female. Perhaps they simply would prefer that their boys behaved more like the girls in the class. Therefore, test them and drug them and they will be calm/manageable.

Boys are not wired to sit quietly/peacefully in a classroom, that's why they are failing at an alarming rate, and why our colleges are increasingly enrolling higher percentages of females than males.

Are there real ADD cases, where patients are in need of drugs? Sure. I am a High School teacher, and every day I find out that more and more of my students are on some sort of prescribed altering drug. I mean high percentages. I have to ask the question: What in the world is going on here? Are today's kids so much more messed up than prior generations that we must drug them into a stupor before they can cope?

.

Attention Deficit ?

Well, show us something worthy of our Attention ?

Hard to find it on TV, Movies, etc

But the Media, Medical, and Biz Corporations ?

They sure hope we're paying 'Attention' to their Commercials - yes ?

So we buy their Drugs - yes ?

Or their Latest Fashions in Cloths

Cars, Fast Food, Beer, Gizmos etc

And Kids have no real say in any of this

They're just along for ride - yes ?

.

Now - Hyperactivity ?

That's supposed to be a 'bad thing' ?

Is nothing more than Synapses, Adrenaline, etc

And how we survived for 1,000's of years

(you snooze, you lose, you die)

But now ?

Those 'Corporate Types' above

Is what they want from us

So they can do their thing

While we are all 'drugged up'

Or to put it another way - the last thing they want ...

Is for us to pay attention to 'The Man Behind the Curtain'

And again, Kids are just along for the ride

.

Ok, take your pills and go watch more TV

(smile)

.

When I was growing up I was labeled as "easily bored, highly unmotivated, hyper active, and short attention spanned." Back then, it was called being a kid.

Now that I'm an adult, and nothing has changed it's called ADD and there's a pill to correct it. I don't take it because I've already gone this long dealing with how my brain functions. I don't know any other way.

Jessica, people who "suck at math and science" probably shouldn't be commenting on scientific issues and spewing ignorant drivel.

There are some fairly robust neuroloanatomical correlates with ADHD: particularly delayed or impaired development of the cerebellum. Granted, correlation doesn't imply causation but its definitely not a "learned behavior." Are there malingerers, and children who are diagnosed because they're 8-year old boys? Yeah. But that doesn't completely invalidate all diagnoses because you you want to be able to call someone with a neurological problem "stupid."

So if you actually have ADHD it's OK to take Ritalin long term but if you don't then it's evil and will ruin your life by turning you into a junkie. Right. This is actually just demonstrating a problem with the current prescription drug process. Personally I think I should be the ultimate decider when it comes to what I put in my body. Should a doctor be part of that process? Sure, but when WebMD says "When taken as prescribed, though, Ritalin is not addictive in children or adults" then if someone wants access to the drug, via a doctor of course, then there's no rational and logical reason to limit that persons right to obtain it. As a disclaimer, I've never taken any ADHD drug, I just don't see the reasoning behind limiting any drug that may make a positive impact to a person's life when the real downside is so minor.

battery,

What about children? Most of these diagnosis happen in grade-school, labeling a child often for life. What if we are simply giving drugs to kids because we don't like their behavior when compared to other kids (mostly boy's over girl's). Addictive, and don't feel normal without, are two different things. Is pot addictive? Not really, but if you have been smoking it your whole life you don't feel "normal" without it. Ridilin?

There is something wrong with a society that cannot cope with it's children without drugging them!! We are drugging an astounding percentage of our children (ADD, depression etc.)

In an area, upper middle-class suburb, it was AMAZING how many kids were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD within about 6 months after receiving their drivers licenses--because they would then get a tutor's services during a study hall and they usually got "extended time" to completed homework, and frequently tests and quizzes, too.

The thought of that sickens me. I did quite well in both high school and college, but test taking used to almost paralyze me. Feeling as if I didn't have enough time was always an issue, but instead of looking for some type of crutch, I just dug deep to prepare myself the best way I knew how and did the best I could on exams. I was usually the kid, who after hours and hours of studying, would still get B-/C+ on exams, but I put my all into homework assignments, classwork, and projects, just enough to get an A (89.6%). With that said, the idea that these spoiled brats are now seeking out fake medical diagnoses for special treatment pisses me off. If you can get at least a C on an exam without extra time, then you shouldn't get extra time just so you can ace it. Whatever happened to working to overcome your disadvantages?

We can all have symptoms of ADHD in certain circumstances, brought on by some diet conditions and individual stress conditions. This makes it difficult, even for professionals, to definitively tell when someone has ADHD and to what degree. And its the same problem with bipolar disorder and many other mental disorders... without a definitive blood or other test available to make a positive diagnosis, there will always be questions.

There is nothing to be done here except to encourage providers to do due diligence in their diagnosis. Let's not over react to the point of denial of drugs for those that truly need it.

@WiseMonica - While I agree the idea of faking the symptoms for a diagnosis sickens me, I have to disagree that a C level student with an LD doesn't deserve the extra attention. I was one of theose C-level students with ADD. If I didn't have the medications and the other supports I had, I would have been nothing more than a C-level student and I would have wound up living off the system with a low-income job, if I even had a job. I wouldn't have been able to do labor because I'd be accident prone, I wouldn't have been able to do customer service because I'd be disorganized and wouldn't be able to remember/follow the procedures...

I did EVERYTHING I could to overcome my disorder and only mentioned it to even my teachers only when I needed to. Specifically to let a teacher know I was struggling with their teaching styles or the work they assigned because of the disorder. Medicated, I never really asked for more time, unless it was one of the aforementioned tasks. I was a C-level student before, and after I was an A/B level student with many oppurtunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. I would have always felt like a failure and like I was never acheiving anything, which would have led to depression, drug-abuse, unemployment, anger issues...

When over half of my high school students are on some form of prescribed drug or another, how is that overeacting to the point of denial? Do all of you really think that is ok? Again, what in the world is going on that today's kids are such dire need of drugs to cope, or for us to cope with them? They don't self prescribe, adults observe, test, diagnose and prescribe!!

It is common for doctors to order blood or urine tests when patients are on drugs that are commonly diverted (stimulants, oxycodone, etc).

They aren't testing for anything medical related. They are testing to make sure the patient to whom they are prescribing has the prescribed drug in his/her system.

This is to try to make sure the patients aren't selling the drugs.

It's really a testament to our governments puritanical efforts to demonize pharmacology that we instinctively knee-jerk that any chemical, regardless of the benfit, is bad. If you could take a chemical and it would make you happier, or smarter, or stronger, or whatever it is you wanted, would that be a bad thing? If so why? Is ibuprofen bad? What about vitamin C? What about a glass of wine every day? If the potential benefits outweight the potential harm then why does the government get to decide whether I can ingest it?

For stimulants there is usually no urine tests and definitely no blood tests! amphetamines do not build up in ones system like say Tegretol, Depakote, or Litium, and drug screen are almost useless for stimulant medications, 1) because they are metabolizes so rapidly, and 2) to do a test you have to take special steps, like freezing the urine immediately arfter taking (each medication is a little different).

Opiates....yes they do urine tests and medication counts...but no blood tests.

I have to wonder if some of the problem (meaning the reason so many more kids seem to have ADHD now compared to way back when) is that kids don't always get recess and PE where they can run around and yell for a while to get rid of some of their energy plus at home they can't just go outside and play for hours like we did. How in the world can we expect a typical kid who has been sitting quietly all day to keep on sitting quietly in class for hours? Kids need to let off steam, to run and scream and tear around-at least WE did and so did our friends. Maybe we were weird, I don't know. We played outdoor games all the time. My nephews would literally jump from one piece of furniure to the other if they were cooped up inside, and they would wrestle with each other and the dog so fiercely I thought they were going to kill each other! (Then I remembered my brother and I doing essentially the same thing!) Parents would only interfere if there was crying or blood. I'm not saying it has to be THAT way, of course. I just wonder if cutting out recess and PE and all that plus the general tendency of kids to be inside more has contributed to there being more kids labelled ADHD.

Please note: I am NOT saying there aren't kids who don't truly need to be medicated! You don't need to be defensive if you have a kid like that because I fully acknowledge that there are kids like that. I honestly don't know about adults, so I can't comment other than to say that the one person I know for sure who has been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and takes medicine for it acts hyper to the extreme on the medicine. She believes the medicine helps her concentrate, and she would know that better than I would. My daughter was tested for ADHD when she was younger, and they told us she had ADD as well as a severe learning disability in math; but time has proven the test to be inaccurate. Fortunately, her doctor figured out pretty soon that she was just a little depressed. He was into using natural herbs and vitamens first, which was a really good thing-so we never did try any stimulant meds, which was really all they had back then. (We figured out about the learning disability on our own because of her high standardized test scores every year, even before she aced AP calculus. She told us much later she got bored with the test and angry and just started pulling levers at random.)

Seen, "We played outdoor games all the time"

Recess absolutely, but I beleive it goes much deeper than that. Your statement above, I believe, is right on the money.

A great read that deals with this generational/new media cultural issue (what is so different about tody's kids, why must they be medicated?) is:

The Last Child in the Woods by Louv.

This is a must read for any educator, parent, child (well everyone)

I think people with ADHD can and will survive fine in the working world, they just have to find jobs that are suited for their handicap.

Spoken like someone whose never lived with someone with ADHD. On one hand, you're right, there are jobs that are better suited to someone with ADHD than others- my husband is an HVAC tech, great job for him because he basically mono-tasks. He can hyper focus on the job he's on until it's done, then move on to the next job. The problem is, there are tasks the world expects of each and every one of us that can't be so easily tailored- in his case, filling out his time card and remembering to do basic tasks the rest of us do without really thinking about them (brushing his teeth, taking a shower and remembering to both wash his hair and his person, often repeating one or the other several times because he is thinking about something else entirely and losing track of what's done and what's not). Its nice to think that it is simply a matter of learning to focus and not let your mind wander but do you honestly believe someone who deals with this crap every day (like getting yelled at by the boss for not turning in the time card or not filling it out properly) wouldn't take the necessary steps to correct that behavior and not have to see a doctor every month and take expensive prescriptions? Yes, there are some who seek the meds for dubious purposes, but the same can be said about nearly everything, some nupmty will always make a stupid choice and complicate life for the rest of us, but to the truly affected, it is, I assure you, not just a matter of choice.

They aren't testing for anything medical related. They are testing to make sure the patient to whom they are prescribing has the prescribed drug in his/her system. This is to try to make sure the patients aren't selling the drugs.

Where are you getting this information? It sounds VERY dubious to me, even unethical, unless the patients you're referring to are on parole or probation or are part of some addiction treatment program. I've never heard of this, and I doubt any insurance company would pay for it, at least for patients who don't have to answer regularly to a judge.

Longhair... Well said Sir! Well Said!

Robert

Oom,

It is common for doctors who prescribe controlled substances to create a contract with their patients that outlines things such as prohibiting visits to other doctors.

The urine tests are so cheap (it is just a little litmus-like strip that is dipped in urine) that I doubt it would matter if insurance is not covering it.

Since the patient is fully aware that the doctor is testing for the prescribed medication, I can't imagine how this would be unethical.

If the patient doesn't test positive, then the doctor will not continue to prescribe the drugs because they have been diverted.

It is also common for doctors to do pill counts where the patient has to bring in their pill vials and literally have them counted out each week.

I'm from the pharmacy side, so I'm not 100% sure about the insurance reimbursement rates at the medical side. But, I would think that the insurance company would be motivated to make sure that the medications they are paying for are actually going to treat someone's illness rather than getting diverted.

There was actually a MSNBC article a week or so ago about chronic pain patients and these doctor/patient contracts.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42437555/ns/health-health_care/

Therapist admits ADD/ADHD mis-diagnosis may be tied to marketing

Kids taking ADHD drugs 7 times more likely to experience SCD

ADHD Ritalin child 500% greater sudden death risk

ADHD or Einstein, Edison, Beethoven, Caruso, and Churchill???

The overriding factor in this story shouldn't be that the patient is lying or trying to deceive A PROFESSIONAL MEDICALLY LICENSED PRACTITIONER.

IT IS THEIR JOB TO BE ABLE TO DISCERN WHEN A PERSON IS ILL OR NOT BY SCIENCE.

IF THEY CAN'T THEN SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT IN THE PROCESS. Otherwise why should anyone be required to go to 7 years of college to be able to practice medicine. What's the point?!?

NO! If they can't tell if a person has a disease by scientific methods then there is something wrong ON THE PHYSICIAN'S SIDE OF THE EQUATION. So then what's wrong?

The psychiatric community LOVES to promote how much their methods are scientific. You'll see all types of "evidence". "Brain scans", "peer reviewed studies" written by people with half an alphabet of initials before and after their name, "drug trials", et al ad nausea. And more, "evidence".

BUT YOU'LL NEVER SEE A BLOOD TEST VERIFYING ANY PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS.

Because they voted these "disorders", syndromes" and such into existence at annual conventions and meetings, by a show of hands of so called professional organization members such as the American Psychiatric Association, World Psychiatric Association with no little help, prodding, and FUNDING form the pharma industry.

THIS is why they call them disorders and not DISEASES in all their official applications for approvals from regulatory agencies.

They can't call them disease BECAUSE THEY AREN'T DISEASES. SCIENTIFICALLY.

Teachers are given "lectures" at their annual conventions on how to recognize or "pre-screen" ADD/ADHD children and refer them to the schools psychologist. These "lectures" are delivered by "dr's" paid by drug companies.

Physicians are 'given' catered dinners (4 star), stipends, per diem, and travel expenses to go to a meeting and hear a "peer lecture" on drug XYZ and how easy its results are. These 'Peer lecturer-ers', the meetings, the venue, and ALL the expense categories listed above are paid for by the drug company(s). Why?!? So those attendees will get you or your kids to take their PRODUCTS and give them your MONEY.

Watch the evening news tonight and count the number of pharma commercials. You'll be surprised.

Antipsychotic drug prescriptions triple in the US

Children exploited for profit using fictitious mental disorders

I wish it were different. I'd like to able to tell you in another more gentle and less emphatic tone and voice. But here it plain and simple-

the person that suggests your child, sibling, husband, wife, grandmother or grandfather has ADD/ADHD, bi-polar, depression, anxiety, whatever......

AREN'T your trusted, friendly, neighborhood professionals anymore who had your best interests at heart and just want to see you and yours lead a more healthy life.

They work for pharma and their established associated delivery system(s) now.

Boys are not wired to sit quietly/peacefully in a classroom, that's why they are failing at an alarming rate, and why our colleges are increasingly enrolling higher percentages of females than males.

bull. Boys in Japan sure as hell sit there. Boys in India and China sure as hell sit there. Boys in this country 100, 150, 200 years ago sat there quietly. Education is no more geared toward females than it ever was. It's just that girls realize that there is sexism in the working world and know they have to work twice as hard as males to get the same amount of acknowledgement, so they do better. And if you actually think that little girls are "wired" to sit quietly, you have another think coming. If they had their own way, they'd be running around, too. Unfortunatley, though, we live in a society where people excuse boys' behavior (boys will be boys) while yelling at the girls for doing the same thing (running around).

I see how everyone drives on the road, and I see how you work on the job and how you treat others at the job and I think that all of you should be quiet on this subject! (Crazy wonderful designer drugs run amuck everywhere!)

I think that 1 in 495 who have commented on this column, at this time, has anything reasonable to say!

Bonus: "It's just that girls realize that there is sexism in the working world and know they have to work twice as hard as males to get the same amount of acknowledgement, so they do better"

Thats' just plain ignorant, like the rest of your post. India and Japan weed out students they deem as "not college material" very young. The students who are in their education systems are only the ones who were already highly motivated. The culture (pressure from parents) is totally different than here. They both do well there, when they come here and are second generation, the boys drop off drastically (proving my point), while girls excell.

In this country 50 years ago (and certainly 100 years ago, prior to that their were not many girls in school, so no comparisons can be made) most boys worked in the fields or managed the livestock 4 hours before school, and after (if they went to school) seriously diminishing any ADHD behavior in class, not to mention their were serious consequences for disrespectful behavior (or they were weeded out like in India, China and Japan). Today we are not able to kick out unrully kids, they stay because the school gets money for their attendance. Trust me, even 30 years ago that was not the case. mConsequences meant something back then. Today teachers recomend they are tested for add, then we drug them.

Basically my point is: You are posting out of your rear-end and have no idea what you are talking about.

Public speech: I have no idea what your point is: driving working, treating others at the job. Who or what are reffering to?

Please do share your amazing wisdom, 494 of us can hardly wait.

See, this is why I am on the other end of the spectrum. I know, and have always suspected since being very young, that I have it, but I dont want your stinking medicine for it. Ive always been the hyper, forgetful, mood-swinging pressure-cooker personality. And Im raising one just like me.

While it was an outright hell to learn how to deal with it as a child - the daydreaming, the hyperactivity, the thought process going through the alphabet from both sides in instead of a to z, I always had an edge on some things, because I dont think like everyone else does. Yes, I can sometimes be maddening to try to talk to because I jump back and forth, but all the same, my mind NEVER shuts off. Forget thinking "outside the box" Ive never found the stupid thing to think in in the first place. I struggled through regular school until about eleventh grade. Then for some reason, I figured out how I should approach tasks, how I should work with what I have instead of against it. It can be as much of a blessing as curse. People think I am innovative... no I just thought up a way to do it because I couldnt understand all the needless steps you were explaining, LOL.

Im terrified of those meds. My son's birthmom found someone to put him on them at two years old. There was nothing wrong with him at all, he was a normal toddler, I would know, he was the third I was raising. When I gave the 1/2 pill of ritalin that first time, he went outright loony. It was like watching a drunk child, and it was horrible. But my job is high stress and fast paced, I do NOT want to be some zombie while I have to think on my feet! No thanks, Ill deal with my eccentricities instead.

Neurodiversity Power! (raised fist in the air.) The NTs (neurotypicals) don't get that maybe these "syndromes" and "disorders" are not all bad.

RITALIN-COCAINE CONNECTION

I'm not in the healthcare profession but I have read a number of articles on ADD- ADHD etc... One of the articles I read concerned the close association of Ritalin and Cocaine at the molecular level. According to the article there is merely a single molecule difference between the 2 drugs, which might explain the reason so many people are trying to gain access to it. A minute ago I did a quick Google search, typing in "Ritalin Cocaine comparison" and found there were 829,000 associated listings. I think everyone would do well to check some of them out. IF Ritalin IS so closely connected with cocaine at the molecular level- a single molecule difference- then it seems to me that that would give people the explanations they're looking for. It would mean that people are often merely looking to Ritalin as a legal alternative to cocaine use, and often getting the taxpayer to fund their habit and highs. I also have very little doubt that the big-Pharma cabal would have any hesitation about foisting such a fraud upon regular people when it means $$$ billions in profits. Cocaine already has a bad record among people so it wasn't likely that they could rehabilitate it's reputation. But if you alter a molecule or two and call it Ritalin instead, well, then you're in business. If they start kids on it in grade school, they have a good chance of having a lifelong customer, not to mention the cocaine-heads who will be looking for a diagnosis that will give them access to the drug. And this doesn't even get into the stuff that makes it onto the black market on the streets. It is big money all around from the pharma corporations to advertising to doctors to street dealers. Quite the scam, isn't it?

Calmprice - I've never been able to articulate how I think in such a clear and concise way. What you wrote fits me to a tee.

What gets me these days is how eager doctors and parents are to medicate their children earlier and earlier. It's almost criminal how irresponsible some people can be just because there's a pill to fix behavior.

My son is on medicine but mainly to control his impulsivity. It has gotten him into real trouble. That said, he also sees some benefits to ADHD such as being able to think faster than most and think of many things at once. He doesn't look at it as a disability but some enhanced abilities.

As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD when they were five, I can verify they do make you take a blood test, and a urine test when you are on ADHD medication.

I spent 14 years on that medication, they gave me two blood tests per year, and at least one urine test per year. They were probably checking to see if was taking the medication, but i can assure you, they did draw blood.

Funny...my son has been on meds for 2 yrs...the only blood tests ever done were done prior to medication starting and he has never had a urine test, that said he does have an EKG every 6 mths. Maybe it depends on the medication you are taking.

By the way...we tried lots of things before resorting to meds...it was not just a simple decision and should never be!

@merlin - lol, margarine and plastic are only one molecule different also.

I think the condition that is faked far more than ADHD is dementia. I don't recall.

@Merlin

Ritalin has been off patent for at least a decade now.

Generic Ritalin pills are sold for pennies to wholesalers.

There is no "big pharma" conspiracy here.

There are no genetic tests, no brain scans, blood tests, chemical imbalance tests or X-rays that can scientifically/medically prove that any psychiatric label

is a real medical condition.

Im glad to see there are others that don't want the meds either and embrace how they are and have learned to deal with it like me. I am sure some people are way out there, but I can function just fine 90% of the time. I had to learn. My weakness is also a strength. I cant tell you the times I would complain about something saying "Why dont we just do this?" and someone would just look at me blank and then do what I just said while shaking their head and laughing. "why didnt I think of that?" (Likely because the thought process took me twenty five minutes to get there and most would give up by then, LOL)

I sometimes feel it is the hardest thing I deal with, but most other times I find it beneficial to me. I dont think in a linear pattern at all. The easiest way I could ever explain it is a stuttering brain instead of a verbal stutter. Sometimes the information wont go in or come out easily, but I work around it. In doing that, sometimes I end up figuring out another issue entirely, lol. With my job, they never have to worry about my divulging medical information either because.... what was I doing? lol Or because of the way a T was crossed six months ago I can tell you the whole issue with something because of that one little penstroke, lol.

Honestly I think that there is so much ADHD in school now because they want kids, from toddler years on, to sit still WAY too much. Preschool and on, they expect little ones to be able to be still. Activity of some type brings my brain back to reason. I wonder how much it would benefit all of them if they would insert more movement into a school day. If i shut up, I fidget, if I quit fidgeting, good luck getting me to shut up. Choose one, you dont get both, lol. I also wonder if thats why I am a gamer,and I loathe television. With a game, it lets me trick my brain into "Im doing something" even though Im not. I can do twenty tasks with ease and will never get my day finished if you give me only one. lol

I once read an article that claimed most of the successful entrepreneurs and inventors were diagnosable as ADHD or ADD. It truly makes sense if you think about it. We think differently, we come at all things differently.

There are specific genes linked to ADHD and brain scans do show a difference in people with ADHD. Research is making progress all the time.

calm - There is research out there that shows physical activity can definately help some with ADHD. When I was in school, we had PE everyday all year. Now kids are lucky if they get it once a week. We also were alowwed to run and play at lunch and recess. That has also been curbed and sometimes stopped. I think kids who may have had mild cases were helped by this activity to keep it under control because according to the research certain types of exercise such as running and bicylcing produced some of the same chemical reactions as taking stimulant medication. Now kids don't get that activity that naturally helped some kids. This may explain some of the increase in the number of kids with the disorder today.

I work a desk job and while my boss gets irritated that I dont "sit and work my lunch and eat", just once in doing so reminds her that I dont want to get up, I MUST get up. I always think of a pressure cooker when it comes to my head and my body. If I dont do enough, its always from 2-3pm that I overload and get rowdy, silly, highly overwhelmed or irritable. Something has to give. She lets me up for lunch early the next day. LOL Whats funny is that my husband is too, and like me doesnt take anything for it, but we love just talking because we end up at the other end of the stratosphere but heck, its fun anyway. LOL

The worst part of it that I cant stand is when someone will tell me something and you can all but watch it bounce off my head. And the more I attempt to concentrate, the more it skids. I never tell people that I have it, I dont believe that I need to. LOL Im its poster child. I dont want concessions, just a moment and forgive me for the apologetic third "Im sorry?" Ugh, I feel stupid then. I know Im frustrating, but I am worth the effort... just give me a sec and it will snap back in. lol Thank goodness those are less frequent, they are hell when there.

As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD when they were five, I can verify they do make you take a blood test, and a urine test when you are on ADHD medication.

Did the doctor even explain WHY he was ordering these tests? It was undoubtably to rule out something else. Of course it may also be that you are simply confused about what medicine he was on. The tricyclic antidepressants, for instance, which are sometimes given for ADHD, do require tests. Stimulants don't.

@calm - I know EXACTLY what you mean. Of course I'm medicated, because I do need it. But even so, I have to get up and move around on occassion (and it doesn't help that I have RLS). I don't mention my ADD unless I have to, and I don't ask for special treatment.

My guiltiest pleasure is not taking my daily pill and letting my thoughts run wild like a herd of cats. It's a lot of fun, like watching a rainbow conduct an orchestra.

mKIR, yeah my mind can be a fun place to be. I do feel sorry for our kids when we lecture, but we tag team the "but there we digress..." LOL Poor lil kids. :) But yeah we kind of cattle prod each other like "BZZT, get back here. lol"

another human, your definition is no more definitive than the other definitions I've sought from psychiatrists,who usually smile when I ask them what the differences are. I have bipolar disorder. Very, very rarely am I depressed. I tend toward being hyper and distracted or irritable. I have a friend who is very, very similar, but she is treated for ADHD. Both can be related to depression. Not being able to manage ones life makes for unhappiness. Therefore, both can cause life to be unmanageable. Teasing the two apart is not easy. I believe adult ADHD is a form of bipolar disorder.

natedom and Cassivela,

Whether the Ritalin is off patent or not, or whether they now sell it for pennies really doesn't make a difference. If they can sell it at a profit they think makes it worth production is what matters. The patent situation merely means other pharmaceutical companies can get in on the dealing, which, if it is a profitable market, is more than enough reason for them to keep their mouths shut for a few years.

Thank you for making good points though. I'm going to try to track down that article and I'll post it back on here. I read it in a magazine so maybe it will be online at this point.

natedom,

WRONG!!!!!!!!! I went to Snopes.com to check out your claim about margarine and plastic being a molecle away. Sorry, but that is pure MYTH.

The article I was mentioning in my post showed images of the molecular structure of both Ritalin AND cocaine, plus the info didn't come in a rumor-mongering e-mail, which is where the margarine-plastic claim started out. Besides the images I just mentioned for the Ritalin-cocaine comparison, the article I read dealing with the claim was several pages long, quite detailed, and learned. As I said, I'm going to track it down and post it's location here so everyone can find it for themselves. I stand by my claim. You may want to check yours out if you don't believe me.

Merlin,

Perhaps you need to go have a visit with a psychiatric professional yourself.

Cocaine and Ritalin (methylphenidate) are not structurally similar.

Cocaine is methyl (1R,2R,3S,5S)-3- (benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1] octane-2-carboxylate.

Methylphenidate is methyl phenyl(piperidin-2-yl)acetate. Methylphenidate is an amphetamine derivative, so it is closer to "crystal meth".

If you want to see the molecular structure, all you have to do is look at Wikipedia. You will see the differences.

However, both are central nervous system stimulants and have some common effects in the human body.

Both are grouped the same by the DEA - they are both considered Schedule II non-narcotic stimulants.

Cocaine is still in use in the medical professions. Your dentist might use cocaine topically to numb an injection site, for example.

I would think that in America every company that produces a product or service has a right to make a profit on those goods and services.

There is a medical need for Ritalin and similar drugs. If there was not a medical need, then Ritalin would be a Schedule I drug. But, as you see, even cocaine is not a Schedule I drug.

Since the companies producing these medications are meeting a medical need, the companies are allowed to sell these medications according to law.

Merlin, do you have a job? What do you do? Does your company manufacture something? Does it provide a service? Would you like to be told that your company is not allowed to make a profit on goods and services that are perfectly legal?

Longhair - I know it seems like the problems are being created to match the drugs, but that's not entirely true. Don't get me wrong... the pharmaceutical industry is corrupt and greedy, and ever since they've been allowed to advertise directly to the public, they've been pushing hypochondria to sell drugs. However, the conditions they're talking about are real. I can tell you personally that ADHD is real: Ever had a song stuck in your head? Well I never DIDN'T have a song stuck in my head until I got on Adderall. Usually there were 2 or 3 songs going at the same time. Even restless leg syndrome is real, (I dated a guy whose life was affected severely by it because he couldn't sleep) it's just rare. What big pharma does is take a condition that is real but rare and then try to convince everyone they have it. Ever feel down? You must have depression. Ever feel happy? You must be manic. As a person who suffers from both ADHD and depression, I find it insulting these companies trivialize mental illness by making everyone feel like they have some problem. Because things are so over-prescribed, if you tell someone you have ADHD or depression they don't take it seriously. Drugs should not be pushed on anyone and they really shouldn't be for profit. Then they could be given to patients who actually need them.

I do check UDS's as a standard of care. I even do pill counts at random times. These drugs have a great street value. It's amazing the other substances if find. When I confront the pt usually we end up discussing drug rehab before polysubstance abuse kills them. For the most part they are thankful for the extra effort and concern. I'm an MD in internal med. Very few people that come to me on these meds end up staying on these meds.

This!!

I used to work in a primary care office as a medical assistant. Generally we did not drug test people who were on ADD/ADHD medications. The only time people would get tested was if there was a history of them abusing their medications or other medications like opiates or benzodiazepines.

Missingthepoint, I think you are. The problem as you should realize is that this is one study. One. It has not been replicated. Therefore, as you should know, it cannot be considered valid until it is replicated. Of course there are some that abuse the system as they do with everything else. But do not tarnish the efforts of those that have helped the treatment to rise to the level it has today. Drop out rates have decreased, family turmoil decreases, depression and conduct disorders that stem from ADHD. These successes will be decreased if everyone jumps on this bandwagon that is filled with misinformation. That will be a sin.

Maybe doing blood and urine tests for people who receive medication on a regular basis should be mandatory. This way the number of people selling their prescriptions will decline.

This is a very good topic that could help people with real problem. We also have to expect that a few will do whatever to be classified in such group for what ever reasons. But people who have it as a matter of natural cause of accidents it is important their right is respected as well.

One such area is the national education test such at LSAT, GRE, MAt etc. These institutions are making life hell for many would be graduate study students by requiring expensive test which they partly own and have financial interest. The congressional leaders and state legislators need to establish simple to follow guide lines for these communities. I do not think it is fair to disable the life of people with difficulties...

I worked in an answering service that catered to Doctor's offices for 7 years. You do learn some medical terminology and other medical symptoms over the years. (Nothing to diagnose with, of course) Why don't you insult another profession?

Missing the point, the funny thing, to me at least, is if you were to do a pill count on my husband, you'd more often than not find he has MORE than he should- part of the territory- when you can't remember to do things on a schedule, it's a bugger to remember to take the meds sometimes!

Maybe doing blood and urine tests for people who receive medication on a regular basis should be mandatory. This way the number of people selling their prescriptions will decline.

Oh, great, as if health care costs weren't high enough! Let's do routine, unnecessary tests to punish everyone with a disease just in case they "might" be a junkie. Obviously if a patient is prone to abuse his meds, the appropriate thing to do is to switch him to something less easily abused, like desipramine. Nobody buys that on the black market. Another advantage of desipramine is you only have to take it once a day.

I am so glad that i dont jave to take any of these ridiculous medications... I can count the number of times on one hand that i have had prescriptions.

There have even been times i have been told by "Some Doctor Winner" take these drugs you need them, then i ddint take them and i am fine (Such as paid pill's).

One of the few times that i have taken anything stronger than tylenol was beucase I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I only took about half the prescription!

ADHD/ADD/Depression etc etc etc ... Is all crap and people buy right into it... Sad very sad...

Robert, Adhd and add are not crap but instead a type of personality. Some would say disorder. I dont see that in myself.

It can be erratic and severe. Mine is bad, but lets face it, do you honestly think I would remember to take a pill for it everyday?! lol um... no. I was always "the hyper little girl". I wasnt fed alot of sugar or anything. But I could work myself into a frenzy if left on the path without my parents. And I tried. OMG, I tried so hard. I was always too loud, I was always too excitable, always daydreaming, always unfocused, always forgetful. What was funny was that caffeine didnt rev me up, it calmed me down. (but it was rarely allowed, lol) It sucked, and I got grounded alot...ALOT... but I learned outlets.

Dancing, singing, etc, that helped because then I could move as much and as long as I wanted. Not dance class, just me and a record player or "boom box" etc. Once I did that daily, things got better for me. I just needed a way to exist as me for a little bit each day. Then I could be more controlled for "them". I wont medicate me, because honestly, I don't want to stop being me with the hair-trigger goofy comebacks and sillyness. Im a trip - as others say. :-D

Robert...until you or someone you care about has been afflicted with one of these ailments...you know nothing!!!

Suzy-2005071,

Put a calendar and pen next to your husband's medications. Have him make a note of Rx and the time every time he takes his doses (ie. Rx 1500 hrs). I do that twice a day and it has saved me from over and underdosing due to my poor memory. When you take meds once or more every day for several years you can easily get confused as to whether you took THAT day's doses. This will help him keep track in an easy and simple way. I hope the suggestion helps. Good Luck!

Suzy....A pill box...I have one for my son..has morn, noon, eve and bedtime compartments...I fill it up once a week and check everyday...he likes to be in control of taking his own meds cause he knows they help him...the pill box ensures me that they are taken appropriately and its an easy check!

Agreed.

A ADHD diagnosis has always been trendy and cool. Years ago people used to beg me to go to a doctor and force him to put my kids on medication for it. They said that is what they did so I was a bad parent since I wouldn't. I didn't want to do it and my kids doctor didn't want to do it so I didn't. It didn't make sense to me to give my kids meds that a doctor didn't think they needed. But people still called me a bad parent for it because I wasn't doing what all the other parents did. Is that screwed up or what?

Cool? Who have you been talking to? I have an actual problem and I hate having to take medication everyday not to mention the fact that it costs money.

Considering most ADHD medication is a stimulant and will result in an overactive child if that child does not actually have ADHD, I have a hard time believing parents would want their child on this medication if it weren't necessary.

Lbow... Good call then ... well done!

You are so right. There is a diagnosis for everything!!! "You have PMS during your period? Oh you must have 'Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder,' and we're going to prescribe you Sarafem, which is really Prozac, b/c everyone knows that b/c you're a b!tch 2 days a month you need an anti-depressant." WTF??!?!?

Big pharma wants everyone to self diagnose and go to their doctor to get brand name expensive drugs. The docs give in since its the easiest way to get the people out of their office. This advertising needs to be against the law. It also raises drug costs.

As for ADD, I'm sure some people get help and need the meds, but like anxiety and depression, a non drug cure is always best. How about exercise, mediation? How about turning off your cell phone when your are working or reading?

ah yes, evil corporate advertising...giving me the idea that I am a star athlete if I buy Nike shoes....I also blame ads because I am crazy for coco-puffs.

There's a big difference between selling people shoes or cereal they don't need and convincing them they need drugs which have dangerous side effects for conditions they don't have.

Wakehead,

I totally agree with you about Big pharma and their devious methods to get business (Any TV channel is basically a pharmaceutical catalog for things you might have or didn't even know you had), however your understanding of ADD seems to be a bit off. Turning off the cell phone etc doesn't really help since "distractions" come from within. If I were in a bare room with white walls, I still couldn't concentrate. I don't really think of it as being distracted, more like my train of thought being derailed, the "computer memory" of my mind being erased, and when it is any thought is fair game to steal my mind's "computing resources", if that makes any sense. It's hard to describe.

You're very right, though, that excercise helps. Personally, I HATE HATE taking medication of any kind especially any that affects the psyche, so I always advocate non-medication methods to get the symptoms under control, however there are many types and different degrees of severity of ADD, so for some (including myself) medication is the only way.

Wakehead....as one who suffers from major depression....those things you mention do not always work. For me..if I miss meds at all, I get waves of very unpleasant thoughts. I do workout regularly and go to counseling but that does not help the overwhelming anxiety attacks that come on every time I have to step foot out of my house. Believe it or not it is very unpleasant to feel like this and it is very difficult overcome. Not that it matters but my depression is due to horrible things that transpired and only began 9 yrs ago, so it has not been a life long thing, I have only been on meds for 2 yrs.

@Kyle, thank you for a wise post. Some people do need the meds and not everyone is faking as some would have you think.

REMOVED, SORRY.

Big pharma wants everyone to self diagnose and go to their doctor to get brand name expensive drugs - Wakehead

The problem with your theory is that Ritalin and Adderall are past their patent's useful life, so both are available in generic. In other words, BigPharma isn't making cash on the two most popular ADHD drugs.

You theories on drug usefulness only mimic Tom Cruise and the Scientology self help non-sense. Maybe some can be helped with exercise, but who makes that determination, you ? Is a doctor to tell a patient they must exercise, please, if meds help and a person does not want to take your non-medical advise, who are you to dictate what works and what doesn't.

I noticed your examples only included conditions of the mind, do you suggest your advise for diabetes, high cholesterol athletes, kidney malfunction, cancer, infections, at what point do you suggest people take a doctor's advise and treat yours as it really is, the rantings of an person with no medical training ?

You are so right. There is a diagnosis for everything!!! "You have PMS during your period? Oh you must have 'Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder,' and we're going to prescribe you Sarafem, which is really Prozac, b/c everyone knows that b/c you're a b!tch 2 days a month you need an anti-depressant." WTF??!?!?

I proudly manage my severe PMS without meds, and I haven't been arrested yet.

I'd love to know just how many people you KNOW who have ALL embellished their symptoms. Probably one or two. People like you who exaggerate are worse than the people who exaggerate their symptoms because they're suffering.

I personally could come up with at least 30 or more people I know right now who abuse Oxycontin and have no problems getting scripts. Personally, I do not know anyone who would want to labeled ADHD, but obviously there are some out there....sad!

It's easy to claim knowledge of something and have no empirical data to back it up. Especially when a study involves the field of psychology, a pseudoscience not exactly known for rigorous research protocols, empirical and unbiased data is everything.

Ltablthr- One or two?? Haha Uh no! I know at least 15 prescribed to Adderall. It's everywhere and soooo easy to get. So before you accuse me of exaggerating, get your facts straight. If I only knew 1 or 2 people who had done this, I wouldn't have wasted my time (or yours) posting. WAKE UP! You're naive if you think a majority of people who go in for ADHD meds don't exaggerate their symptoms. I may only know about 15 people now, but in college, you could triple that number. I knew TONS of people who went to the doctor specifically for Adderall and Ritalian. Once again, WAKE UP!

Mol.

What do you care ? Would 3 cups of coffee in the morning be to your satisfaction, how about a good drunk every night, would you approve.

Tons of people, OK, I doubt you know tons of people, that are willing to openly talk to an judgmental clown like you about their condition, much less brag about it. Oh, and of course, no one would ever lie to you about scoring whatever it is they tell you they are getting.

Judy.

Save it, no one believe you know 30 people getting Oxy scripts, unless you are the doctor giving it them. Facebook friends don't count.

For the both of you, I know 10 million people who were abducted by martians, so save your exaggerations and pretend knowledge for some sucker that thinks either of you have more than a friend or two outside your made-up Facebook page.

"Scoring" haha It's a prescription. They aren't scoring anything, except for the money they make from selling their extras. I don't care. I'm just stating the facts. And comparing coffee to amphetamine= extrememly naive. I'm not judging anything; I have best friends prescribed to the stuff. They know how I feel about it. If that they want to smoke crack daily, I have no issues with that, so how am I judging? I realize some people need this medication. But considering the millions of people who take it daily, it doesn't take a rockest scientist to reazlie it's over prescribed. NEWS FLASH: The meds give people a buzz. How many people do you know who take ADHD meds? I can name over 10 off the top of my head, without thinking. Alllll these people have ADHD? Uh huh. They all also happen to be on 3 or 4 other medications? Coincidence? Yeah, only for people like you.

Mol.

Now how would I know about your best friends taking meds ? How many best friends do you have, let me guess, tons.

You make 'tons' of... assumptions w/o any sort of confirmation, just your judgment. Even the 'millions of people who take it daily' is just something you grabbed out of thin air.

The judgment part is that you know people who are taking it who don't need is, tons of people I think you stated. Maybe you are some rock star personality that isn't flowing in this blog, but I have a seriously hard time believing anything you say, because when all is said and done, it's generalities. I don't even know if we are talking about 10 people or 1000, because tons is a word normally associated with weight, not head count.

And yes I know people who take stuff they shouldn't, but not many that are so forthcoming as your tons of friends who openly admit that they are doing something illegal so you can be the expert when an article about ADHD appears. The drug users I have know, are a little more discrete about their sources, but then again, I don't know tons of people, well maybe I do, just not sure how many are in a ton.

You have no issues with your tons of best friends smoking crack ? Interesting, I think the conclusion is obvious.

I totally missed the coincidence and how it related to me, am I on drugs, 4 or 4 of them ? Are we friends, am I one of the tons, or did you just make up something, again ?

Having recently graduated from college I know more people that took Adderall based on exaggerated symptoms than real. It was quite the profit/friend maker. The fact it is a somewhat fun drug to take. Look at legalized weed- people will come up with all sorts of issues to get some while there are very legitimate reasons (like cancer) to use it. That comes with the manufacturing of any drug that is enjoyable to take (pain pills, ADD pills). You won't see someone faking symptoms to get some antibiotics.

I admit I used Adderall to study once and I'm glad I did. Managerial Accounting was never so interesting- but it was just focus and I got the same feeling after drinking a red bull...

@ Scott....and I guess you know everything else in the world...you the almighty, guess we all ought to believe anything you claim to be...NOT!.

I am not a Dr, nor do I work in a Drs office, but I have had many acquaintances call at one time or another looking for these narcotics, which by the way I am highly allergic too and never get. My ex was addicted to Oxy's, so despite what YOU may choose to believe...I could easily name 30 people...probably more!

@ MOL,

You are absolutely correct about what Adderall/Ridalin and other such mediactions do for anyone past the age of puberty. They actually calm children who have not reached puberty, once the children have reached puberty it has the opposite effect. I am not stating this as a parent of two children who take Vyvanse (the latest and greatest of ADHD medications), but as a person who's father is a Psychologist Unfortunately, he has never and will never practice in my state. My ex husband made sure to put our children on these medications and it is much easier to get them on them, than to get them off of them. I didn't know what Aderall did to people until I did research and asked questions. We had friends over and they had invited other firends. Someone came out of the bathroom and offered me $2 a pill for my daughters Aderall. I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, but to ask them to leave. Of course, they shouldn't have been in my medicine cabinet, but that is what they do. I know that Adderall is speed/meth and I don't want my kids on it, but I can't get any doctors to side with me (Pharma Kick-backs). Anyway, my ex-husband failed a drug test a while back for opiates (he claimed poppy seeds), but I am not buying that because there were pills (capsules) in the container, but they had nothing in them when he gave them to me. Seems I may have noticed the real pill thief a bit late.

This article truly angers me. Since I was a little girl, I was told that I was a very bright individual that just didn't apply herself. Of course, 35 years ago, the diagnosis itself did not exist, but the disorder certainly did. It took years of wondering what was wrong with me. If I was so smart, why couldn't I seem to do what other kids did in school?

Once I entered college, as a non-traditional student, I finally got the answers I was seeking. I was diagnosed with ADD, not ADHD. I didn't have they hyperactivity component. When the counselor was explaining what the disorder entails, I was in tears, finally knowing that I wasn't crazy and I wasn't alone. I spent the next 7 years trying to find ways to manage the disorder without medication. Due to other health concerns, I didn't want to add another medication to my regimen and at the time, meds like Ritalin were all that was available. I wanted to avoid it if I could. But, after nearly failing out of college at one point, I decided to give medication a go. It worked!!

To hear that there are unscrupulous people out there who would take advantage of the system because they want to maintain or improve their own already high performance because they realized they took on too much is insulting, degrading, and highly dismissive of those who truly have the disorder!! However, given the way of society today, sadly, it is not surprising.

To those who question the diagnosis' true validity, walk in my shoes or the shoes of someone else with the disorder, without medication, for a day, a week, or a month, and try to keep up with, and perform, like a normal person. You'll truly learn that is does exist and be extremely disheartening when not treated properly. Do not look down on those who truly have ADD/ADHD just because of a few selfish, overachievers who have no regard for anybody but themselves. Some day, it could be that ADD person who comes up with a cure for cancer!!

You will be taking it forever with the one except you might be prescribed more dangerous drugs. Any psychotropic medication can be replaced with other therapies. Drugs will kill you.

wow...uhu....obviously you need to do some more research! Here is how the Psychiatrist explained meds to my child....when an engine has a bad spark plug it does not run well, if you replace that spark plug the engine runs smoothly, the medicine is that spark plug.

My son is 100 times happier than he was two years ago. He is also bipolar/schiz and takes meds for that too...the voices talking to him at night are gone, furthermore, he sees a counselor every week!

I am by far not a promoter of pills, but sometimes they are necessary!

My sentiments exactly!

The study was done for adults proclaiming ADHD and ADD symptoms, not chronic pain. It helps to read the article.

Junichiro:

That wasn't the point of the comment. The point was that they're not surprised by the outcome of this story, just like they wouldn't be surprised if 1 in 4 people fakes pain to get pain medication.

Inform without insulting, buddy.

I hope others aren't fooled by such comments as "AD/HD is a neurological disorder." There is NO test of any kind that can confirm this or any other psychiatric "disorder." The purpose of all disorders (which are all simply voted into the DSM, not researched and found valid) is to sell drugs.

There has been and continues to be plenty of research done on ADHD. And brain scans show there are differences in the brains of people with it.

Ubu-1012101,

re : post 15.2

I have to disagree with you. People with PTSD are often treated without drugs, or the drug therapy may be only temporary. There are ongoing studies done by the VA and other institutions, and also behaviors/symptoms that indicate it's presence. With the advances we are making with medical equipment PTSD, and other 'disorders' are beginning to be able to be shown to have physical indicators in the brain and body, and it isn't merely a matter of voting it into the DSM. bmx mom is correct.

I was put on Adderall a few years ago. My doctor and I had high hopes the med would help me. I have very short attention span, seem to always be "flitting" from one task to another, and also jump all over the place in conversation. I am chronically tired. It did absolutely nothing for me. Nothing. I even (with out MD knowing), took a few extra. Still nothing, not even energy... so I must not be a true ADHD. I have had some friends the meds. have hel ped alot though. I do believe they have great benefit for those that need them.

The thing is, stimulants MAY help some people who don't have ADHD, but at a big risk. They used to give it to WWII fighter pilots on long missions. Yet, this class of meds DOESN'T help everyone with ADHD. Probably because it's not a single disorder but a group of related symptoms. If there were no danger, involved in stimulants, I'd say sell them at Starbucks! The medical student in the original study is a good example of someone who thought they were doing themselves a favor, but estimated the risk of self-medication!

Regardless of whether someone has ADHD or not, the meds still have the same basic effect. It's still an ampthetamine. It will still make one's heart rate speed up. It has the same side effects. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD, but I took it all the time in college for tests and papers b/c it works. Does that mean I have ADHD? Well, you can certainly take out the "H." Who DOESN'T have ADD???? We live in a society where you're practically born with it. Sure, I could prob get a script to ADHD drugs and increase my concentration levels 300%, but I chose not to b/c I'm well aware of the side effects, AND I have tons of friends on it and they're all emotional basketcases after prolonged use. No thanks. I'll deal with my ADD w/o filling up Big Pharma's pockets. It's part of who I am.

Mol in MS...."We live in a society where you are practically born with it". I'm beginning to think that another name for it is simply rudeness. Are you ADHD if you don't listen when another is speaking, talk over someone who is trying to make a point, go to a movie and talk on your cell phone or text. All of these behaviors are symptoms of lack of concentration but does that make one ADHD, or just self absorbed. Personally, I think it's just a new excuse for bad behavior in most (not all) cases.

actually, Mol, that is not accurate. when someone who truly has ADD/ADHD takes an amphetamine, their heartrate slows, they relax, they eat and sleep more normally. i've seen it work myself, and it is a very strange thing. when i was a camp counselor recently, 8 out of 'my' 11 kids were taking meds for this- 7 of them very obviously got high. but one poor kid would take double the amount of pills of the others, and he became the nicest kid, quiet and respectful, calm, able to complete tasks, and just generally a great kid. (he was also the first to go to sleep at night, by at least an hour, even though they gave him a whopper of a dose at bedtime.)

the trio of drugs mentioned, adderall, ritalin, and concerta are just pharmaceutical versions of the same meth that the junkies that break into your car are smoking. the only practical difference is the method of getting it into their body. what worries me is that i've seen what happens to meth-heads. most of them go bat@!$%# crazy. oh, the focus and weightloss and the ability to go without sleep for days on end is amazing when you start using, but eventually, pretty much everyone that gets hooked goes absolutely nuts. so what happens to all those people who faked their symptoms?

What I want to know is, why can't they do a double blind test with it for adults like they do kids? I know before my brother started taking Ritalin he was given two one week prescriptions, one for ritalin, one for a placebo. My parents weren't able to know which was which and they had to report on his results with both pills. If there wasn't a noticeable change between the two, or if he was more hyper with the ritalin (that is what happens if you don't have ADHD) he wouldn't have been diagnosed.

I had something witty to reply but I forgot.

I was going to say...... hey is that a train?

Right you are. The cost of a blood test is enough that doctors won't use one if it is simply to determine current level of a drug in the body and not for diagnosis of a condition, unless dangerous symptoms are present.

Paranoia aside, the reason for the high rate is misdiagnosis is usually stupid, lazy and irresponsible parenting.

Ouch! Blame the kids AND the parents? AND the system? But maybe there is such a thing as brain dysfunction!

I don't know about teachers & school nurses recommending medication, but for my ADHD son, after trying many interventions and behavior modifications, and consulting with his doctors, we tried medication, and that worked!

Giving stimulants to a child who is not ADHD will not make them more compliant, it will make them hyper. Stimulants work the opposite way in truly ADHD kids.

bmx mom, that is a myth. Stimulants affect just about everybody the same way. I've known plenty of adults who abused speed. They weren't necessarily "hyper" to look at; they'd happily just sit there because they were stoned!

Oom - that is a truly ignorant statement. ADHD is a disorder caused by a chemical imbalance, that chemical imbalance is corrected with a stimulant. This is what makes those with ADHD able to sit still and concentrate. Those without ADHD who take the medications are able to stay up for longer periods of time, because of the stimulant.

A child who does not have ADHD, when given the stimulant, will become more hyper, and a child who does have ADHD will become less hyper. If you give a "normal" child a Mt. Dew they will become hyper, however, a child with ADHD will not be affected by the Mt. Dew or may actuall settle down and take a nap.

An adult abusing speed will not sit still because they are stoned, they will be all over the place. An adult abusing marijuana or some other barbituate will sit still because they are stoned.

Oom, it is not a myth, I see it happen every day.

Yeah, I'd say more people fake it to get an undeserved slice of my paycheck. If I had proof I'd turn 'em all in for fraud. If you're too lazy to work for your own living, you deserve nothing more than a cardboard box on the side of the street.

I mean, I KNOW people who are vaginal clown cars just for this purpose, not only are they spitting out kids for the welfare checks and tax returns (how do you get tax returns when you don't work, anyway?), they're claiming all their kids have mental problems so they can get even more free money. Some people are really good at intentionally working the system and it would be nice for them to pay for it someday.

Better living through chemistry