Abuse of ADHD meds
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 5
Abuse of ADHD meds
Hi my hubby has been abusing his meds for adhd again-ritalin this time, adderral previously. I'm returning to my country for 6 months without him and am worrying about how to support him at a distance?
He is just so convinced he can not get his degree without some kind of medication, and he says stimulants have been the only that worked.
Basically I'm worried that if we go to the dr and get Strattera (expensive non-stimulant adhd meds) it may be a waste of money we haven't got! I think he needs to work on diet/exercise/cog behav techniques etc and then maybe try strattera, coz I feel that on it's own it's not going to do enough for him without changing other lifestyle habits and so it could lead to him self medicating to boost the quick fix effects.
Is there anything in place to stop him visiting and requesting stimulant meds from drs? Like some kind of list of known addicts in a district? As in the past he's lied to them about never abusing meds/seen multiple drs for prescriptions etc. Or can I phone around/visit drs in our area to prevent him getting them?
He wasn't diagnosed as having adhd until 18, and had no problems with his grades before then-only since being on stimulants due to his abuse and erratic behaviour.
Is there anything I can do or say to him to get it through to him? Should I relent and go ahead with the strattera in the hope he will change other aspects of life?
He is just so convinced he can not get his degree without some kind of medication, and he says stimulants have been the only that worked.
Basically I'm worried that if we go to the dr and get Strattera (expensive non-stimulant adhd meds) it may be a waste of money we haven't got! I think he needs to work on diet/exercise/cog behav techniques etc and then maybe try strattera, coz I feel that on it's own it's not going to do enough for him without changing other lifestyle habits and so it could lead to him self medicating to boost the quick fix effects.
Is there anything in place to stop him visiting and requesting stimulant meds from drs? Like some kind of list of known addicts in a district? As in the past he's lied to them about never abusing meds/seen multiple drs for prescriptions etc. Or can I phone around/visit drs in our area to prevent him getting them?
He wasn't diagnosed as having adhd until 18, and had no problems with his grades before then-only since being on stimulants due to his abuse and erratic behaviour.
Is there anything I can do or say to him to get it through to him? Should I relent and go ahead with the strattera in the hope he will change other aspects of life?
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 83
Ritalin and other stimulants
Ma'am,
As someone who used to abuse ritalin and aderall in order to do school work, I can tell you from experience that although they help you to stay awake and to focus, whatever you are learning while you are under the influence of those medications you are probably not going to remember for more than a few hours. Put another way, if your husband has an exam on a Wednesday morning and uses ritalin on Tuesday night to cram for it, in all likelihood he will still not do very well on the exam. I also found that written work such as papers and essays that I did under the influence of ritalin were often times very shoddy when I read them a few days later. Something that you might want to tell your husband at any rate.
To my knowledge there is no such thing as a list of addicts that doctors can check before giving a prescription to a patient, and unfortunately most doctors are fairly clueless to the symptoms of addiction... I know that might sound rather grandiose coming from someone who is not an MD himself, but I know from personal experience that that happens to be the truth, and I also know several psychiatrists who do specialize in addiction who are horrified by many of the doctors that they meet who have such a limited knowledge of the subject.
I also took Strattera and although it is not a magic bullet I think it can certainly help, however it does not have a generic so it is expensive. I switched to desipramine which is more or less the same thing but is generic and therefore much cheaper. However this is something that you absolutely need to discuss with a psychiatrist as I am in formal position to give medical advice. The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry has a roster of physicians who specialize in addiction and you could find one who would be able to give you professional advice on the subject
As someone who used to abuse ritalin and aderall in order to do school work, I can tell you from experience that although they help you to stay awake and to focus, whatever you are learning while you are under the influence of those medications you are probably not going to remember for more than a few hours. Put another way, if your husband has an exam on a Wednesday morning and uses ritalin on Tuesday night to cram for it, in all likelihood he will still not do very well on the exam. I also found that written work such as papers and essays that I did under the influence of ritalin were often times very shoddy when I read them a few days later. Something that you might want to tell your husband at any rate.
To my knowledge there is no such thing as a list of addicts that doctors can check before giving a prescription to a patient, and unfortunately most doctors are fairly clueless to the symptoms of addiction... I know that might sound rather grandiose coming from someone who is not an MD himself, but I know from personal experience that that happens to be the truth, and I also know several psychiatrists who do specialize in addiction who are horrified by many of the doctors that they meet who have such a limited knowledge of the subject.
I also took Strattera and although it is not a magic bullet I think it can certainly help, however it does not have a generic so it is expensive. I switched to desipramine which is more or less the same thing but is generic and therefore much cheaper. However this is something that you absolutely need to discuss with a psychiatrist as I am in formal position to give medical advice. The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry has a roster of physicians who specialize in addiction and you could find one who would be able to give you professional advice on the subject
*~10 YEARS BABY~*
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Hollywood
Posts: 9,369
I agree with Anvil, not much you can do until he wants change.
I used to do meth because I thought I had to do to get through.
When I believed that, I wanted to do it, and no one could stop me.
I had to figure it out on my own.
There was a good episode on The Cleaner about this exact topic.
******...}}}
I used to do meth because I thought I had to do to get through.
When I believed that, I wanted to do it, and no one could stop me.
I had to figure it out on my own.
There was a good episode on The Cleaner about this exact topic.
******...}}}
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 10,182
It's called denial, and it isn't a river in Egypt either.
You didn't cause it, you can't control it, and you can't cure it.
Even IF you could somehow control his access to those meds, the drugs are just a symptom of much deeper issues.
I find my time is much better spent on taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
You didn't cause it, you can't control it, and you can't cure it.
Even IF you could somehow control his access to those meds, the drugs are just a symptom of much deeper issues.
I find my time is much better spent on taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 5
Thank you for your responses,
I neglected to mention, he has been in AA and NA pretty consistently for nearly 10years, before that he was packed off to some residential treatment centres from 18-21 ish. His NA sponsor is great, and has been there throughout since he was 19/20.
He certainly knows he has a problem but says he's kinda stuck focusing on the positives of the medication, as he feels adhd makes his life totally useless. It clouds him thinking about the negatives, which he is all to aware of when asked. Certainly some denial is present!
Unfortunately (!) Marshall, he has got consistently high marks in everything 90-100%, his lack of belief in his abilities means he puts this all down to the medication stopping his adhdness. DENIAL yup.
desipramine huh? I shall do some research and discuss with hubby.
Thanks again,
R
I neglected to mention, he has been in AA and NA pretty consistently for nearly 10years, before that he was packed off to some residential treatment centres from 18-21 ish. His NA sponsor is great, and has been there throughout since he was 19/20.
He certainly knows he has a problem but says he's kinda stuck focusing on the positives of the medication, as he feels adhd makes his life totally useless. It clouds him thinking about the negatives, which he is all to aware of when asked. Certainly some denial is present!
Unfortunately (!) Marshall, he has got consistently high marks in everything 90-100%, his lack of belief in his abilities means he puts this all down to the medication stopping his adhdness. DENIAL yup.
desipramine huh? I shall do some research and discuss with hubby.
Thanks again,
R
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