Vyvance-Adderall-ADD

[rico]

Some of you may know that I made the financially irresponsible decision to major in Psychology at a private college. I now owe 90k in student loans and have a degree in Psychology to show for it. The Psychology degree is nice to have, it opens the doors for me if I want to sell insurance, sell cars, etc. It is also nice to have if I ever have aspirations of starting my own business (according to some Google articles anyways). However, if you want to use it for what it is the most relevant to, which is the Human Services field, the field that I have been working in for almost 5 years, then well....it is pretty financially freaking difficult to pay 90k worth of student loans, own a house, be a loving father/fiancee and refrain from calling my dad begging money simultaenously.

With that said, I am attending nursing school on the 20th of August. I figured the BA in Psych and the RN would complement each other well and I may succeed in that field.

A couple months ago, I requested 2 and a half weeks off of work (I never, EVER take PTO because I always feel like the place becomes chaotic when I'm not there). My original plans were to go on leave on July 17th and come back on Monday the 6th of August (14 days before school starts) and put my 2 weeks notice in immediately when I came back to work. However, since I've been off work, I have had time to sit down and think about things in terms of what is best for my future. I have decided that I am going to try going to school AND maintain employment at my current employer for as long as possible. My fiancee is not going to be pleased because my job is very time consuming. I am a salaried employee and I feel that my "salaried employee" status is consistently milked to the fullest extent.

I had some concerns as to how I am going to successfully pull this off without systematically breaking down due to extreme fatigue. Heck, I have a hard enough time at my job as it is trying to complete my documentation/other various tasks without my mind wandering to my fiancee, daughters, younger brothers' wrestling, Chiefs football, etc.

I was diagnosed with ADD (not hyper, just spacey) when I was in college. I consulted a Physician because I wanted something to assist me through some of the courses that were required, but I wasn't interested in. He originally prescribed me Strattera, which just seemed to make me feel clammy, cold and unable to sleep. I haven't met anyone who has felt positive effects from Strattera and sometimes I wonder if it is prescribed to people as an initial attempt of the Placebo Effect being effective for them. When this wasn't working, my Physician prescribed Adderall (20 mg). The Adderall worked well, but it always gave me a euphoric effect that sometimes became distracting when I was trying to get things done. Not to mention, whenever I popped an Adderall pill, I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I want to pop more of them...which I didn't like. Not to mention, whenever someone found out you were prescribed them, they were on you like stink on shit, trying to get you to sell them, which was annoying as hell.

I consulted a Physician today, stating my concerns about working and going to school at the same time. I informed her that I was prescribed Adderall in college and that it helped, but I had mixed emotions about it. She informed me that there are "different options now than there were 5 years ago" and put me on a medication called Vyvanse (30 mg) which is evidently related to Adderrall, but doesn't have the feelings of extreme euphoria and the comedown isn't as harsh.

One of the first things I did when I got home was came to this site and searched "Vyvanse" to see if anything came up. I was pretty sure that it had probably been discussed here. You can search about anything on this forum and SOMETHING will come up because some of you turkeys talk about everything. :) To my surprise, nothing showed up. Am I the only person on Chiefsplanet who has been prescribed Vyvanse? If not, what are your thoughts on it?

I'd like to hear lewdog's take on it, for I love his takes on Psychology-related stuff. I'm sure somebody knows SOMETHING about Vyvance, Adderrall or ADD/ADHD in general.

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/discus2.gif

[Buehler445]

There have been some threads about ADD pills and homework but I can't remember much about them.

Maybe Hootie started them. Anyway, there was some decent info in them IIRC

[mr. tegu]

Sucks to hear how ridiculous those lones are. A psychology degree is not really a terminal degree. If you want to make money in the field you need to go onto a masters degree at least. That being said, nursing is a good field to get into. There are always jobs in that field that start around at least $20 per hour right out of college.

As far as ADD and Vyvance goes I have heard good things about it. At the children's psychiatric unit that has resident patients as well as outpatients at one of the hospitals here in KC they have started prescribing that on a regular basis as opposed to any of the other common medicines. Personally I am not a big med guy for psychiatric issues, but this is one of those conditions that really benefits from it.

[Frazod]

Yeah, my wife has a degree in Psychology. Perhaps one day if we run out of toilet paper I'll wipe my ass with it - at that point it finally become useful for something.

[CoMoChief]

I feel like hell coming down off of that med.

I take it when I feel the need for a binger. Which is probably why I feel like hell afterwards....uppers and downers are terrible together.

[mr. tegu]

Yeah, my wife has a degree in Psychology. Perhaps one day if we run out of toilet paper I'll wipe my ass with it - at that point it finally become useful for something.

When I got my BA in psychology it was pretty much not a big deal at all. I knew I still had two more years to go to get my masters. Now finishing that was pretty sweet.

[ZepSinger]

My wife is about 22 months away from getting her Master's in Psychology, which is pretty much required for the field she wants to go into (substance abuse/grief/juvenile counseling). Here's hoping she can latch onto a position that makes it financially possible to easily pay back her college loans...

On the med question- I've always been somewhat scattered and unorganized ('artist' type, go figure), so my wife's shrink recently prescribed Ritalin. It works great for me- I'm much more focused and driven to accomplish daily tasks now.

Z

[vailpass]

I feel like hell coming down off of that med.

I take it when I feel the need for a binger. Which is probably why I feel like hell afterwards....uppers and downers are terrible together.

What do you mean by "binger", if you don't mind my asking?

[CoMoChief]

What do you mean by "binger", if you don't mind my asking?

binge drinking. for instance if i'm going to Mardis Gras in STL...I usually don't sleep the entire weekend because i stay up, cracked out on Adderall, drinking. When all of that wears off.....I feel like death.

[TLO]

Mixing alcohol with Adderall sounds like an absolutely terrible idea. I can't even begin to imagine how much that would suck after it wears off.

Personally I think the stuff is over prescribed to kids. I think there are legit reasons to use the medication, but not every hyper 10 year old who has an imagination and likes to run around needs to be heavily medicated.

[mr. tegu]

My wife is about 22 months away from getting her Master's in Psychology, which is pretty much required for the field she wants to go into (substance abuse/grief/juvenile counseling). Here's hoping she can latch onto a position that makes it financially possible to easily pay back her college loans...

On the med question- I've always been somewhat scattered and unorganized ('artist' type, go figure), so my wife's shrink recently prescribed Ritalin. It works great for me- I'm much more focused and driven to accomplish daily tasks now.

Z

The best jobs are hospitals or government agencies. They pay the most. Non profits are notoriously low paying. Even better than all of those is private practice not only for pay but also for autonomy. However, a successful practice with enough clients takes a while to build up.

[vailpass]

binge drinking. for instance if i'm going to Mardis Gras in STL...I usually don't sleep the entire weekend because i stay up, cracked out on Adderall, drinking. When all of that wears off.....I feel like death.

Thanks. Did you say Mardis Gras in St. Louis?

[BigMeatballDave]

Adderall is a pretty good stimulant.

[mr. tegu]

Personally I think the stuff is over prescribed to kids. I think there are legit reasons to use the medication, but not every hyper 10 year old who has an imagination and likes to run around needs to be heavily medicated.

Then you won't like to hear that a relatively new development that I posted about in another thread is that kids as young as 3-4 years old are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well as ADHD and are being given medications. It's insane.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Then you won't like to hear that a relatively new development that I posted about in another thread is that kids as young as 3-4 years old are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well as ADHD and are being given medications. It's insane.

3-4? You can't properly diagnose bi polar at 13-14...

[rico]

If I were to quit my job and lose my health insurance in the process.... what the hell do I do about health insurance? Thanks in advance.

[Fish]

If I were to quit my job and lose my health insurance in the process.... what the hell do I do about health insurance? Thanks in advance.

Vote for Obama.

[Saulbadguy]

Just stop trying at your job. How long do you think you could hold out before they fire you?

[mr. tegu]

3-4? You can't properly diagnose bi polar at 13-14...

Nope. It's insane. Some kids that have been through it and are 10-12 have some pretty serious tics, which, you guessed it they take more medicine for.

[Bump]

seriously, please stop taking these horrible horrible ADD drugs that they so willingly dish out and if you are in a state that ok's medical use and has dispensaries, try some all natural, no bad side effects, marijuana. At the dispensaries, you can tell them what kind of high you are looking for and what your symptoms are and the good ones will be able to pick out some great bud for you that will most definitely help you out.

It's so incredible how much weed can help people and it's the biggest question mark on earth as the true reason it stays illegal at the federal level. It can replace so many man made, chemically induced drugs with horrible side effects that are horrible long term solutions. When medical grade marijuana can be had, cheaply I might add! Anyone who has the desire to learn a little bit of botany can make it themselves for practically free! It helps out everything almost and that's why they dont want you using it, because it's a practically free replacement for so many drugs that make billions for the corporations and the fact that the legal drugs hurt you with side effects and marijuana doesn't have any bad side effects at all. Wow this is a wall of text I didn't plan on writing, lol.

[rico]

Just stop trying at your job. How long do you think you could hold out before they fire you?

They are pretty trigger-happy IMO. Not to mention, my 2 superiors are women. I usually try not to make generalizations based on gender, but you see some major power trips when you are the only male in the region that you know of and your superiors are women. Not saying all women are like this, but this situation for sure.

And the gossip..... good lord, the freaking gossip. Not that I have anything against gossip altogether...I venture to this site to catch up on the gossip all the time. It's just the content of the gossip that goes on at work is amusingly ridiculous.

[rico]

Nope. It's insane. Some kids that have been through it and are 10-12 have some pretty serious tics, which, you guessed it they take more medicine for.

It is absolutely crazy, some of the shit you will encounter in this field. Especially in poverty-stricken areas. It just blows my mind sometimes.

And you are right....from what I've noticed, they've pushed that shit on children early.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Thanks. Did you say Mardis Gras in St. Louis?

He did. They have one there too.

[mdchiefsfan]

Be careful with adderal. I was on it for several years and it took 6 months before I stopped thinking how badly I needed to take a pill. It is very easy to become habit forming. I have add but I needed to get out from underneath that stuff. Best decision of my life.

[rico]

Be careful with adderal. I was on it for several years and it took 6 months before I stopped thinking how badly I needed to take a pill. It is very easy to become habit forming. I have add but I needed to get out from underneath that stuff. Best decision of my life.

Do you take anything now? What are your thoughts on Strattera? They try pushing that on you initially?

Adderall seems to ignite feelings consistent with the mania phase of Bipolar Disorder if too much is ingested.

[beach tribe]

They always end up being more of a pain in the ass than an actual help.
They turn you into a machine for a cpl days (especially if you abuse em' *and you will*)
Then sleep deprivation and running it at red line for too long takes over.
Actually just came down from a pretty hard launch. Like Always, I wish I'd never done it.
And so will you.

[rico]

They always end up being more of a pain in the ass than an actual help.
They turn you into a machine for a cpl days (especially if you abuse em' *and you will*)
Then sleep deprivation and running it at red line for too long takes over.
Actually just came down from a pretty hard launch. Like Always, I wish I'd never done it.
And so will you.

Speaking of sleep deprivation...the doc was pushing Ambien on me today, presumably to prevent the sleep deprivation from Vyvance. I cordially declined because for some reason my fiancee has got some major views against Ambien and I didn't want to enter the perma-doghouse. The way the doc was talking, those meds and Ambien seem to go hand in hand these days in terms of how they are prescribed with each other.

[beach tribe]

seriously, please stop taking these horrible horrible ADD drugs that they so willingly dish out and if you are in a state that ok's medical use and has dispensaries, try some all natural, no bad side effects, marijuana. At the dispensaries, you can tell them what kind of high you are looking for and what your symptoms are and the good ones will be able to pick out some great bud for you that will most definitely help you out.

It's so incredible how much weed can help people and it's the biggest question mark on earth as the true reason it stays illegal at the federal level. It can replace so many man made, chemically induced drugs with horrible side effects that are horrible long term solutions. When medical grade marijuana can be had, cheaply I might add! Anyone who has the desire to learn a little bit of botany can make it themselves for practically free! It helps out everything almost and that's why they dont want you using it, because it's a practically free replacement for so many drugs that make billions for the corporations and the fact that the legal drugs hurt you with side effects and marijuana doesn't have any bad side effects at all. Wow this is a wall of text I didn't plan on writing, lol.
****in Blows my mind that give this shit to kids. I would want to punch a Dr. in the mouth if my kid left his office with a script for "Amphetamine salt"
Seriously. It's pharmaceutical grade Crank.
Know how I got it? I asked. Crazy.

[mdchiefsfan]

Do you take anything now? What are your thoughts on Strattera? They try pushing that on you initially?

Adderall seems to ignite feelings consistent with the mania phase of Bipolar Disorder if too much is ingested.

My younger brother takes staterra I believe, it seems to work for him. I have tried ritalin before the adderall, didn't work so they prescribed adderall. I take nothing now and try to manage it as best I can, which I feel is best for me. I don't want to lean on that crutch any more. Just reading this thread briefly made me want to arrange an appointment with my dr and get a script. It was bad.

[mr. tegu]

****in Blows my mind that give this shit to kids. I would want to punch a Dr. in the mouth if my kid left his office with a script for "Amphetamine salt"
Seriously. It's pharmaceutical grade Crank.
Know how I got it? I asked. Crazy.

You don't go to a physician or psychiatrist without knowing you might leave with a med for your kid. At least you shouldn't. That's why they are there. Take your kid to a therapist if they "acting up."

[peckergnat]

The wife has been taking 30mg vyvanse for a few months for her ADHD. She hasn't stopped acting like a bitch, but has lost 30lbs. She got the jitters at first, but realized she needed to eat before she took it in the morning. Has no problems sleeping at night.

[mdchiefsfan]

The wife has been taking 30mg vyvanse for a few months for her ADHD. She hasn't stopped acting like a bitch, but has lost 30lbs. She got the jitters at first, but realized she needed to eat before she took it in the morning. Has no problems sleeping at night.

LMAO

[aturnis]

Vote for Obama.

Yeah, that "Obamacare" the Republicans forced upon us will really do the trick.

[lewdog]

I'd like to hear lewdog's take on it, for I love his takes on Psychology-related stuff.


What the fuck is this supposed to mean?

[rico]

What the **** is this supposed to mean?

You seem to be in the field and know your shit. I liked your posts during the Junior Seau suicide. You came off as someone who works in the field, but if not....sorry....?:shrug:

[lewdog]

You seem to be in the field and know your shit. I liked your posts during the Junior Seau suicide. You came off as someone who works in the field, but if not....sorry....?:shrug:

haha sorry man, I had my sarcasm meter on and your post rang in!

I have a Master's in Speech Pathology and I work in a geriatric rehab hospital so not really the field but my father worked in Mental Health Services for 35 years. Working with individuals who had clinical depression to schizophrenia and anything in between. So I am very aware of mental illness and disabilities in general.

I actually am not aware of Vyyance but then best thing about your post is that your insight is fantastic. The euphoria from Adderall gets many into trouble and I really hope her telling you that the euphoria with Vyyance is not the same. Your first thought about addiction is great insight. One way to keep yourself out of trouble with a drug like that is to keep a medication chart on the fridge for times you take it. Let your fiancee check your chart and even count your pills from time to time. Visual cueing about your need for medication provides you with a huge advantage over people who just take it "as needed."

Sounds like you life is about to get hectic with all you are taking on. I see no harm in taking medication if you have been clinically diagnosed with ADD. My mom was finally diagnosed with adult ADD when I was about 8 and ritalin really helped her out big time. She was able to get off of it after I grew up but our relationship would have been really strained had she not had help from the medication.

I think your insight it great, which is the real first step in finding an appropriate solution. Give it a month trial run and see if it helps and be try the medication chart to keep yourself honest if you are worried about over consumption.

Best of luck in nursing school. We need more good nurses!!!

[beach tribe]

You don't go to a physician or psychiatrist without knowing you might leave with a med for your kid. At least you shouldn't. That's why they are there. Take your kid to a therapist if they "acting up."

Hell yeah!
If they're acting out......hook em' up with some Crank.
That'll lock their mouth shut till their old enough to move out.

[RealSNR]

I made a thread about this awhile ago. Put it in DC for some reason. Probably because I have focusing problems, lol.

I've been on 40 mg of Vyvanse for a few months now. It's really helped me out with being productive. Expensive as fucking hell, but with my insurance my deductible comes out to only $30/month.

It's long lasting, so I have to take it before 9 AM every day if I want to get to bed by midnight (and rarely does that happen, so I just don't worry about it).

Some people mentioned sleep problems, and yeah, they can happen. What I do to combat it is I take a melatonin supplement a few hours before bed. Helps me stay asleep and acts as a light and gentle sedative. If I have a late night/early morning situation, I can still get up in the morning without worrying about a sleeping pill continuing to make me drowsy.

[rico]

I made a thread about this awhile ago. Put it in DC for some reason. Probably because I have focusing problems, lol.

I've been on 40 mg of Vyvanse for a few months now. It's really helped me out with being productive. Expensive as ****ing hell, but with my insurance my deductible comes out to only $30/month.

It's long lasting, so I have to take it before 9 AM every day if I want to get to bed by midnight (and rarely does that happen, so I just don't worry about it).

Some people mentioned sleep problems, and yeah, they can happen. What I do to combat it is I take a melatonin supplement a few hours before bed. Helps me stay asleep and acts as a light and gentle sedative. If I have a late night/early morning situation, I can still get up in the morning without worrying about a sleeping pill continuing to make me drowsy.

No wonder nothing came up for me in the search results.... I freaking spelled it incorrectly. Mine was $30 as well.... I couldn't believe it when they told me that. I'm used to everything costing $8 with my insurance.

[Hammock Parties]

Adderall is an amazing drug!! but... if you have an addictive personality, its not a good idea to even try it out unless used in line with psychiatrist help to keep you on your proper dosage. I had to stop because i was using it much more than was prescribed

[beach tribe]

Ironic thread is Ironic




I'm still awake.

Mother



****er

Took my last Addy bout 23 hrs ago.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

[Rausch]

I have ADD.

When I was a kid it was the "bouncing off the walls what the fuck is wrong with this kid" ADD.

As I got older the hyperactivity went away but the way I thought didn't. The classic example would be the instructor talking about the revolutionary war and the lobsterbacks and then I'd be thinking about food and then lunch and then who I'd sit with at lunch and then if Sally Hugetiddys would sit with me.

This in the span of about 20 seconds.

If your diagnosis is legit there is no drug that will make this better. Just as there is no gay drug, no shy drug, no "I want to play lead guitar in a metal band" drug.

I like to think this "disability" adds to my wit. I jump immediately from topic to topic and tie completely unrelated ideas in a way that adds humor.

There are definitely negatives. You will procrastinate. You will be distracted in class. You will tune out people talking to you and have to pretend you were listening.

That said, welcome to having a "disability."

[Chief Pote]

Adderall is a pretty good stimulant.

Especially when accompanied by the naked yoga thread. :drool:

[mr. tegu]

You will tune out people talking to you and have to pretend you were listening.

In other words every married man has occasional symptoms of ADD.

[ZepSinger]

The best jobs are hospitals or government agencies. They pay the most. Non profits are notoriously low paying. Even better than all of those is private practice not only for pay but also for autonomy. However, a successful practice with enough clients takes a while to build up.

Yeah, that's what we're finding. One of the drivers for us in wanting to move to Biloxi MS is the number of hospitals (including VA), as well as both an Air Force and Navy base located there. And there is a private mental health facility down there with several locations throughout the gulf area...

Z

[tecumseh]

Be careful with adderal. I was on it for several years and it took 6 months before I stopped thinking how badly I needed to take a pill. It is very easy to become habit forming. I have add but I needed to get out from underneath that stuff. Best decision of my life.

With a name like adderal, I'm not surprized. More like addapill.

[tecumseh]

Some of you may know that I made the financially irresponsible decision to major in Psychology at a private college. I now owe 90k in student loans and have a degree in Psychology to show for it. The Psychology degree is nice to have, it opens the doors for me if I want to sell insurance, sell cars, etc. It is also nice to have if I ever have aspirations of starting my own business (according to some Google articles anyways). However, if you want to use it for what it is the most relevant to, which is the Human Services field, the field that I have been working in for almost 5 years, then well....it is pretty financially freaking difficult to pay 90k worth of student loans, own a house, be a loving father/fiancee and refrain from calling my dad begging money simultaenously.

With that said, I am attending nursing school on the 20th of August. I figured the BA in Psych and the RN would complement each other well and I may succeed in that field.

A couple months ago, I requested 2 and a half weeks off of work (I never, EVER take PTO because I always feel like the place becomes chaotic when I'm not there). My original plans were to go on leave on July 17th and come back on Monday the 6th of August (14 days before school starts) and put my 2 weeks notice in immediately when I came back to work. However, since I've been off work, I have had time to sit down and think about things in terms of what is best for my future. I have decided that I am going to try going to school AND maintain employment at my current employer for as long as possible. My fiancee is not going to be pleased because my job is very time consuming. I am a salaried employee and I feel that my "salaried employee" status is consistently milked to the fullest extent.

I had some concerns as to how I am going to successfully pull this off without systematically breaking down due to extreme fatigue. Heck, I have a hard enough time at my job as it is trying to complete my documentation/other various tasks without my mind wandering to my fiancee, daughters, younger brothers' wrestling, Chiefs football, etc.

I was diagnosed with ADD (not hyper, just spacey) when I was in college. I consulted a Physician because I wanted something to assist me through some of the courses that were required, but I wasn't interested in. He originally prescribed me Strattera, which just seemed to make me feel clammy, cold and unable to sleep. I haven't met anyone who has felt positive effects from Strattera and sometimes I wonder if it is prescribed to people as an initial attempt of the Placebo Effect being effective for them. When this wasn't working, my Physician prescribed Adderall (20 mg). The Adderall worked well, but it always gave me a euphoric effect that sometimes became distracting when I was trying to get things done. Not to mention, whenever I popped an Adderall pill, I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I want to pop more of them...which I didn't like. Not to mention, whenever someone found out you were prescribed them, they were on you like stink on shit, trying to get you to sell them, which was annoying as hell.

I consulted a Physician today, stating my concerns about working and going to school at the same time. I informed her that I was prescribed Adderall in college and that it helped, but I had mixed emotions about it. She informed me that there are "different options now than there were 5 years ago" and put me on a medication called Vyvanse (30 mg) which is evidently related to Adderrall, but doesn't have the feelings of extreme euphoria and the comedown isn't as harsh.

One of the first things I did when I got home was came to this site and searched "Vyvanse" to see if anything came up. I was pretty sure that it had probably been discussed here. You can search about anything on this forum and SOMETHING will come up because some of you turkeys talk about everything. :) To my surprise, nothing showed up. Am I the only person on Chiefsplanet who has been prescribed Vyvanse? If not, what are your thoughts on it?

I'd like to hear lewdog's take on it, for I love his takes on Psychology-related stuff. I'm sure somebody knows SOMETHING about Vyvance, Adderrall or ADD/ADHD in general.

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/discus2.gif

Pretty awesome Luke Cage, bro . Era? Go Marvel!

[Contrarian]

3-4? You can't properly diagnose bi polar at 13-14...

Yes you can. My step son who has been ADHD all his young life was recently diagnosed at the age of 14 with bi polar disorder and what is called ODD Opositional defiant disorder. Which in my day would have been cured with a kick in the ass. And I agree that most of these things what would subdue or keep in check the behaviors of an adolescent would be an ass beating.
Did for me. I feel no ill effects and a greater respect for my parents because of it. But i have seen first hand that what this kid had was different. He saw an end to himself as an alternative to being responsible for his actions. He lashed out with insult and anger for things that had no merit and then quickly in a few moments be laughing or joyful as well as sincerely apologetic. Kinda freaky!
So yes you can diagnose Bi Polar at a young age.

[vailpass]

Yes you can. My step son who has been ADHD all his young life was recently diagnosed at the age of 14 with bi polar disorder and what is called ODD Opositional defiant disorder. Which in my day would have been cured with a kick in the ass. And I agree that most of these things what would subdue or keep in check the behaviors of an adolescent would be an ass beating.
Did for me. I feel no ill effects and a greater respect for my parents because of it. But i have seen first hand that what this kid had was different. He saw an end to himself as an alternative to being responsible for his actions. He lashed out with insult and anger for things that had no merit and then quickly in a few moments be laughing or joyful as well as sincerely apologetic. Kinda freaky!
So yes you can diagnose Bi Polar at a young age.

Best wishes for strength and wisdom in dealing with that. Good on you.

[mr. tegu]

Yes you can. My step son who has been ADHD all his young life was recently diagnosed at the age of 14 with bi polar disorder and what is called ODD Opositional defiant disorder. Which in my day would have been cured with a kick in the ass. And I agree that most of these things what would subdue or keep in check the behaviors of an adolescent would be an ass beating.
Did for me. I feel no ill effects and a greater respect for my parents because of it. But i have seen first hand that what this kid had was different. He saw an end to himself as an alternative to being responsible for his actions. He lashed out with insult and anger for things that had no merit and then quickly in a few moments be laughing or joyful as well as sincerely apologetic. Kinda freaky!
So yes you can diagnose Bi Polar at a young age.

But not at 3-4 which is what has been happening. There is no doubt bipolar is a serious concern but no disorder of any kind should be diagnosed at such an early age. I would say kindergarten and grade school are the earliest age anything should be diagnosed. The doctors doing it before are irresponsible but so are the parents. The parents see it as an easy way out to just give some meds and ignore the source of the problem, which is often themselves. On bipolar it is best diagnosed in adolescence. Anything before that and it is nearly impossible to discern a manic episode from typical child behavior.

[beach tribe]

This is what Adderall and alcohol make me feel like
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DtFk2WJRhqw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[NewChief]

A girl I know on Vyvanse sets her alarm for like 5:30 in the morning, takes her pill, then goes back to sleep. If she takes it when she normally wakes up, then she can't fall asleep until like 2 in the morning. From what I understand, the research shows that redosing (having to take multiple doses in a day) leads to more abuse, whereas a "once a day" pill leads to less abuse. My experience, though, (not personal of course) is that Vyvanse is way freaking stronger than adderall, and adderall is pretty strong.

[ghak99]

The parents see it as an easy way out to just give some meds and ignore the source of the problem, which is often themselves

This is what pisses me off!

The other day a local kid's mother said she wished the 17th would hurry up and get here because her son was going to get a prescription on that day. Like an idiot I asked, "What for?". All she could come up with was "idk, but it better make him act better". I've spent enough time with the kid to know all he needs is a reason to respect you, some one on one time, and a little patience. He's a product of a shit father and a dumbshit mom, and everyone knows it but them. Hell, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts his IQ is higher than theirs combined. ****ing idiots... Pills aren't parents.

:cuss:

[TLO]

A personal friend who is a pharmacist had this to say, I'll loosely quote her.

Adderall is horribly horribly addicting. People get in their minds that it is helping when in actuality all that is happening is they are getting addicted to the drug and find themselves relying on it more and more. The stuff rarely has a legit use, and the side effects including coming off the drug are way way worse than any benefit it may provide.

[TLO]

Do adderal and effexor not mix well together? Like say I just took 1 adderal though I take effexor regularly.

[NewChief]

A personal friend who is a pharmacist had this to say, I'll loosely quote her.

Adderall is horribly horribly addicting. People get in their minds that it is helping when in actuality all that is happening is they are getting addicted to the drug and find themselves relying on it more and more. The stuff rarely has a legit use, and the side effects including coming off the drug are way way worse than any benefit it may provide.

Adderall is incredibly effective as a stimulant. It definitely increases focus and productivity, so a person can't say that it doesn't "help" when focus and productivity are needed. Whether the trade off (possibility of addiction and lack of ability to focus/work without the drug) is worth it is debatable.

It's not some wonder drug or newly crazily addictive stimulant. It's amphetamine. It's speed. People have been taking speed for a long time for a lot of different reasons, and adderall is no different other than now it supposedly has "legit" use in the treatment of ADHD. So it's basically a socially acceptable speed. I think back to the common neurosis of the 50s housewife from all the black beauties they were popping, and I think we're probably on a collision course for something similar in our society.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Yes you can. My step son who has been ADHD all his young life was recently diagnosed at the age of 14 with bi polar disorder and what is called ODD Opositional defiant disorder. Which in my day would have been cured with a kick in the ass. And I agree that most of these things what would subdue or keep in check the behaviors of an adolescent would be an ass beating.
Did for me. I feel no ill effects and a greater respect for my parents because of it. But i have seen first hand that what this kid had was different. He saw an end to himself as an alternative to being responsible for his actions. He lashed out with insult and anger for things that had no merit and then quickly in a few moments be laughing or joyful as well as sincerely apologetic. Kinda freaky!
So yes you can diagnose Bi Polar at a young age.

Of course you can. It's just usually wildly incorrect. Now, that doesn't mean it's impossible. It's just unusual. That being said, normally the reason for this is that those long term traits don't really expose themselves until someone is in their 20's. A lot of teenagers that exhibit those traits are going through what my parents used to refer to as a phase.

These days a teenager acts like an asshole for a week and we're ready to psychoanalyze him as if he's 30. This may be surprising for some, but teenagers are assholes. It's like rule number 1 in their handbook. And honestly your explanation of that 14 year old boy is pretty similar behavior I've seen from lots of 14 year old boys.

So, the long of the short of it is I'll hope your kid is just going through a phase that will end soon, and if not, best of luck to you. As a side note I will say I wasn't shocked one oz. when I saw your post came from the Seattle, WA area. I lived there practically my whole life up until a couple of years ago and my strong opinions on doctor's analysis of teenage kids come from experiences there with friends growing up, and their children today.

There's a reason they call it a practice. ;)

[Mr. Flopnuts]

This is what pisses me off!

The other day a local kid's mother said she wished the 17th would hurry up and get here because her son was going to get a prescription on that day. Like an idiot I asked, "What for?". All she could come up with was "idk, but it better make him act better". I've spent enough time with the kid to know all he needs is a reason to respect you, some one on one time, and a little patience. He's a product of a shit father and a dumbshit mom, and everyone knows it but them. Hell, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts his IQ is higher than theirs combined. ****ing idiots... Pills aren't parents.

:cuss:

Wasn't going to go here, but I agree 100%.

[Hawk]

I too have some trouble focusing, is there any supplement or other non-prescription pills that anyone has found to be helpful?

[NewChief]

I too have some trouble focusing, is there any supplement or other non-prescription pills that anyone has found to be helpful?

Ginseng and Gingko Biloba are both supposed to help with that. Caffeine also works for me.

[CoMoChief]

Do adderal and effexor not mix well together? Like say I just took 1 adderal though I take effexor regularly.

NO!!!

[Tytanium]

Why are you going back to school? To get a master's in Psychology?

If you're already 90k in debt for a frigging psych degree, I wouldn't piss away more money and fry your brain with ADD drugs in addition to separating you from your family. Getting a Master's (in a lot of fields) is a stupendous waste of time and money, and gains you virtually nothing on a professional level. You're just going to add 20-40k to your student debt, take years off your life and strain your relationship with your wife.

Gain some peripheral skills. Get certified in something work related. Network more. Professional connections are worth a lot more than adding gilt to your degree.

[penguinz]

Why are you going back to school? To get a master's in Psychology?

If you're already 90k in debt for a frigging psych degree, I wouldn't piss away more money and fry your brain with ADD drugs in addition to separating you from your family. Getting a Master's (in a lot of fields) is a stupendous waste of time and money, and gains you virtually nothing on a professional level. You're just going to add 20-40k to your student debt, take years off your life and strain your relationship with your wife.

Gain some peripheral skills. Get certified in something work related. Network more. Professional connections are worth a lot more than adding gilt to your degree.Do you have reading comprehension issues? He said he is going to nursing school.

[NewChief]

Do you have reading comprehension issues? He said he is going to nursing school.

Tytanium clearly needed adderall to focus on what was written.

[Tytanium]

Nursing school just reinforces my point. It's even more demanding than getting a master's. The payoff is better, but if you're already working full time(and exempt from overtime) and have a family, that's some serious doubletime stress going on.

[Rausch]

In other words every married man has occasional symptoms of ADD.

The main reason I argue it's an evolutionary step forward and not a disability.

And I was told by a psych (and prison psych FWIW) that males were 9x more likely to have ADD...

[rico]

Nursing school just reinforces my point. It's even more demanding than getting a master's. The payoff is better, but if you're already working full time(and exempt from overtime) and have a family, that's some serious doubletime stress going on.

My reason for choosing Nursing was because my mom is a nurse and chances are, I will be seeking employment at the hospital she works at when I am finished. I live in a rural area, so there generally isn't a large variety of options. I plan on attaining my RN at the local community college, which will cost me approximately $1600 per semester...which is microscopic compared to what I spent while attaining my worthless Psych degree at a private college. I have almost all of the pre-requisites out of the way, which is cool.

I agree with what you said about Masters degrees in terms of their worth. Ultimately, I intend on seeking employment as a nurse in the Psych department in our local hospital. I figure an RN degree along with my experience in the field will complement the Psych degree fairly well....ironically better than I believe a Masters in Psych would. I've been employed by the same company for 5 years now and am now experienced in; service coordination, auditing, Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Remedial Services and Day-Habilitation/Recovery Center. I am currently a Service Coordinator and have been for the past 4 years. The Service Coordinator position is a supervisory role. Along with that, I supervise AND conduct recovery center sessions, which is essentially group therapy. I am also the business auditor for our region. My thoughts are that my supervisory experience in the mental health field will be beneficial in the nursing field if I want to attain a well paying supervisory role at the hospital some day.

As mentioned in the OP, I am currently a salaried employee and it is not unusual for me to work 55-60 hours a week. All that....for 33k per year.... It seems almost impossible to comfortably support my family with the hefty bills I have, not to mention the lack of time at home with my family.... So I had to figure out SOMETHING. And nursing is what I decided to do.

If anyone has any suggestions on what I should decide to at this point, by all means, post them. It won't fall on deaf ears (or I guess, blind eyes), for I truly believe there are some very intelligent people who post/lurk on these boards. I do not start school again until August 20th, so if you have any advice, then I genuinely will appreciate it.

[Strongside]

Oh, I know all about Adderall. "I was sitting at the bar with a couple friends of mine, wishing that we had some cocaine. When a man walks up to us and he asks us what's the fuss, says that he could ease all the pain. He says he's got some pills and I asked him what he's got, but he would only tell me the name....I got powder in a pill, I got high prescription fill. I'm tellin' y'all it's called Adderall. Keeps you up at least a day, no matter what they say. But at least you don't snort up your nose."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB7xV1VjXEY

[mr. tegu]

The main reason I argue it's an evolutionary step forward and not a disability.

And I was told by a psych (and prison psych FWIW) that males were 9x more likely to have ADD...

There is actually a general consensus that boys are stereotyped as being more likely to have ADHD, which results in more diagnoses of it simply because they are boys.

In one study researchers sent cases to 1,000 psychiatrists asking them to make a diagnosis. When one set was said to all girls 16.7% where diagnosed with ADHD. When those same sets where sent out but boys were replaced with girls, twice as many cases received the diagnosis of ADHD. A new DSM is coming out soon so this tendency for people to stray from the criteria is likely to be addressed.

[rico]

I wonder how Matt Cassel would perform if he were taking adderall.

[mr. tegu]

Why are you going back to school? To get a master's in Psychology?

If you're already 90k in debt for a frigging psych degree, I wouldn't piss away more money and fry your brain with ADD drugs in addition to separating you from your family. Getting a Master's (in a lot of fields) is a stupendous waste of time and money, and gains you virtually nothing on a professional level. You're just going to add 20-40k to your student debt, take years off your life and strain your relationship with your wife.

Gain some peripheral skills. Get certified in something work related. Network more. Professional connections are worth a lot more than adding gilt to your degree.

I know the OP did not say he was getting a master's in psychology, but it seems you are referring to a master's in pyschology as a waste of time. In many fields, a master's degree is a MUST. You cannot get a license to practice therapy without at least a master's degree in psychology or social work or something similar. And yes the pay difference is huge. A bachelor's in psycholgoy you can make around $30,000 a year whereas with a master's you can expect to start at $45,000 or so with governments paying more and private practices earning even more than that.

And in nursing a master's degree will earn you up to three times as much money. In Kansas a RN earns around $40,000 starting out, and a CRNA earns around 120K starting out. Not too bad to start out.

[rico]

I know the OP did not say he was getting a master's in psychology, but it seems you are referring to a master's in pyschology as a waste of time. In many fields, a master's degree is a MUST. You cannot get a license to practice therapy without at least a master's degree in psychology or social work or something similar. And yes the pay difference is huge. A bachelor's in psycholgoy you can make around $30,000 a year whereas with a master's you can expect to start at $45,000 or so with governments paying more and private practices earning even more than that.

And in nursing a master's degree will earn you up to three times as much money. In Kansas a RN earns around $40,000 starting out, and a CRNA earns around 120K starting out. Not too bad to start out.

I probably should have rephrased my post from a while ago. I just always forget those options because I found out very soon after working in the field that I do not want to be a therapist/counselor/psychologist/etc.

Interesting point about the CRNA.

[mr. tegu]

I probably should have rephrased my post from a while ago. I just always forget those options because I found out very soon after working in the field that I do not want to be a therapist/counselor/psychologist/etc.

Interesting point about the CRNA.

CRNA is really good for people who want to be involved in surgery but don't want to be the actual surgeon. The main problem with a CRNA though is that you typically cannot work while getting the degree. They usually require 60-70 hours a week of your time.

[vailpass]

Bunch of pill popping sons of bitches in this country today. Wonder what the percentage of non-necessary prescriptions is?

[J Diddy]

I stopped reading when you said you got a bachelor's in psychology and it was useless. My question is why you would pursue a psychology degree without going to grad school? It's pretty common knowledge that without at least a master's a Psych degree is useless.

[Backwards Masking]

scientically speaking, the mind altering effect of adderall and the like are practically identical to illegal crystal methamphetamine cooked up in toothless joes trailer under the abandoned warehouse outside independence MO.

it comes from a doc though so its safe

[rico]

I stopped reading when you said you got a bachelor's in psychology and it was useless. My question is why you would pursue a psychology degree without going to grad school? It's pretty common knowledge that without at least a master's a Psych degree is useless.

I made irresponsible career/financial/life decisions at that age. I was too pre-occupied with my social life back then. I wasn't considering the long term future. As dumb as it sounds, that's the only explanation I have for that. I just made really dumb mistakes and didn't prepare myself.