Hyperactive Prescribing? Ctd

A reader writes, “I figured I’d chime in on the ADHD thread, since there’s still apparently one voice missing: someone who was diagnosed as a child”:

That’d be me. At the age of six, in my second marking period in first grade, I was diagnosed with ADHD. Though my memory is hazy of that time, what I recall is being inattentive in class and extremely disruptive. I remember one time being at a hospital for something unrelated, and they put me in a straitjacket to calm me down.

I can’t emphasize enough how hyper I acted as a child, and how quickly that changed when I began to take Ritalin.

Quarterly report cards in my school district would give you a checkmark for everything you weren’t doing well in (ability to work with others, self-control, etc.), and after one full marking period with the help of Ritalin, I went from having every box checked to only two. I will never forget the pride I felt then.

My adolescence, life, and identity were very much entwined with ADHD. But my academic and social life settled down significantly when I started taking meds. I was a very good student, usually in the advanced classes. The pills gave me the ability to focus on the school work, and I know I could not have calmed down without them. Everything else, from Little League to karate, was easier with the pill. Days I forgot it were long and tedious.

As I began dating my now-wife, we talked about going off the drug. Those conversations were driven by my primary care doctor suggesting it (fearing the effects of 20 years of daily amphetamine intake at a level of anywhere from 10 milligrams to 54 milligrams!), as well as my wife getting her master’s degree in education, where she gained academic insight into ADHD. (She was shocked, for example, that I was merely prescribed medication but never forced to have therapy or visit a psychologist, something she claimed is mandatory for people diagnosed nowadays, though your thread seems to imply otherwise).

While my energy level initially fell, I have found that coffee does a pretty good job of compensating for the lack of stimulant in me. I now realize the pill also was the deciding factor in my day-to-day life. On days I felt sick in the morning, I could take the pill and feel better. I could eat shit food that should have knocked me out and brought down my energy (so many carbs!), but the pill overruled it. Since then, I have a much better diet, and when I get sick, I actually need to take a day off to rest before I feel better. These things are new to me in my life as of my mid-20s.

The ADHD is still certainly there. Little things still manifest. When I write a song with my band, I’ll write most of the song, but eventually I trail off. It’s mentally finished for me before I actually finish. I’ve noticed this my entire life. Still, being off the pill, I’m more even-mannered than ever before. Though the ADHD seems to act up a little late at night, I’m mostly pretty-even throughout the day. Being well-fed certainly helps, and I can definitely concentrate best right after some food or caffeine. But maybe that’s the same for everyone, not just those of us with ADHD.

I’m very happy being off the pill now, for sure, and this thread has been a great read.