More adults are taking medication for ADHD. Physicians say trend is a double-edged sword
More adults are taking medication for ADHD. Physicians say trend is a double-edged sword
Every medication has side-effects. The idea is to assess whether the risk of side-effects outweighs the detriments of the disorder being treated.
Not all medications work for all patients and good clinicians will have their patients assessed regularly for effectiveness and change or remove medications as necessary.
Yup. Until our technology and biological knowledge reaches the point where we can stop using (metaphorical) chainsaws and start using scalpels, everything is a tradeoff that's going to vary greatly by individual. Personally, the only side effect I've noticed from my meds (diagnosed as a child, didn't take medications for it until more recently), is appetite supression, and aside from a couple blood sugar crashes before realizing working out on an empty stomach was a dumb idea, I've seen no ill effects. On the other hand, a good friend of mine on the same medication experienced heightened anxiety and tachycardia. /shurg
There's perhaps an argument to be made that the current state of healthcare leaves clinicians unable to provide the needed followup care and medication adjustment, but then the issue isn't the use of medication, so much as the burden on physicians. /shurg
This is the best summary I could come up with:
ADHD is often identified in someone's childhood — when parents or teachers notice issues such as inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsive behaviour — but Canadian physicians and mental health professionals say more and more adults are now being diagnosed as well, sometimes as late as their 40s, 50s, and beyond.
While many patients experience success stories, Victoria-based family physician Dr. Josh Levin said there's a dark side to higher rates of adult ADHD medication usage that isn't always talked about.
In his own practice, Levin said he's treated patients who have developed heart conditions triggered by ADHD medications, some of which fall under the drug category of stimulants — including amphetamines and methylphenidate — which are known for speeding up the body's systems.
Dr. Elia Abi-Jaoude, a researcher and assistant professor in the University of Toronto's department of psychiatry, said stimulant medications can also suppress someone's appetite or interfere with sleep, which can actually make ADHD harder to manage.
Some clinics focus solely on ADHD, while others offer assessments for various psychological issues, charging patients several hundred to several thousand dollars for services, and often boasting minimal or nonexistent wait times.
While the full picture behind rising rates of adult ADHD medication use remain unclear, some stress the stories of patients whose lives have been changed for the better shouldn't be clouded by concerns over certain meds.
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ADHD is often identified in someone's childhood — when parents or teachers notice issues such as inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsive behaviour
Or. For gen-x, it was "Billy is often disruptive in class, and is not performing to full potential. Billy needs to focus on work or he maybe held back," which they actually used to do. The whole issue was dealt with as a conformity and behavior problem to be resolved with proper discipline.
I'm thankful - I've recently been diagnosed with mild-to-profound ADHD, depending on who needs to derive validation from someone else's hardship - that I could skate without needing to study, and that I entered a field that glorifies hyper-focus; and while I'll never be a rock-star employee, I can petition successfully for environmental improvement and realize similar performance improvement.
Now as I talk with my declining parents, I idly wonder which parent bequeathed this particular genetic quirk that both enables my dream job and stresses my wife so. :-|
I rejected the shrink's expensive-as-hell pharma candy. They were helping her need for validation more than my anxiety and budget.