May 18, 2005
To medicate or not to medicate…
What do you think? Should people with ADD take medication or should they not?
I have heard, and could make a pretty good case for either side.
I’d like to see what sort of opinions on medication and ADD people have.
Excellent arguments for both sides abound.
Seems it depends on the individual; individual factors and not just general arguments must be considered. As one who fought medication, until stubborness gave way to fatigue, I have this opinion: regardless of the wonderful talents, potential, energy… possessed, if there is never any completion of things started, and if there are frequent difficulties beyond a rough day now and then… get rid of the fight and try something else—even medicine. Pretend you have something like diabetes and medication just makes for a better life (or in some cases “a life at all.”)
Devil’s advocate: too little or too much medicine can be worse than none at all. Find right doctor, hang in there to find right medicine, right dose, timing….
depends
is this a disorder or is it evolution… think about it.
p.s. ever notice how people with add are attracted to each other.
Some people say that methylphenidate hinders creativity. I think I’m creative but I never finished any of my “creative projects” until I got methylphenidate. Ritalin helped me being creative. It’s not enough to have creative ideas all the time. It leads to frustration if you can’t any one of them realized.
Excellent comment! I understand the huge amount of creative thoughts and beginnings of expression… with nothing being finished. Until methylphenidate was added to the equation. Creativity hasn’t been stymied… if anything, it’s improved. Knowing I can apply the ideas to something real, tangible, and able to be completed so others can see perhaps is a great motivator!
It all depends. Right meds, and it’s all good. You still never get bored, but you can pay attention when you need to. It’s just a pain when you build up a tolerance to a medication that’s worked really well for you. And now, I’ve been off of stimulant meds for quite some time, and when I went back on… BOOM! My blood pressure’s whacked until the meds wear off. So much for that. The problem with medication is that how it works is variable, and unpredictable.
So really, it may depend on the person. Some poeple can get things done without meds, others can’t. All in all, they’re a pain until you find the right one and then get the dosage right.