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Zetkin8 t1_j2qpl5e wrote

Reply to comment by j4r8h in Researchers find that public health trust was the strongest predictor of positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Information literacy, science literacy, and religiosity affected attitudes to a lesser degree. by glawgii

>potent stimulants for kids as ADHD medication

Which ones? In which dose? Why is this problematic?

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j4r8h t1_j2qpuc6 wrote

I haven't done a ton of research on the topic but I can say that anecdotally I was prescribed methylphenidate at an absurdly high dose at 13 years old and it absolutely wrecked my mental health, caused severe depression and possibly a bit of psychosis. It took me years to recover. I am honestly lucky that I didn't commit suicide. Based on my experience I am of the opinion that this stuff should not be prescribed to kids period. No responsible organization would allow children to be prescribed this stuff at the dose I was prescribed. The dosage was such that I was basically a tweaker, getting extremely high every day at school and then withdrawing horribly every night.

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Zetkin8 t1_j2qv316 wrote

I'm sorry to hear that. Methylphenidate does have a quite long list of adverse effects, including depression (1-10%). A doctor should explain them to patients/their parents before a prescription. What I fail to see is the connection to "potent stimulant". You need to take several times the maximum prescribed dose and ideally an alternative way of taking it to get that effect typically associated with stimulants (I won't go into details as to not encourage substance abuse). What is an absurdly high dose? Did your doctor break the official regulations?

>Based on my experience I am of the opinion that this stuff should not be prescribed to kids period.

There are countless studies that show a net positive effect in treatment of ADHD with stimulants. I don't mean to belittle your very negative experience, but it wouldn't be scientific to choose anecdotes over evidence.

>getting extremely high every day at school

Sorry, but that's practically impossible. Yes, agitation and nervousness are side effects. But not getting high.

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j4r8h t1_j2stocu wrote

I was on 30mg when I was only like 100 pounds. I was absolutely getting very high.

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Zetkin8 t1_j2sy8oa wrote

I used to take 60 at 160 pounds. According to your experience I must've been tripping balls when in reality I just felt my heartbeat a little stronger than usual. But don't take my anecdote as evidence.

If you say that 30mg is too much, find scientific literature that supports this claim. If you compare those 30mg to different maximum doses, you'll find that that's significantly below what's generally considered safe. Additionally, this meta analysis finds that those limits are not scientifically motivated and some patients might actually benefit from higher doses.

I have no idea what happened to you. Maybe you have some condition which makes you have unique side effects. But the world does not revolve around you. Your experience is far from representative. I found nothing about states of ecstasy or intoxication online. I did find reports by people abusing MPH at a >10 times higher dose and not orally. I can totally believe that they were high from that.

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