Monday, February 13, 2012

Thursday, August 28, 2008 underachiever asks

Q: How safe is Ritalin for adults witha history of substance abuse ?

Everywhere i read "caution is advised" for adults who are prescribed Ritalin with a prior history of drug abuse......but what does this mean ? Its very open ended....should i be taking Ritalin or shouldn't I ?I have a very high IQ but underachieved my whole life. My doctor has just diagnosed ADD and says that this has gone undiagnosed because of my ability to compensate for my attention deficiencies because of my gifted intelligence throughout my early life.

 

Can anybody help answer me the question of how dangerouse (addictive) this would be for me to take regularly (semi regularly) ?

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Answers (2)
1/ 9/09 8:58pm

It depends on what type of substance abuse problem you have (or have had) in the past.  People with methamphetamine or cocaine addiction may have a problem with relapse because Ritalin is a stimulant medication and can mimick the affects you had when using.  I would ask your Dr. There are alternative medications such as Strattera that are not habit forming.

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12/11/08 10:39am

Its wrong to think about drugs and other stimulants as magic potions that can bring about drastic changes in your life. Ritalin cannot manke an achiever out of an underachiever..if it were that easy, wouldnt all of us be happy and successful with whatever we do in life?

Ritalin is just a stimulant that makes u focus better..but it may not have that effect on EVERYBODY. And anyway..its just a temporary measure.

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