Posted by AC75 on February 10, 2006, at 13:13:03
In reply to Re: FINALLY! An apology., posted by SLS on February 10, 2006, at 12:46:41
Thanks, and all great points.
But sometimes I feel like Concerta IS a form of "elective therapy," at least in some ways, and the presumption I currently give in its favor could shift dramatically if I knew it was damaging my heart over the course of my lifetime.
On one end of the spectrum, you've got life-saving drugs with serious side effects. In the middle, you've got drugs that enhance life in major ways that make you function at a minimal level. Perhaps anti-depressants would be like these, in cases of major depression (or even closer to the life-saving end, if they help prevent suicide).
But with ADHD, what happens if I stop taking Concerta tomorrow? Okay, I'll get really disorganized. I'll start missing deadlines. I may have to get a different, less demanding job. So my quality of life would suffer significantly, but I would still in other senses be a functioning, healthy human being. In the olden days people in my position might have found other lines of work -- more interactive, on-your-feet, maybe as businessmen or even in manufacturing or construction -- whereas today Concerta helps me flourish in a demanding behnid-the-desk professional environment. I need to know if that's worth killing myself over.
Thoughts from others on Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, or other stims?
poster:AC75
thread:608122
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060205/msgs/608332.html