What do you think will happen?

[JustinW]

I don't want a politcal discussion here on the merits of the PPACA, but I am curious what effects you think we will see on our over prescribed culture from univeral access to doctors and medications.

 

My opinion is that we will see an increase in the prescription of really bad drugs like amphetamines and benzos.

[Zerokewl]

I think this forum and others like it are proof  that the pharmaceutical psychiatry model has some flaws.  We are guinea pig generation.   We are starting to see evidence that all these pills are really fucking people up.  I've seen some documentaries linking school shooting to psychotropic drugs.  As members of this forum, we have all seen the ugly side of the pharmaceutical industry.  From what I can tell someone is getting rich on this epidemic. 

 

I want to believe technology will set us free. Drugs will improve etc. But I think that is just my wide eyed, boy meets world enthusiasm. I'm a young soul. Naive and too trusting, I don't want to believe that other people mean others harm or want to profit from misery. Recovery has required me events to question the medical institution. 

 

From my experience with quitting Adderall I've noticed some fundamental flaws with the caring professions.

 

1) Shrink advised me to go on Adderall, even tho I told her I had an issue with Ritalin in the 90's

2) My doctor didnt notice my crazy tweaked out behavior. I can remember filling scripts after multiple all-nighters.

3) Doctor did not tell me Adderall is addictive.

4) My Doctor doesn't believe I am struggling in Recovery. I offered him the URL for this website, he didn't give a shit.

5) Pharmacists (I was double doctoring) let me refill early no problemo.  I even got a loyalty points card.

 

These 5 things point to some massive failure and the makings for an epidemic. I can't blame everything on the medical community. I fucked up, I did this. It was a choice I made.  Like the choice I made to get clean. 

 

To answer your question. Pharmaceuticals are like any technology. We live in era of exponential innovation. My iphone would've blown my mind 10 years ago.   As a species we are innovating at a faster and faster rate.  Drugs are like any technology in this era of rapid innovation. I've heard of all sorts of new street drugs in the last few years Crocodile tears, Bath Salts, Meth, E,Special K to name a few that didn't exist when I was I teen (I'm from a small town maybe they did exist).

 

Someone will continue to get rich selling increasingly more advanced pharmaceuticals, to be consumed by people just like us seeking a competitive edge, a way to cope or on doctors orders.  Einstein said technology is not inherently good or evil.  Positive innovations do come from big pharma. The eradication of polio to name one. 

 

Keep posting we are the resistance. This site gives me hope for humanity daily. We exist on this forum without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias. We are a diverse group of people telling the ugly truth about adderall and providing tools and advice for recovery that doctors, pill makers don't. 

[zhenka11230]

http://www.theicarusproject.net

http://www.mindfreedom.org/

http://www.madinamerica.com/

 

There are A LOT of anti-psychiatry backlash from people like us and parents.

[JustinW]

This isn't really exactly in line with this post, but it's scary what might happen with all of this healthcare change. I agree with you both. I just hope we're wrong

My sister is a freshman in college and has been struggling in school. She suffers from anxiety and depression, and it's at a bad point right now. She started on Wellbutrin recently. She's going to the psychiatrist to get tested for ADHD. I kind of begged her to not get on any stimulant medication. She knows my history with adderall addiction. I just hope and pray it's a responsible doctor that doesn't feed her bullshit that these drugs aren't addictive. She says she doesn't want to get on anything addictive, and I think she'd stay away from adderall, but I'm concerned that they'll tell her Vyvanse or something is suitable and less habit-forming. It's ultimately out of my hands, but her and I are so much alike, it's just a gamble I hope she doesn't take. I know all people don't get addicted, but we all know it's a big risk. Like I said, there's not a lot I can do, but any feedback would be cool.

I don't know the age of your sister or your relationship with her, all I can say is "be there for her no matter what". (not implying that you wouldn't regardless)

[Zerokewl]

err sorry I didn't realise this post was about healthcare in the US. My apologies for derailling this post

[quit-once]

I don't want a politcal discussion here on the merits of the PPACA, but I am curious what effects you think we will see on our over prescribed culture from univeral access to doctors and medications.

 

My opinion is that we will see an increase in the prescription of really bad drugs like amphetamines and benzos.

I don't know what will happen when millions more Americans get health insurance coverage.  A very good question, Justin.  I have pondered this question several times since reading it last night and up until now, I never even considered this angle of health care reform.  It is likely that more prescriptions will be writtin across the board with greater access to health care.  But will that lead to more addiction?  Have people already found their drug(s) of choice, legal and illegal, without having seen a doctor?  I will come back here with an edit if I form an opinion.

[JustinW]

I thought a little more about it and I believe that there will be an increase in more of the "white collar" diagnoses because a lot of "blue collar" people will now have access to drug dealers, I mean doctors.  We could see a rise in ADHD patients because more bad parents will want a miracle pill to control their problem children; these would be the same people who expect the schools and TV to raise their children for them.