Adult ADHD question

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Hi, a friend of mine has a male friend, aged late thirties, who has a son with ADHD. He has recently been dx himself, and is taking ritalin 3x daily.

I have read into this, about the ritalin and the lack of dopamine etc. My question is, he seems very off the wall when he takes it, and we were wondering whether he had been misdiagnosed. If it is a misdiagnosis, would it not be dangerous to take the ritalin? He has taken cocaine in the past and I wonder whether he is looking to this as a substitute.

The other thing is, he still drinks a lot while on it...is this not dangerous?

Hmmm....
well...

I have adult ADD and when I took Ritalin...i became more uh...focused.....and a little grumpy....def. not off the wall.....(i have done the illegal stuff...and same thing..I can go right to sleep after it)

ADD meds sure did mess with my dopamine levels, I am pretty sure....I don't take them anymore.

As far as the drinking while on it goes....no more or less dangerous than drinking while on any other pills. Of course it is ill advised....I can't say I never did it meeself....esp. in an attempt to alleviate the grumpyness.

ADD meds are well sought after by folks with dependancies on stimulants like coke or speed...because they are akin to synthetic versions of the street drugs.

I have been taken advantage of due to my ability to be pescribed Adderall.

Often times when a kid is diagnosed, a parent is more likely to be diagnosed as well, since ADD is seen as being genetic....so uh....for this friend, I guess being on Ritalin could sorta be like being on legal "coke" pills.......That is why ADD meds are scheduled the way they are and also why doctors often precribe adults with non-stimulant ADD meds like concerta and whatnot.

I, too, have ADD. I was off the Ritalin for many, many years, until I started having trouble in the workplace.

With only a single 10mg dose, I experienced a euphoric rush. I was focused and could perform my work, but whooo, I was a little looped. I have since switched to Strattera, which is much better for me.

I don't drink too much, yet I experienced nothing too dangerous when I had a beer or rum and coke after work.

If he drinks heavily, then I would assume that there is some sort of risk.

I don't drink enough alcohol in a year to give an ant a buzz (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration ).
I've never done the hard stuff like coke.

I am ADD/HD
I have tried out; Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, and something like Lo or Le something-or-other... it mimics tricyclics (antidepressants) and is used for ADD/HD.

I NEVER felt anything from these, or at least I wasn't sure about it. I'd have my good days and I couldn't tell if it was the meds or me

We bumped up the Ritalin once so high I did start feeling jittery.

I finally quit all that stuff and now, if I remember, I drink a nice dark cup of light-roast coffee. Not sure that does anything, but I do like the tase

When I worked in the oilfields around San Angelo and Abilene, Texas, I tried some speed in order to 'stay awake' for the extra shifts or if I had a long drive all night after getting off the rig.
I thought that stuff was supposed to 'perk' you up!
It was always a waste of time for me... now I understand why

What type of medical provider did your friend go to for the diagnosis?

I believe there are some pretty incompetent folks out there trying to diagnose stuff like this.
We have a P.A. (physician's assistant) around here who REALLY likes it when his patients mistakingly call him 'Doctor'.
He's one of those folks I would not trust a diagnosis from concerning psych-type stuff.

The other things that I find folks get mixed up with ADD/HD, are Bi-Polar, Manic-Depressive, hmmm, can't think of the others right now.

It might pay for him to get a second evaluation.
How was his first one done?
Did they just check off symptoms? That's a bunch of bunk.

Both times I got my diagnosis, I went through a battery of tests and assessments.
The last lady is a specialist in learning disorders and is well respected around here. I think she has her doctorate in it.

We spent two days testing/evaluating and one day interviewing.
This in addition to her speaking with my wife, and going over old report cards of mine from elementary school (teacher's left comments on mine ).

Research I've seen suggests that there could be a good number of our drug addicts who have stuff like ADD/HD, don't know it, but have been 'self-medicating' with street drugs.

Whether or not he has ADD/HD, sounds like he has other issues that need to be dealt with also... the drugs and drinking...

Getting ones-self to a point where we can function in this society that's so much against us and our normality, isn't done just with drugs (although people keep telling me they help ), but with behaviour modification also.

I'm working on behaviour now, with a little experimentation on the chemical stuff (hence the coffee).

btw, a couple of the tests I did for my two diagnosis were; MMPI, WAIS I & II. There were others... I had LOADS of fun doing them all!

Find out what was used for his diagnosis and come back here. I'm sure all the ADDers here can shed a little light on the subject, especially if we have a bit more information.

How long has he been taking the medication? When first getting on it's usual to feel some pretty strong effects including a "buzz" but tolerance builds up fairly quickly and they should eventually work as intended, for focus. Also, I assume he's on 10mg since he's just starting out and taking them 3x daily, which would be a pretty low dose, and drinking in moderation shouldn't be too much of a problem. Of course, it becomes all the more important to NOT drive when mixing meds and drinks.

If a person has a history of stimulant abuse they likely will be treated with non-stimulants such as Strattera. If the stimulant use was merely limited casual use it may not indicate a major abuse potential.