Re: A sober look at stimulants …… ?

[Anonymous]

I am sorry for making such a bold statement. To clarify, yes I am a pharmacist and I do have patients. I do medication counseling in an in-patient mental health unit, my patient population is one that primarily consists of people with concurrent chemical dependency and psychiatric issues. I do mostly group counseling for the unit but also will be consulted by psychiatrists to review patients medications or provide advice regarding medications.

My statement above was because of my experience with stimulants and there effects on patients with concurrent issues. I should clarify this doesn’t mean that anyone with a history of addiction should not be using stimulants. But for most stimulants aren’t a great plan, this due purely to the biology of addiction and the mechanism of stimulants. Under specific circumstances stimulants might be appropriate. However notpoppin needs to get help, and I hope in my post that was the primary message.

Jen is completely right, that the people around you are the strongest influence on sobriety. Unfortunately just the presence of certain drugs at certain levels can dramatically change someones brain function and in turn the way they perceive the world. Once that switch has been flipped chemically, patients whole motivation and reward system becomes damaged and basically impairs their ability to make healthy judgments in relation to substances among other things. This is why in most recovery programs their is a high priority on listening and following direction until well into a patients recovery because patients thoughts, motivations and impulses are generally unhealthy. As my peeps in the program would say, “take the cotton out of your ears and put it into your mouth”. This might seem like a harsh adage, but for people in recovery this is might be the most difficult thing to do in the whole process because there brain is screaming at them not to.

I realize I have overstepped my bounds in this thread, I am still working on a lot of my own stuff. This would include impulsiveness. Forums aren’t a good place for a hyper-focused impulsive people, especially when discussing delicate maters. I had no intention of giving direct medical advice , it was actually a more visceral response that notpoppin evoked in me that I think only comes with interacting with a lot of patients like notpoppin.

For notpoppin, please do not make any decisions regarding treatment without developing a relationship with a psychiatrist and having them advise you on your situation.

Disclaimer: I am a health care professional, a registered pharmacist in the province of Ontario with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I am not offering specific medical advice or counseling in a professional capacity. I am not affiliated with this site in any capacity other than that I am a member. This is purely one ADDer to another. Any suggestions I make should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or recommendations for treatment, if you require advice, diagnosis, or changes in treatment please consult a physician.

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