Psychiatrist Tells The Truth About Adderall & ADHD Meds

Dr. Kanojia is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and cofounder of Healthy Gamer. He now works exclusively on creating affordable mental health resources for young people.

▼ Timestamps ▼
────────────

00:00 - Preview
00:11 - Reddit Post
01:28 - Afraid of dependence
04:06 - Outside factors
06:58 - Do I have to take this forever?
10:54 - Stimulants
15:12 - Ask your doctor to explain

────────────

DISCLAIMER

Healthy Gamer is an online community and resource platform for gamers and their families. It does not provided medical services or professional counseling, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care. Our coaches are peer supporters, not professionally trained experts, and they cannot provide medical service. If you or a loved on are experiencing an emergency, please call your nation's emergency telephone number.

All guests of Healthy Gamer are informed of the public, non-medical nature of the content and have expressly agreed to share their story.

[janerhoadesart]

Thank you for mentioning how ADHD can cause depression. I was diagnosed with depression as a teenager, but later found out I had ADHD. Turns out when you internalize messaging about how you're lazy, feel bad at everything, can't sit still, overshare too much and make people uncomfortable, have racing thoughts that can make spiraling worse, etc, you get pretty depressed !!

Meds got rid of my depression completely and improved my anxiety by about 75%. :')

[yaba]

Just got diagnosed at 30 and that classroom example is 100% the reason it took so long. “Alyssa stares out the window all day but tests in the 99 percentile so there can’t be anything wrong.” I can’t tell you the name of my third grade teacher because that’s how much I paid attention in class.

[cjboyo]

I started ADHD medication in 2022. Two weeks later I broke down SOBBING standing in my kitchen because I did dishes without it being an excruciating mental ordeal. ADHD medication probably saved my life. I try to take short breaks for a day or two once in awhile because I worry about building a tolerance, but I genuinely feel more like myself on my medicine

[GoddoDoggo]

"ADHD can lead to depression, and it doesn't go the other way, " THANK YOU for addressing this. I was diagnosed with clinical depression at the age of NINE because teachers and family all said I was a "highly sensitive, emotional, defiant daydreamer." For the next FIFTEEN YEARS I was put on just about every popular anti-depressant medication and went to every type of therapy until I finally just told the umpteenth therapist, "Look, I'm not having these issues because I'm depressed, I'm depressed because I keep having these issues!" And THAT lady was the first person who finally had the freaking sense to say, "Hey you should get tested for ADHD, " which is something I had never remotely considered before. Just to be double sure, I got my thyroid and stuff tested, and I went to a psychiatrist and a psychologist separately, and both separately diagnosed me as "Very typical inattentive ADHD."

And life finally made sense after almost 3 decades! Holy crap! I'm fortunate in that my years of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helped me set up a lot of structures and coping mechanisms to start with, but the medication just makes everything "work."

[shootyoureyeout]

I absolutely despise how the medical world makes people who take controlled substances feel like total junkies. I have been taking extended release adderall for almost 20 years. Yet every single time I need a refill each month, I need to request a brand new prescription every single month. Heaven forbid I request it more than two days early to make sure it gets filled on time, and heaven forbid I don't request it at least two days early to make sure it gets filled on time so I don't miss days. If I miss more than a couple days, the dose I take feels like WAY too much and is almost counterproductive for a day or two. And when I call to pharmacy to make sure it is ready on that very specific day that I better have no plans or be out of town, it feels icky, like I am a junkie waiting for their pills. I hate it so much, and makes me feel bad about taking a medication I need.

[suburbanhousewife]

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in 2019. After several different prescriptions were tried, my prescribed (a psychiatric nurse in my doctors medical practice) medications were Wellbutrin and Vyvanse. I felt like I had a normal brain for the first time in my life. I could track conversations and finish reading and writing assignments in a normal timeframe. I did well in my job. I felt safe because I knew I was not missing social information (like I had when I had Swiss cheese brain with attention holes in it) and I could relax! But, my insurance changed and my new doctor would not renew the prescriptions. When I asked, they inferred that I must be drug seeking. I went to six doctors and got the same rejection. They wanted to prescribe mood stabilizers. I was able to hold it together for about a year. Then, I lost my job. Then I got fired from the next two jobs. When you get fired, it is impossible to get recommendations for your next job application. I am just venting here, because it feels like I will just get worse due to the stress. There is a stigma against adults who have ADHD. I wish the medical field were more informed.

[meadowrae]

My ADHD meds treated my "anxiety" completely. I was maintaining a job before meds, but I was struggling so much every day. I was a big ball of anxiety from being overwhelmed. I broke down completely every couple of years. I hate the stigma our meds get.

[munchkingod]

The first time as an adult I heard the description of “gifted child with undiagnosed ADD” it was like getting hit by lightning. Two years into medication and I am very sure that if I had medication then I’d have got a PHD instead of dropping out of college six months in. It’s terrible looking back at my life and seeing how wide and far reaching the cost has been in missed opportunities.

[KilgoreTroutAsf]

I am getting diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and this channel has been an absolute lifesaver.

[matchasgotcha]

I've been on Vyvanse for the past four years and it's helped me so much between focussing and anxiety, My psychiatrist and my doctor agreed that it would strike a good balance between helping my ADHD and anxiety. However, I feel like I'm more "me" when i'm on medication and it's become more of my identity. Not sure if anyone else can relate in terms of this dynamic between being on and off medication

[mattelmquist]

I talked to my primary care doctor after my first month taking low dosage adderall and it was helping a lot, but he actually said that he encourages people to take it daily because it creates better sleep patterns and better daily habits. It has been tremendously helpful and so has my doctor. I think making sure your support system and doctors are good is just as important as the medication you’re taking.

[johnnyb]

When he explained that smart kids with ADHD often don't get diagnosed because they use brute force intellect to do about as well as an average kid who studies, it hit me so hard. I was always that kid who did great on tests without studying, but I still managed to get into frequent academic trouble because I just couldn't bring myself to complete my assignments. And I could never explain why. Like, kid, you could literally have straight A's in everything, why the hell won't you just do your homework! It was upsetting because I knew I could do the homework, and I really did care about my grades. The 0's really, really upset me. But I just couldn't bring myself to do anything about it.

I did decently well in Highschool, but wound up dropping out of community college twice because I was on track to failing. I changed my major and went to a different school, where it looked like the same thing was going to happen again. But I finally spoke to my doctor about it and he gave me an adderall prescription. It was absolutely life-changing from day 1. I thought to myself "wait... is this how people feel every day?" I cannot imagine how much easier the rest of my life would have been if I had gotten this diagnosis sooner.

[Malene_Simonsen]

I just spontaneously burst into tears when you started talking about ADHD kids not being invited to birthday parties. Gotta love unlocking childhood trauma I didn't know I had

[pinchekittybiker]

I was diagnosed at 37 ( 11 years ago ). For my entire life, I never knew what was wrong. Couldn't figure out why I would make so many little mistakes. It was clear I had brains, but never knew why I struggled so much in grade school, social situations, my careers (yes, PLURAL), and relationships.. There I was at 37, feeling like I *FINALLY* knew what was wrong with me. Ritalin worked well, but it's quick up and down proved to be a detriment.. Doc put me on Adderall extended, I quit my job and embarked on a career to be a self-employed creative professional. I use adderall as-needed, but I've also embraced ADHD. When I need to be creative - no meds. I flourish. When I need to grind through - I med-up. I flourish. I've never known so much happiness as I have once I was diagnosed. A 30 day supply can last me 4-6 months, but otherwise - I've turned ADHD into a super-power.

[samgay]

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD at 33 years old and medication has helped me in ways I never could have imagined. Among these are that my daily anxiety is basically gone, and I'm able to communicate in groups more clearly. I had no idea how ADHD could affect the way I interact with people or cause sensory issues. I am just beginning this journey, but I could not imagine going back to the way things used to be.

[williammcfarlane]

One of the things I've noticed is that we tend to look at neurological disorders differently from physical disorders...
If we see somebody in a wheelchair or somebody missing an arm then we acknowledge they have certain challenges in life and do whatever we can typically to help them.

But with neurological disorders, it's often treated like it's not real or something that you can just work yourself out of "pick yourself up by boot straps." Imagine telling somebody in a wheelchair that if they worked a little harder, then they wouldn't need the wheelchair... Nobody would ever say that because they can see the challenge the person has in their life.

[jday]

It’s good to hear someone explain how growing up with ADHD leads to depression. Also makes so much sense that ADHD is both under and over diagnosed.

[LO-yzkt]

Why is "getting a second opinion" always discussed as if it's easy? I find medical opinions to be incredibly inaccessible. Particularly for people with ADHD, the process of filling out all of the paperwork, making sure that your insurance (if you are lucky enough to have it) is in place and properly reported to the new office, and you filled out all the forms correctly, and you've made the right calls after having tried to do you diligence on the doctor, and you've waited the whole time it takes between the call and the day of the appointment, and that you don't forget to leave on time day of so that you aren't rescheduled is a nightmare. And that doesn't even factor in the anxiety, money, and time costs of waiting to do anything about a diagnosis or prescriptions from your first doctor.

[airquarius]

The fear of being “dependent” on ADHD meds prevented me from seeking medical help for over 2 years. Now, I am on a low dose of adderall and can’t believe I made myself suffer for so long!
Edit to add that I was exercising and eating healthy and gave it my all trying to avoid taking medication. Now medicated, I am even better in these areas.

[whoops]

I was diagnosed with a learning disability in elementary school, and was always told I would never succeed in life and essentially told i wasn’t smart enough. I decided to go to university in my adult life (10 years after most people go. I was 28) I have been struggling with believing I am not smart enough. For 3 years now I have been trying so hard to keep up and it was next to impossible for me to stay organized. I realized I needed to speak with a professional and find out what is wrong with me, because my executive dysfuction was taking over my whole life and I was burning out. I found out I had inattentive ADHD. I am blown away how simple things like taking a shower, are no longer mentally draining. I am able to remember things i told myself i needed to do, the fog of a thousand thoughts all racing in my mind 24/7 have now just become bearable. I wish i sought out help years ago. I am about to go into my final year of university with my diagnosis and medication to help me stay organized, keep track of my due dates and focus while in class. I have never felt normal until now and its amazing.