We’ve all heard the Adderall success stories. A student waits until the last day, or even night, to study for an exam or write a paper and, for an added boost of energy, pops a few pills. The results are commendable and sometimes even better than expected, so the routine begins. Most Adderall users find the outcome beneficial, but for one user, Richard Fee, Adderall ended his life.
In 2009, Richard Fee, a graduate of Greensboro College in North Carolina, began taking a drug called Vyvanse for ADHD, although he showed no signs of the disorder throughout his childhood. Richard claimed that the pills were working for him and helped his ability to focus and study for his upcoming MCAT.
In 2010, Richard was first prescribed Adderall and became an addict. Richard would communicate with multiple doctors at a time and somehow would always walk away with a prescription for more than he needed.
By the end of 2010, Richard began to show signs of extreme addiction and paranoia. According to an article from The New York Times, Richard would put tape over the camera on his computer out of fear that people were watching him, he would talk to the moon and stars at night, and he would sleep for 48 hours straight if he was not taking the pills. But through all of this, Richard’s doctors prescribed him more and more Adderall.
By June 2011, Richard was up to 80 milligrams a day of Adderall. A typical adult dosage is 30-40 milligrams. Richard’s father knew the medicine was only making him sicker, but his doctors tenaciously kept prescribing, even after threats of suicide and hospitalization.
Sadly, in November 2011, Richard Fee took his own life. After over two years of a horrifying addiction to Adderall, he was no longer able to live without it.
Unfortunately, Richard Fee was not the only one hooked on the drug.
In a recent U.S. craze, doctors have been prescribing Adderall or other similar drugs like Ritalin to hyperactive children after diagnosing them with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder.
Before the multi-million pharmaceutical corporations realized their ability to fabricate a disorder, then “cure” it with medicine, little boys and girls who now “have ADHD” were probably just being little boys and girls.
The question of whether or not to prescribe Adderall to a child or student has been a difficult one, but in most cases, it ends with a prescription.
According to an article from Medical Daily in October 2012, “The diagnosis is a fairly common one: 5.4 million children between the age of 4 and 17, or nearly 10 percent of children, have been diagnosed with the disorder and the use of psychotropic drugs has almost doubled among youth.”
Some parents, doctors and teachers have even gone so far as to contemplate stereotyping an entire group of low-income students as needing Adderall or Ritalin, even when there is no diagnosis of the disorder. The name of the article on Medical Daily is disgustingly titled, “Debate: Should Low-Income Children Without ADHD Take Adderall to Improve Poor Test Scores?”
What message is that sending to our youth? No need to work or study — just take Adderall.
Prior to the discovery of ADHD, success was not dependent on a pill, nor should it be now.