Malibu Beach Recovery Center

One of the saddest stories I’ve read recently was on the front page of The New York Times recently. Titled, it was the saga of 20-something Richard Fee from Virginia, once a class president at his college who hoped to attend medical school. Instead, he committed suicide in 2011 after a soul-crushing addiction to the A.D.H.D. medication Adderol.

I don’t know what was worse for me—reading about the doctors who prescribed the medication—one was portrayed mostly as a stilted, uncaring, stupid ass, or the parents’ heartache as they watched their son’s downward spiral. It’s unimaginable that one doctor in the article tried to justify his continually giving this kid medication, even after the man’s father (Rick) told the doctor he was killing his son. Your heart goes out to th eparents.

Addiction, and especially death from addiction, bring out the worst in me, as I’m sure it does for many people. Here is more about Richard Fee’s story (but little I can write in a blog post can do justice to it. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and read it for yourself.) In 2009 Richard was already taking Vyvanse, an A.D.H.D. drug, his father noted. The son said he was having trouble studying for medical school entrance exams and a doctor had prescribed the pills. That was a surprise to his dad, since Richard had never exhibited any symptoms. (As many people know, college students often abuse these meds because they allow for a greater focus and help in studying.) 

In the next two years, Richard increased his intake, got more and more pills, and became moody, violent and paranoid and was hallucinating. As time went on, his parents had him arrested and threw him out, and he spent time in a psychiatric ward. But they also pleaded with doctors to stop, and to help. The article is spread over four pages. The author includes much more, such as the problem with diagnosing and treating A.D.H.D. patients and the mess these meds have caused in this country.

To be fair, an expert quoted in the article said this is an extreme case. But people touched by addition know of similar cases, and when it’s someone close to you, it’s always extreme. It’s senseless and needless to have a life lost to addiction because it’s preventable in most cases. (I’ll add that caveat.)

Also in the interest of fairness, it must be remembered that these medications have helped countless people. To say all A.D.H.D. meds are nothing but bad, you run the same danger as when you decry pain meds. Many people desperately  need pain meds, don’t abuse them, and don’t become addicted.

Surely you’ve read about students who abuse pills meant for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder because it helps them study; you may even know of someone who’s gotten into trouble this way. Kids have been selling pills like Adderall and Ritalin to their fellow students for quite some time now. But I bet some readers were as surprised as I was to learn that for some, it can lead to the need for rehab. Experts have found that kids who abuse these specific medications are prone to try other pills, and then heroin.

The New York Times had a L-O-N-G article about the problem last month. It began with an anecdote about a student taking the SATs who snorted Adderall before the test so he could focus better. (It’s been said that the pills allow you to “zone in” quite effectively.) The student portrayed in the beginning of the article said, “Everyone in school either has a prescription or has a friend who does.”

It’s hard to tell if the problem is getting worse—if students are feeling even more pressure to do well—but the interviewer found anecdotal evidence that that’s the case. It seems students are even using them in graduate school.

To read that young people are faking symptoms to get these pills is disheartening, to say the least. Does that also mean that doctors are being too lenient about prescribing them? One psychotherapist said an eighth grader threatened to get the pills from school if she couldn’t get them from her.

Here’s the medical and legal information presented in the article:

The D.E.A. lists prescription stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse (amphetamines) and Ritalin and Focalin (methylphenidates) as Class 2 controlled substances — the same as cocaine and morphine — because they rank among the most addictive substances that have a medical use. (By comparison, the long-abused anti-anxiety drug Valium is in the lower Class 4.) So they carry high legal risks, too, as few teenagers appreciate that merely giving a friend an Adderall or Vyvanse pill is the same as selling it and can be prosecuted as a felony.

While these medicines tend to calm people with A.D.H.D., those without the disorder find that just one pill can jolt them with the energy and focus to push through all-night homework binges and stay awake during exams afterward.

The article says that abusing the drugs can cause mood swings from sleep deprivation, depression, heart irregularities, and psychosis during withdrawal. I’ll put this in all caps for emphasis: AND FOR SOME, THE PILLS LEAD TO ABUSE OF PAINKILLERS AND SLEEP AIDS. Some students end up in rehab directly from abusing ADHD medication, but others, who abusing painkillers as the next step, are another group.

A doctor from Caron treatment center said young abusers are changing the chemistry of their brains with ADHD pills. The boy in the parking lot ended up addicted to Percocet and then heroin, yet a spokesperson from one of the ADHD manufacturers insisted that studies of ADHD drugs show no link between the drugs show no link to later abuse of other medications.

It’s a fascinating article.

Joan adds:  Kaitlin Bell Barnett has written an excellent book about the newest generation to enter the work force, kids who grew up on adderall, ritalin, and SSRIs (mood stabilizers). "Dosed:  The Medication Generation Grows Up."