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	<title>Comments on: Will taking drugs help your career? Maybe you need Adderall</title>
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	<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/</link>
	<description>Advice at the intersection of work and life</description>
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		<title>By: David</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-221779</link>
		<dc:creator>David</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:28:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-221779</guid>
		<description>I have been having some success with adderall. My problem is that it makes my voice really thin and crackly. This isn&#039;t good because I&#039;m the singer for a band. It has definitely helped me keep on top of school though now that I&#039;ve started taking it regularly, which I think is the key. 
  I want to try some different types of medication like SSRI but I don&#039;t want to get a whole prescription worth just to see if it works, so I don&#039;t know what I&#039;ll do about that.
  I think my best bet has been to do things that accommodate having ADD. Like working as a delivery man or singing in a band.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have been having some success with adderall. My problem is that it makes my voice really thin and crackly. This isn&#039;t good because I&#039;m the singer for a band. It has definitely helped me keep on top of school though now that I&#039;ve started taking it regularly, which I think is the key.<br />
  I want to try some different types of medication like SSRI but I don&#039;t want to get a whole prescription worth just to see if it works, so I don&#039;t know what I&#039;ll do about that.<br />
  I think my best bet has been to do things that accommodate having ADD. Like working as a delivery man or singing in a band.</p>
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		<title>By: renee</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-221777</link>
		<dc:creator>renee</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:27:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-221777</guid>
		<description>would like to know how to do?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>would like to know how to do?</p>
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		<title>By: News</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-219419</link>
		<dc:creator>News</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:23:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-219419</guid>
		<description>I dont think drugs can help you in any way...but for a very short period of time when consumed... no need to talk about the bad side of the drugs i guess...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I dont think drugs can help you in any way&#8230;but for a very short period of time when consumed&#8230; no need to talk about the bad side of the drugs i guess&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: Brunner Markus</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-218292</link>
		<dc:creator>Brunner Markus</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:37:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-218292</guid>
		<description>Hi, if anyone needs Ritalin

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		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi, if anyone needs Ritalin</p>
<p>just send a mail to</p>
<p><a href="mailto:brunnerm_82@gmx.at">brunnerm_82@gmx.at</a></p>
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<p>Markus<br />
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		<title>By: Ashley</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-217211</link>
		<dc:creator>Ashley</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:43:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-217211</guid>
		<description>I found this article very interesting, especially because my boyfriend of 3 years has an extremely addictive personality.  He was prescribed Adderall 2 years ago and finally went to a rehab facility a month ago and got clean.  This is one of the WORST drugs that can be prescribed to anyone.  I don&#039;t feel that the side effects and long term damage from this prescription is worth the couple of hours that you manipulate your brain to focus.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I found this article very interesting, especially because my boyfriend of 3 years has an extremely addictive personality.  He was prescribed Adderall 2 years ago and finally went to a rehab facility a month ago and got clean.  This is one of the WORST drugs that can be prescribed to anyone.  I don&#039;t feel that the side effects and long term damage from this prescription is worth the couple of hours that you manipulate your brain to focus.</p>
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		<title>By: Tim</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-217108</link>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-217108</guid>
		<description>Sorry in advance - this will be a long comment.

I read this when first posted, and I keep coming back to this thread and reading the comments every time the article pops up in a blog post from Penelope.  I get angry and I think about posting but I talk myself out of it.  I wonder how many commenters actually have any experience with ADD/ADHD and medications that treat it, versus just taking Adderall or some other stimulant as a study aid?

I was officially diagnosed with ADHD in my late 30&#039;s after suspecting it for a long, long time (and being told by anyone who got close to me that I was probably a candidate for treatment).

My experience is similar to Chris&#039; in the post above.  I feel more like myself then I have in a long time, perhaps ever. I have likened it to having my brain kicked to the front of my skull. Focusing is easier; it&#039;s like a fog was cleared and I am not only able to see what is around me, but I am able to determine what is important and what is not, and I am able to prioritize - and what I prioritize matches the majority opinion.

I find it easier to converse with people; I have to think a hell of a lot less about what I am saying or what I might say. I worry about it less, and it comes easier. I also care about it less. 

I have always been able to hyper-focus in the clutch, but now I can focus and sustain it. The problem before was that I would hyper-focus and it may not be on the right thing.

As well, before - no matter how much I knew I was supposed to do something, I could not get myself to do it. I was oppositional to myself to an extreme degree. I am now able to flip that - it&#039;s much, much easier to initiate tasks and to see that big things are really composed of very small chunks and not overwhelming, terrifying things.

My creativity is actually at one of the highest points it has ever been; to corrupt Maslow&#039;s Hierarchy, once the basics are covered and you don&#039;t have to spend all of your time and effort on them, it frees your mind and your time up for higher things.  And success breeds success - small ones build the foundation for larger ones.

Successful ADHD treatment is a two-prong approach - life coaching/therapy to develop coping mechanisms and strategies that work for you is the most important step; medication is there to help with the maintenance - once you get good habits and coping mechanisms, it makes it easier to keep them and lets you worry about it and work at it less; it makes it more automatic.  And the less you have to worry and work at the basics, the more time and energy you have to do and work on other things.

Treatment is for life; there is no cure, there is only management and maintenance.  Medication alone will not help you.

And medication misused is what gets those of us with scripts for Schedule II Controlled Substances funny looks from pharmacists; and it keeps us from really taking about it as much as we maybe should.  As Chris said, there is a stigma associated with having to take medication of any sort, especially psychotropic, to &quot;cope&quot; with life.  And a lot of that is self-stigma, and I wonder how many people will not consider that there is anything &quot;wrong with them&quot; that could benefit from treatment of some sort?

What finally kicked me over the edge - I have always been perfectly capable of getting in a panic mode where I have all cylinders firing and I am almost frantic in my approach to get everything done and get it done now.  And it would work, to an extent.  But I would burn out and have to recover and so my life looked like a series of bell curves or sine waves - ups followed by downs that get deeper and longer over time.

I was tired of always being spoken about, thought about with a &quot;but&quot; ending every sentence - &quot;He&#039;s a smart kid, but he just doesn&#039;t apply himself in class&quot;; &quot;He&#039;s a good worker, and he is my go-to person in an emergency - but he just isn&#039;t good at the details or the day-to-day activities&quot;.  There are very few things that are as effective in killing your career progress - or your relationships, or your self-esteem - then that &quot;but&quot;.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sorry in advance &#8211; this will be a long comment.</p>
<p>I read this when first posted, and I keep coming back to this thread and reading the comments every time the article pops up in a blog post from Penelope.  I get angry and I think about posting but I talk myself out of it.  I wonder how many commenters actually have any experience with ADD/ADHD and medications that treat it, versus just taking Adderall or some other stimulant as a study aid?</p>
<p>I was officially diagnosed with ADHD in my late 30&#039;s after suspecting it for a long, long time (and being told by anyone who got close to me that I was probably a candidate for treatment).</p>
<p>My experience is similar to Chris&#039; in the post above.  I feel more like myself then I have in a long time, perhaps ever. I have likened it to having my brain kicked to the front of my skull. Focusing is easier; it&#039;s like a fog was cleared and I am not only able to see what is around me, but I am able to determine what is important and what is not, and I am able to prioritize &#8211; and what I prioritize matches the majority opinion.</p>
<p>I find it easier to converse with people; I have to think a hell of a lot less about what I am saying or what I might say. I worry about it less, and it comes easier. I also care about it less. </p>
<p>I have always been able to hyper-focus in the clutch, but now I can focus and sustain it. The problem before was that I would hyper-focus and it may not be on the right thing.</p>
<p>As well, before &#8211; no matter how much I knew I was supposed to do something, I could not get myself to do it. I was oppositional to myself to an extreme degree. I am now able to flip that &#8211; it&#039;s much, much easier to initiate tasks and to see that big things are really composed of very small chunks and not overwhelming, terrifying things.</p>
<p>My creativity is actually at one of the highest points it has ever been; to corrupt Maslow&#039;s Hierarchy, once the basics are covered and you don&#039;t have to spend all of your time and effort on them, it frees your mind and your time up for higher things.  And success breeds success &#8211; small ones build the foundation for larger ones.</p>
<p>Successful ADHD treatment is a two-prong approach &#8211; life coaching/therapy to develop coping mechanisms and strategies that work for you is the most important step; medication is there to help with the maintenance &#8211; once you get good habits and coping mechanisms, it makes it easier to keep them and lets you worry about it and work at it less; it makes it more automatic.  And the less you have to worry and work at the basics, the more time and energy you have to do and work on other things.</p>
<p>Treatment is for life; there is no cure, there is only management and maintenance.  Medication alone will not help you.</p>
<p>And medication misused is what gets those of us with scripts for Schedule II Controlled Substances funny looks from pharmacists; and it keeps us from really taking about it as much as we maybe should.  As Chris said, there is a stigma associated with having to take medication of any sort, especially psychotropic, to &#034;cope&#034; with life.  And a lot of that is self-stigma, and I wonder how many people will not consider that there is anything &#034;wrong with them&#034; that could benefit from treatment of some sort?</p>
<p>What finally kicked me over the edge &#8211; I have always been perfectly capable of getting in a panic mode where I have all cylinders firing and I am almost frantic in my approach to get everything done and get it done now.  And it would work, to an extent.  But I would burn out and have to recover and so my life looked like a series of bell curves or sine waves &#8211; ups followed by downs that get deeper and longer over time.</p>
<p>I was tired of always being spoken about, thought about with a &#034;but&#034; ending every sentence &#8211; &#034;He&#039;s a smart kid, but he just doesn&#039;t apply himself in class&#034;; &#034;He&#039;s a good worker, and he is my go-to person in an emergency &#8211; but he just isn&#039;t good at the details or the day-to-day activities&#034;.  There are very few things that are as effective in killing your career progress &#8211; or your relationships, or your self-esteem &#8211; then that &#034;but&#034;.</p>
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		<title>By: Chris</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-217072</link>
		<dc:creator>Chris</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:47:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-217072</guid>
		<description>I am a 25 year-old law student who began taking adderall (legally) during my last year of law school.

My grades improved dramatically, but even more amazing was that I could implement my creative / grandiose ideas. If you use adderall correctly, you won&#039;t &quot;lose creativity.&quot; I started a blog and became a better leader after starting adderall. Leadership and vision are skills I have always possessed and garnered success from, but being able to sift through details and occasionally micromanage are essential to leading. 

It is because of stigma and misinformation that I waited so long to receive treatment. There are side effects. I sometimes have trouble sleeping and staying hydrated is a concern, but I will not stop taking it as a result.

The true part of this article seems to be discussing whether adderall is something anyone can take advantage of. For the vast majority of people, taking adderall mimics meth or cocaine use. People with ADHD have a demonstrated chemical imbalance with norepinephrine and serotonin in their brains. If you don&#039;t have the imbalance, adderall will create an imbalance. As someone who lived 20+ years with that imbalance, I can guaranty you that you do not want it. Do to a doctor, get properly diagnosed, and make a concerted effort to get the right medication and right dosage for you; everyone is different.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am a 25 year-old law student who began taking adderall (legally) during my last year of law school.</p>
<p>My grades improved dramatically, but even more amazing was that I could implement my creative / grandiose ideas. If you use adderall correctly, you won&#039;t &#034;lose creativity.&#034; I started a blog and became a better leader after starting adderall. Leadership and vision are skills I have always possessed and garnered success from, but being able to sift through details and occasionally micromanage are essential to leading. </p>
<p>It is because of stigma and misinformation that I waited so long to receive treatment. There are side effects. I sometimes have trouble sleeping and staying hydrated is a concern, but I will not stop taking it as a result.</p>
<p>The true part of this article seems to be discussing whether adderall is something anyone can take advantage of. For the vast majority of people, taking adderall mimics meth or cocaine use. People with ADHD have a demonstrated chemical imbalance with norepinephrine and serotonin in their brains. If you don&#039;t have the imbalance, adderall will create an imbalance. As someone who lived 20+ years with that imbalance, I can guaranty you that you do not want it. Do to a doctor, get properly diagnosed, and make a concerted effort to get the right medication and right dosage for you; everyone is different.</p>
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		<title>By: Marshall Wayne</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-216992</link>
		<dc:creator>Marshall Wayne</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:15:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-216992</guid>
		<description>Great post.  I like hearing the back and forth of the people responding.  Some are annoyingly judgmental but that&#039;s to be expected.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Great post.  I like hearing the back and forth of the people responding.  Some are annoyingly judgmental but that&#039;s to be expected.</p>
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		<title>By: Lsat Prep</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-214649</link>
		<dc:creator>Lsat Prep</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:25:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-214649</guid>
		<description>I think if you have to take it for a short period of time then go for it, if it is going to help you get a better lsat score.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I think if you have to take it for a short period of time then go for it, if it is going to help you get a better lsat score.</p>
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		<title>By: alaldia</title>
		<link>http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/07/23/will-taking-drugs-help-your-career-maybe-you-need-adderall/comment-page-2/#comment-213815</link>
		<dc:creator>alaldia</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:35:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/?p=2901#comment-213815</guid>
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