Editorial Note: This post is a review by Johanna Ryan of Alan Schwarz's just released ADHD NATION: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic. Watching the triumphant final chapter of Michael Phelps’ Olympic swimming career last month, you couldn’t help admiring certain strengths that went beyond the merely muscular. The rigorous four-year training … [Read more...] about ADHD Nation
Stimulants
It’s alright Ma, I’m only Punding: Stimulants and Compulsions
This post by Johanna Ryan touches on the problems of compulsive gambling and other compulsive behaviors that are linked to Abilify, SSRIs and Dopamine Agonists and also to Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS). It was Lester Grinspoon’s 1975 book The Speed Culture that introduced me to the concept of “punding”: a drug-induced compulsion for repetitive, sometimes … [Read more...] about It’s alright Ma, I’m only Punding: Stimulants and Compulsions
United States of Adderall
Ed Note: This post is by Johanna Ryan who covers most of our stimulant related topics. Dr. Larry Diller is a pediatrician who specializes in children’s behavioral problems, especially Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He’s by no means anti-medication; he has prescribed stimulants to kids for decades. But twenty years ago he was already concerned about their … [Read more...] about United States of Adderall
Dopamine & Addiction: Junkies of the Third Age?
The last set of posts have brought stimulants and dopamine into the frame. In the 1960s and 1970s while stimulants were becoming controlled drugs it was nevertheless denied that they caused dependence. It is now clear that the closely related dopamine agonists, increasingly the first line treatment for Parkinson's Disease, cause a host of compulsive behaviors in addiction to … [Read more...] about Dopamine & Addiction: Junkies of the Third Age?
A Blast from the Past: Amphetamines for Weight Loss
Author: Johanna Ryan The story below, a first-person account of life on (and off) amphetamine “diet pills,” was written over forty years ago. It couldn’t be more relevant. Under the cover of a public-health crusade against obesity, drug companies are bringing back old-fashioned “speed” in brand-new packages. Last week’s post described the newly-approved weight loss pill … [Read more...] about A Blast from the Past: Amphetamines for Weight Loss
The Show Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings
By Johanna Ryan As 2015 dawns, the specter of Corporate Personhood, sanctified by trade treaties which put patents and profits above the needs of us humans, seems to be drawing ever closer. Our latest wake-up call came from the respected French drug safety journal Prescrire. They’re sounding the alarm about a December 19 vote by the EU’s Committee on Medicinal Products for … [Read more...] about The Show Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings