This is terrible. Just a terrible state of affairs.
I am not against all psych meds. There are some people who I think really need them and can benefit from them.
But I get the impression they are being dispensed like candy, to some people for whom there is no valid indication other than they (or the clinician) thinks it “might be helpful”.
And I think while in some cases they can be beneficial, I think overall they have the potential for great harm over time.
They are indeed being handed out like candy, and not just by pill mill doctors - psychiatrists are using very large doses of things like Adderall and Xanax as a first-line treatment, which amazes me. Demand for Adderall XR is so high that it’s been on backorder (i.e.: Manufacturers cannot keep up with demand) for almost a year in my area.
Most of the extended-release drugs used for ADD/ADHD are not available as docs choose other meds to fill demand, like the Concerta XR, and I can tell when people pick up meds if they’re about to pick up a stimulant that’s used for pep. They have rapid behavior, which is a response someone without ADD has when they take it. The stuff is closely related to meth, chemically speaking.
Even instant release Adderall is dropping in availability. Some of this is pressure from the DEA to not manufacture or import (due to people being prescribed it for energy or focus without an ADD diagnosis), but demand is crazy.
Adderall IR starts at 5mg, up to 30mg, and some patients are taking 90mg daily. Vyvanse comes in as large as 30mg, and we have a few who take 90mg a day (30mg every 8 hours). I see that most often in those who started it as kids (mostly men) in the ‘90’s and early ‘00’s when it was widely available and moderately new. This is the largest demographic outside of kids, to whom we don’t dispense as often as you think.
Docs hand it out as a problem solver without teaching patients to form proper coping mechanisms. It infuriates me. Patients who start these, like with opiates, will be dependent on them for the rest of their lives and will go through withdrawal when it’s not available. I’m being weaned off of a very potent opiate I’ve been taking for pain due to nerve damage and it’s debilitating, so I speak from experience. My last dose is on the 14th.