I was deemed an ADHD sufferer in my early teenage years, although now, with the detachment of a ten-year separation from that period, as then, I still belive it was a wrongful diagnosis. The medication I was on was methylphenidate hydrochloride USP and Dexedrine. Admitedly medicine was slightly backward in my time than it is now, and the pharmacology not so developed. What gives me some degree of doubt about the wrongfulness of the diagnosis was that this regimen did work at first. My school perfomance improved, and I felt better overally. But it soon (less than a year) side-effects started to creep and the initial efficiency subsided, heading asymptotically to zero. My own call, despite my doctors' and parents' advice, was to stop the medication altogether. Which I did, abruptly. Doing it suddenly was a mistake, as was doing it on a period of stress and toil. Another mistake was doing it on my own, and not seeking professional help in times of distress and withdrawal symptoms. Not even sure if that was withdrawal per-se or just some rebound effect. I suggest tapering (lowering the dose, then increasing the interval between doses), and choosing a stress-free period. Support and observation from the family is also of great importance. Good luck, and may the decision be the wisest! |
