Originally Posted by ChasingTwo
As a prescriber of schedule two narcotics, I consider the comparison of cocaine to Ritalin *in this article* sensationalism. For example, marijuana and heroin are both schedule one narcotics, but surely you would agree that if someone said marijuana was “just like heroin,” this would be laughable.


If you are prescribing dilaudid and oxycontin, then you are aware that for more than a decade, doctors were prescribing oxy for simple back aches to deal with symptoms. Not any real diagnosis. And same with Ritallin. There were stories of 90% of kids in some towns being on Ritallin in the early 2000s. That is a ridiculous.

Many on here have anecdotal stories that could line up with the diagnosis of attention deficit. I would recommend to anyone to look at alternatives. I have said many times gifted is not one size fits all. You find in this forums a bunch of stories and find stuff that may or may not work for you. My kid took a long and winding road through middle school that sometimes made me question how gifted she was, could she focus? It was just her path. Now 11th grade, focused, knows what she wants. 5.0 average last year, math and chemistry and computer science are top scores. She did a self study last year and took the AP Chinese exam. Did well. Created an app and a business plan. To put kids on some drugs before their brains are fully developed is not a greatidea in my opinion. Alternatively, I invest in other stuff. She wanted to dive to do marine research, I made it happen. Providing outlets is better, in my opinion.