Recreational Drugs & ADHD

Video Transcript

"If you're choosing to treat your ADHD without the use of medication, it's important to talk to your doctor about continuing to stay on other medications you may be on for other psychiatric or neurological conditions. Even though you may have the option of treating your ADHD in a drug free manner, you my not have the option of treating some of its co-morbidities without medication. This may include, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, the catch all phrase mood stabilizers if you maybe have mania, or bi-polar issues. It's important before making any medication changes to talk to your doctor and he or she can work with you on where your coming from with being drug-free, and keeping you on the medications you need to stay functioning. You may not have the option of abandoning and anti-depressant or an anti-anxiety medication, even though you have the option of abandoning an ADHD medication. Also, if you're trying to live a drug-free ADHD existence and not treat your ADHD with drugs, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to continue recreational drug habits you may have. People with ADHD seem to be fooled quite often by the substance abuse habits they pick up. They may feel that Marijuana makes them feel slowed down and calm and helps them to focus, when in reality they turn into "stoners" just like anybody else would. Marijuana is a terrible complication in trying to treat ADHD symptoms, it exacerbates anxiety, it exacerbates depression. Same with things like cocaine and methamphetamine. If you don't want to take a stimulant to treat ADHD, but you'll take cocaine or methamphetamine, you may want to reexamine your thought process about living a drug-free ADHD existence. It can be assumed that if you're not going to take ADHD medication it's because you don't want to put chemicals in your body, so you may want to reconsider any substance abuse habits you have too. "