Comment by __float
4 months ago
> Some of us have to deal with the decision of a loved one taking meds and increasing their probability of a sudden cardiac death...
Why is this such a concern to you? At some point, everything has _some_ risk, and this feels like you're putting a lot of guilt on someone else for making a medical decision they deserve to make on their own.
The parent is explicitly endorsing stimulants. Those work well to some extend for treating ADHS, but in general evidence is rather weak for then improving academic achievement, while evidence is rather strong for behaviour changes that makes it easier for teachers to deal with kids, see e.g. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38871418/.
Pharmacology is not my main area of expertise but I used to do a lot of work in cardiology, and anything that increases the QT interval in the ecg increases the risk of Torsades de Pointes.
Rule of thumb is 5–7% more TdP risk per 10 ms QTc.
Quite a few adhs meds do this moderately, not enough to make an ecg mandratory.
I still believe that making medications the default for adhs is not warranted given the side effects, especially since in many cases it’s not clear if it treats the condition or just makes the lives of education professionals easier.
I’m reading this as a person diagnosed in their thirties and it feels a bit detached from reality frankly.
I, and millions other people, could tell you that it does immensely benefit with issues like executive dysfunction. Medication quite literally made the problem I had been battling for decades disappear instantly.
Associating adhd just with childhood is in itself an obsolete view that causes issues for people.
Preach it, although now it's crystal clear to me that I've dealt with ADHD since around middle school age and was fully in its throes by high school. Part of me wonders what my life would be like if I'd started treatment then and it was as effective as it's been for me as an adult.
1 reply →
So many drugs that unequivocally improve people's health have minor negative side effects. I think this person needs to find a way to connect with their loved ones and understand how the medication they are taking is love changing. I know it is for me.