reminder that adhd medication isn't a luxury or preference, but a lifesaving medication. a 10 year long study in the usa showed that, when properly medicated, the rate of car crashes people with adhd get into goes down significantly--men's rate drops by 38%, and women's by 42%. the med shortage, denial of meds by doctors, rising prices, and the "war on drugs" has killed--with such a car dependent society, not driving frequently isn't an option, which means we need better healthcare and need it now.
https://shorturl.at/8VD8B
edit because i forgot to explain: short link is to an article by the washington post, it should be free to read
I'm visiting some dear friends of mine this week, and all of us have at least one disability. While we were eating breakfast this morning we were discussing the impact medication has on our lives.
I was sharing how difficult everything was for me when I had moved to a new city where the cost of housing was much more expensive and I couldn't afford medication. Over the course of the year, my energy deteriorated rapidly. First I couldn't keep up with my job, then I couldn't keep up with housework, then I couldn't keep up with basic hygiene, and eventually even chewing and swallowing became difficult. Sometimes walking to the train, I thought about lying down on the side of the road and how long it would take before a cop would force me to move. I wanted to die but I didn't even have the energy to figure out how.
My friend asked me if I had chronic fatigue. I don't know, because I was never diagnosed. I don't claim it because right now I'm very functional. I can keep up with hygiene, cook, clean, do work, and even exercise! But this is only possible from the combination of four different medications. Right now, I am extremely fortunate in that I have much of my medical expenses covered by my wife's health insurance that she has through work. I pay $415 USD every month for these things I need. I can never take this for granted because I know so vividly how difficult it is to survive without them.
The other day I told a friend of mine that I never forget to take my ADHD meds because I fucking love my ADHD meds. I'm in my late 30s, I didn't finally get a diagnosis and meds until less than two years ago, and they have changed my entire life.
And he raised his eyebrow at me. We'd been discussing addictive medications a few minutes before, like the Tramadol I finally got from the pain specialist to take once a week or so to give me a break from my chronic pain, so I reassured him that methylpenidate (Ritalin/Concerta) is not addictive (at least not in people with ADHD).
His response? To raise his eyebrow even harder and say "Well it sure SOUNDS like it's addictive!"
And I had to explain to this man - who works in a healthcare related job by the way - that just because medication makes you feel good and helps you, just because you look forward to taking it, that doesn't make it addictive or dangerous. And he wasn't convinced.
The simple fact that I was excited to take a daily pill that has literally changed my life, after decades of fighting to get that medication, made him think I shouldn't be taking it so often. That it must inherently be dangerous.
I'm not even in America, but I'm pretty sure this attitude began there and then spread over here to Europe. This Puritan idea of "if something feels good, you must beware of it. Pleasure is dangerous, it is sinful, it is addiction, it is evil."
I know too many people who subconsciously believe that pleasure = addictive = dangerous = bad. Joy is a slippery slope to hell.
So here is your reminder for today that you don't need to be afraid of feeling good. If something improves your life, use it. Even if it is addictive - learn what that addiction means, whether the addiction is inherently dangerous or not, and whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and risks.
My ADHD meds are, in fact, not addictive. But I will take them every day because they make my life orders of magnitude easier. I will enjoy them every time I take them.
My tramadol is addictive. I will still take it. I will keep it on a schedule to avoid becoming addicted, primarily because addiction in this case would mean reduced effectiveness. But I am not afraid of my painkillers. They are life changing.
Take your meds, everyone. Don't let anyone scare you away from doing something that improves your life.
"I want to say to everyone who has mercy in his heart, take action for Farah. What are you waiting for? She is an innocent child who does not speak, but her tears are more honest than all words."
This is what Wesal, Farah's mother, told me to tell you all about her fifteen-year-old daughter Farah, a fifteen-year-old autistic girl with chronic kidney failure.
Her kidneys leak potassium, for which she hasn't been properly medicated for over a year. Farah needs to take two pils 3x/day, but because her parents cannot afford to buy more, her mother can only give her one per day now.
The longer this goes on, the worse Farah's health will get, until her heart gives out. Cardiac arrest is a very possible and extremely serious complication of severe potassium deficiency, which is what Farah is suffering from now.
So you can understand how scared Wesal is that she will lose her daughter.
Farah needs our help!
Please, if you are able, even if it's just a little, donate to the fundraiser I created for Farah here or via Paypal here. We have only raised €15 and €96 respectively, which is only half of what is needed to buy a month's worth of medication for Farah.
For verification, please see here. They are vetted by association, as is explained in the link. We are working on getting them vetted by gazavetters, but as you probably all know, this takes time.
[EDIT/ Fantastic news, this campaign is now verified by gazavetters! You will find it as #451 on their spreadsheet. Thank you so much!!!]
Thank you so much for donating if you are able, and/or for sharing this post!
Note: if you would prefer to pay via paypal, you can do so here.
Go to paypal.me/forfarah and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.
tagging for reach, please share, thank you <3 (let me know if you don't want me to tag you anymore, apologies for any multiple tags)
