Welcome to Back from the Abyss, where we bring you stories of hope and healing, recovery and redemption.

I'm Dr. Craig Hickok, your host and resident psychiatrist.

When I was a first-year psychiatry resident, I remember one night in the ER presenting a case to one of the fourth-year residents.

Hmm, she said. That's a new medication. Not one I've ever tried. I probably should try that one.

Yeah, you should, you probably should too. What? I said, what do you mean try it? Well, she said,

if we're going to prescribe powerful psychiatric medications to people, I think we have an ethical responsibility to try them

on ourselves first. Then we know what they're getting themselves into. Wow, I thought. And my vague

recollection was that the medication in question was some type of atypical antipsychotic, and I never did

try it, nor did I try most of the other medications that

psychiatrists regularly prescribe. One medication that I did try was Adderall, a stimulant commonly

used for ADD and ADHD, a mix of amphetamine salts that helps not just with focus, but also

with being able to push on past, far past the edges of fatigue.

And with this medication, I actually completely agree with my former supervising resident.

Any doc who is contemplating prescribing Adderall or other DEA scheduled stimulants

should be strongly advised to take it themselves before they ever prescribe it.

For what they would almost surely find is that the amphetamine stimulants such as

Adderall and Dexedrine and Vivance are extremely powerful substances, which basically feel

and act like cocaine. Amphetamines, after all, are speed and a very convenient

type of speed that you likely can get your health insurance to pay for. Millions of stimulant

prescriptions are dished out each year in the U.S., and I think the vast majority of well-meaning

docs are greatly underestimating the power and risk of these molecules.

Today's episode looks at the double-edged sword of stimulant medications for ADD and ADHD,

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