Don't be so hasty to condemn kids to this miserable existence based on some vague worries about stimulant psychosis, which is very rare with current treatment protocols and most cases are due to abuse.

Methylphenidate is the only authorized substance for ADHD treatment here in Germany. I had to pay for my Amphetamine treatment by myself. I had the impression that the pharmaceutical industry doesn't have an interest in getting an authorization for amphetamines as that substance can be produced by a local pharmacy on site. Even thou I can confirm that the side effects are much less with amphetamines.

Now age 35 I haven't taken any medications for ADHD for 8 or 9 years. It was good to help me with school and university but now I don't need to put myself into a position where medication could be helpful. Still wouldn't want to work in an open floor plan office. Not sure if that is an medical condition.

And from what I can see in the research, therapeutic doses of amphetamines do not damage the body by any meaningful level, while untreated ADHD may shorten life expectancy by 10 to 20 years.

https://www.ajmc.com/view/psychologist-barkley-says-life-exp...

Untreated ADHD itself is far more dangerous than any of the medications: high rates of mortality, suicide, addiction, job loss, relationship difficulties, car accidents, etc.

There is also some evidence that giving children stimulant medications for ADHD can make it less likely that they will continue to have ADHD as adults.

I'm not just being facetious. For people who truly struggle with these issues, I urge them to give an ADHD diagnosis a chance.

I've seen a lot of people in the workplace taking them lately. But, the result isn't pretty. Overly focused but on all the wrong things. Less creative. In a tweaked out state where they just keep switching tasks. Or, sending rambling emails or going on long tangents about nothing. To me, it seems like they were much more effective before the medications.

I remember watching a show years ago where the hosts had drugged people doing different types of tasks. One of them was amphetamine, and they were trying to put an ikea desk together. But, they took a really long time because of all of the reasons above.

Interestingly, ADHD has strong genetic correlation and has comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. And, ADHD was certainly under diagnosed for a long time, as were many mental diseases. In the US there is strong social pressure to not reveal mental diseases, and it's awkward to discuss them with others because many people don't even believe they are real. It's sad really, because many smart people could have succeeded in life if only they had been diagosed and treated.

The three that had any sort of effect were Ritalin, Strattera, and Adderall.

* Ritalin was robot mode. I'd get work done, but only in areas that were analytical, not creative. Off the Ritalin, my problem with creative writing was being easily distracted and procrastination, but my papers were (reported as being) entertaining with a sense of "flow". On the Ritalin, I was so analytical that my teachers started accusing me of plagarism, because it looked like I was writing for an encyclopedia.

* Strattera: Strattera had very little effect on my concentration or procrastination. Where it had a dramatic effect was my impulse control; it inserted a short buffer of introspection between thought/desire and action that had sometimes been missing. Off the Strattera, I'd buy a box of cookies I'd never tried before, because they looked interesting; no second thoughts would emerge at all. On the Strattera, I would think that I didn't need the calories, they were just a different arrangement of chocolate and biscuit, and a waste of money in any case. Didn't help with my schoolwork, but it did have a very positive effect. (Especially on my diet and my entertainment budget.)

* Adderall: Adderall is what I use now. It gives me extremely intense focus on whatever I am doing, without reducing my enthusiasm for the task or my level of creativity. The primary downside is that it allows that focus on anything I'm doing when it kicks in. If I'm doing the dishes when it starts to work, I'll do all the dishes, then clean the kitchen, reorganize the cupboards, clean the fridge, and only then start working. My tactic is to take the pill with my coffee, set a timer for 1 hour and play some casual games, then start on a problem for my job. When it kicks in, I'll be set. Adderall is notably different in SR and XR varieties as well; SR is a short intense spike that lasts 2-4 hours, whereas XR works after an hour and a half and keeps rolling for 5-9 hours, depending on food/caffeine intake.