A question about medication side-effects

[Aeden]

So I’m on medication to help treat my ADD. One side-effect I’ve been noticing is that it increases sex drive to the point of being fairly distracting. Now, the help with attention is good because it helps me better focus on my work and behave better socially, but also because it helps me resist temptation better because I think and decide better with a clear head. Now, I’ve got a bit of a conundrum because of the side-effect (this tends to be a side-effect of stimulatints) causing me temptation. I plan to talk to my doctor about it when I speak with him next, but in the mean time, I’m going to be studying abroad as a part of a program that I am in where I will meet high-ranking businessmen in London and study abroad there for a semester. What would you guys recommend about the whole thing? It’s a difficult ballence to strike since I’m better able to resist temptation, but I am also more subject to it as a result of the medication and I’m not really sure what to do in this situation.

 

[tawny]

So I’m on medication to help treat my ADD. One side-effect I’ve been noticing is that it increases sex drive to the point of being fairly distracting. Now, the help with attention is good because it helps me better focus on my work and behave better socially, but also because it helps me resist temptation better because I think and decide better with a clear head. Now, I’ve got a bit of a conundrum because of the side-effect (this tends to be a side-effect of stimulatints) causing me temptation. I plan to talk to my doctor about it when I speak with him next, but in the mean time, I’m going to be studying abroad as a part of a program that I am in where I will meet high-ranking businessmen in London and study abroad there for a semester. What would you guys recommend about the whole thing? It’s a difficult ballence to strike since I’m better able to resist temptation, but I am also more subject to it as a result of the medication and I’m not really sure what to do in this situation.

This should be discussed with your Physician & Priest who will be able to give you the correct guidance & direction.

 

[Aeden]

Oh I plan to discuss it with them. Thing is, I don’t have enough time to speak with them and, moreover, between now and when I can speak with them, a decision either way is made each day. Thus me attempt at getting an outside perspective.

 

[DarkLight]

This should be discussed with your Physician & Priest who will be able to give you the correct guidance & direction.

Unfortunately in my experience that can be hard, as most physicians see sexual activity outside of marriage as a normal healthy occurrence. And a surprising number of priests don’t really get medication struggles. Still, I would think any normal tactics for aiding with temptation should work, and a priest should be aware of those.

 

[Joseph_Jameson]

Unless your a lunatic who needs meds so you wont kill people or a severely depressed person on the verge of suicide, my opinion is to stay away from all psychoactive medication. ADD medicine is basically just a slightly chemically altered form of meth, yeah it works great for helping attention problems, but at what cost? The side effects are much worse and can lead to more serious problems, plus they’re really addictive. Again this is just my opinion, but i would say cut the meds and just put in the extra effort to focus more. I used to take ADD meds and i had the same problem and tons more. I started getting depressed, I wasn’t eating, my life just started getting darker, and then once I quit them it took me about a year for my brain to get back to normal.

Maybe you’re a completely different type of person, but if any of this sounds familiar I would stop taking them.

 

[Christy_Beth]

Unless your a lunatic who needs meds so you wont kill people or a severely depressed person on the verge of suicide, my opinion is to stay away from all psychoactive medication. ADD medicine is basically just a slightly chemically altered form of meth, yeah it works great for helping attention problems, but at what cost? The side effects are much worse and can lead to more serious problems, plus they’re really addictive. Again this is just my opinion, but i would say cut the meds and just put in the extra effort to focus more. I used to take ADD meds and i had the same problem and tons more. I started getting depressed, I wasn’t eating, my life just started getting darker, and then once I quit them it took me about a year for my brain to get back to normal.

Maybe you’re a completely different type of person, but if any of this sounds familiar I would stop taking them.

This is why the OP needs to talk with the doctor about this. I’m also on drugs for ADD/ADHD. Plus a few others. I’m taking the meds to stay well, not to stop me from killing someone, or myself. Well, ok, I used to get so depressed that I often thought of suicide. Your experience with the drug is just that, your experience. Since starting taking the meds for the ADD/ADHD, I’ve not noticed any difference in side effects. I have no crazy urge for sex or any of the other stuff mentioned. If it’s truly needed, maybe a switch in dosage may help.

 

[Jared2914]

You should talk with your doctor about switching to a different medicine. There are sure to be other competing brands made up of different drugs and combinations. This is a more long term thing though. You will just have to deal with the side effects on your trip. Avoid near occasions of sin. For example, try not to go out partying where you might encounter immodestly dressed women. Don’t drink too much alcohol that might impair your decision making even more than the drug does. Bring a good Catholic book to read on your free time instead of watching TV that might have tempting material. Also, maintain your daily prayer and study life as much as possible.

 

[Joseph_Jameson]

Well I’m just saying that you probably wouldn’t buy meth from a drug dealer, even if it had amazing effects on ADD/ADHD. You wouldn’t because its a drug that ultimately is bad for you and effects your mind and who you are as a person. Just because a pharmaceutical company produces a drug, and secular doctors prescribe them, doesn’t mean that it’s OK all of a sudden. The ways of the world are not the ways of you and I. I understand that medication is not a bad thing, but i think the line is drawn when the medicine changes your brain/mind.

 

[DarkLight]

Well I’m just saying that you probably wouldn’t buy meth from a drug dealer, even if it had amazing effects on ADD/ADHD. You wouldn’t because its a drug that ultimately is bad for you and effects your mind and who you are as a person. Just because a pharmaceutical company produces a drug, and secular doctors prescribe them, doesn’t mean that it’s OK all of a sudden. The ways of the world are not the ways of you and I. I understand that medication is not a bad thing, but i think the line is drawn when the medicine changes your brain/mind.

Our brains are physical as much as our bodies. Even a simple allergy medication can affect your mind. I’ll second as being someone who needed medication to function. Oh sure I wasn’t going to kill myself - but I also couldn’t think straight long enough to get a job done. I can think on it, without having interruptions and fog so heavy.

Medications are between the person and the doctor. In this case, an undesirable side effect is worth talking to the doctor about. That said, it does sound like there’s little time to mess with the medications now, and right before an overseas trip is not a good time. Jared has good advice - try to avoid situations of temptation as much as possible. Find a church over there and go regularly. Possibly also look up some basic focusing techniques for keeping your attention on what you’re trying to do and not on the temptation.