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[RaymondCarver]

Maybe some doctors think that Adderall affects the lover long-term because some people may compensate with the "up" with drinking to come "down."

Or, maybe that's my opinion, and I could be wrong. Recently, my mother told me that she may have Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome. The doctor that rendered her prognosis says that the addy may be bad for my liver. My question is: Are stimulants bad for the liver? I don't know. I'm concerned because this stuff's helping me get through college. Any ideas, guys?

 

[NLB2]

Why don't you ask your doctor?

 

[Loki]

Well, the liver is intimately involved in detoxification of harmful substances (drugs, alcohol etc.) by chemically modifying them and rendering them biologically useful or inactive as opposed to harmful, so I suppose it only makes sense that amphetamines would possibly have an adverse effect on your liver. I'm no doctor, though, and that's who you should consult; perhaps a quick google would turn up something relevant as well. If IamtheFman is around, perhaps he can elaborate a bit.


Btw, as a general rule, all foreign substances are "bad"-- it's only a matter of degree. So to think that amphetamines aren't harmful in some way, or that doctors only tell you to avoid them because they're worried about the interaction if you drink alcohol along with the drugs, is a bit fanciful I'd say.

 

[RaymondCarver]

yummy. I hope IamtheFman or someone elaborates.

 

[videogamer]

nm

 

[Lucky Forward]

I don't know about it affecting the liver, but I have a niece in college with ADHD who was taking Adderall (with a prescription) and last year when she began upping the dosage on her own, she developed schizophrenia-like symptoms.

She was convinced her family was conspiring against her, that friends from school were spying through her windows and sneaking into her house at night. She took apart the ceiling fan in her room because she was convinced there was a hidden camera in it, and at one point was ready to start tearing apart the walls of her room looking for whatever.

My brother and his wife got her hospitalized and she spent about two weeks in a mental health facility. It took about a year for her to gradually return to her former self, in fact she seems more mature for the experience. She's still on Adderall because it definitely does help her ADHD, but she's learned her lesson about following doctor's orders, and she's minimized the amount she needs to take to get her schoolwork done.

If you are on this stuff, please be aware of the consequences of overdoing it.

 

[RaymondCarver]

I appriciate you sharing your story. For some reason, I don't think her problems are limited to medication side effects. Drugs, legal or illegal, tend to bring out underlying mental illness. I hope she's not getting into real drugs. We may never know her whole case story.


Hmm.

 

[Drozmight]

I take addy every once in a while. I don't really care whether it's killing me or not. I'm Just passing the time before I die anyway.

Once I took two, and couldn't stop grinding my teeth. It reminded me of Requiem for a Dream.

 

[Lucky Forward]

I appriciate you sharing your story. For some reason, I don't think her problems are limited to medication side effects. Drugs, legal or illegal, tend to bring out underlying mental illness. I hope she's not getting into real drugs. We may never know her whole case story.


Hmm.

Actually she's doing very well; we're pretty close now and we go hiking or get together for movies now and then. She's a junior in college and she just made the dean's list with 3.65 GPA while holding down a job as a waitress. It was a long gradual process (over a year) for her to gradually return to her old self.

If you do a little searching on the web, you'll find it is not uncommon for Adderall or other amphetamine abuse to mimic the effects of schizophrenia. The dean and counselors at her school told my brother (her dad) that they've dealt with cases like this before, and they really helped her out when she first went back to school, including having teachers extend deadlines for her.

 

[FnordChan]

Amphetamines are bad for you...unless you're stuck in Antarctica, in which case, hey, go for it. Here's a song about that courtesy of McMurdo's Other Band.

FnordChan

 

[RaymondCarver]

Well, it's getting me through school currently.

However, I just found out that my insurance doesn't cover it. Go figure.




The only think I'm really worried about is not getting a job in the future or being descriminated against, being passed over being given some position of responsibility after a check on my medical reccords.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

Hey guys... I'll try to help out as much as I can. Unfortunately, Pharm isn't until next year, so I'll use my limited knowledge to try and help out.

Basically, Loki was right when he said that the liver will metabolize harmful substances and making them safer. In the case of alcohol though, you ingest it and it goes to the liver where it is started to be metabolized by this thing called cytochrome P450. This is the same cytochrome that metabolizes amphetamines. Basically, by drinking, you can saturate your P450 level, and buildup of the amphetamine in your system. The amphetamine, if not metabolized is toxic and can be very, very bad for the liver and your body in general.

This same basic principle is why you should NEVER take tylenol when you've been drinking. The liver's too busy metabolizing the alcohol, that it converts the tylenol into a very toxic substance which is very hard to get rid of, and will stay in the body as a toxic substance, instead of being metabolized. You will piss this out eventually, but it takes much longer than normal.

Basically, if you're on an amphetamine or any other type of anti-depressant/psychotic, you may not want to drink. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Hope that helps.

EDIT: After re-reading your post, I think I'll expand a little bit more. Basically, if you're taking amphetamine as directed, you should be fine. Abuse of amphetamine can do all the crap that I outlined above, on its own, in addition to a lot of other bad shit which affects not only the liver, but heart, in addition to the psychological ramifications.

 

[RaymondCarver]

That's what I'm talking about... (makes not jokes about PentiumIII 450's)



I'm concerned about these things, like P450 levels, and I've always been a stickler and advocate of no Tylonal use anywhere near drinking. Also, I'm not too woried about drinking + anpheramine because I'm not binge drinking and dropping 40, 75, or 100mg.


There's a family condition I've probably got through genetics:

What is Hemochromatosis?
Hemochromatosis is commonly known as iron overload disease. A malfunction in the way iron is absorbed from the intestinal tract causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. Certain vitamins and minerals are normally stored in the liver, and iron is one of them. However, too much iron stored in the liver can damage it. With hemochromatosis, excess iron is also deposited in other organs and tissues, especially the heart and pancreas, causing damage to these organs, too. This disease occurs more commonly than was originally thought. It is estimated that hemochromatosis affects about one in every 300-400 people. Occasionally, a secondary type of iron overload (called hemosiderosis) occurs in people who take large amounts of iron supplements, or in people who must have repeated blood transfusions, or who have certain other diseases. However, the body usually returns to normal processing of iron when the excess intake is eliminated.

What causes Hemochromatosis?
Exactly what makes the body absorb and store too much iron is not completely understood. It is known that hemochromatosis is inherited. The gene for the disease is a very common one; about one in every 10 people carry it. However, a person can carry one gene and not get the disease. It is only when a person gets a hemochromatosis gene from each parent -- a double dose -- that the disease develops. Therefore, people who have parents, brothers, or sisters with this disease should be closely monitored by a physician.

If you're an alcoholic and have these symptoms, you're gonna be toast.

I remember being in peak shape, working out three or four times a week and taking not one but two multiviatamins. I began to get sick then from too much iron, which I'm cautious about nowdays. Also, my mother's physician suggested that drinking regular black iced tea helps remove excess iron from the blood. I'm not sure why consumption of regular black tea would get the iron moving up and out, but that's what I've heard.