From: Pam Glidden (pglidden@YAHOO.COM)
Date: Fri Jun 30 2000 - 13:57:15 CDT
Continuation of Part One:
The second website that Darryl shared with us alluded
to Prozac abuse. I'm not quite sure what it had to do
with our Scouts because I seriously doubt if many of
them are taking Prozac.
If a Scout of yours is taking Prozac, and the
medication WAS prescribed by a medical practitioner
(and you see the prescription bottle), then that Scout
needs to receive his prescribed medication as
directed. We, as Scout leaders do NOT have the
training to decide whether or not a youth truly needs
his medication. If you have reservations, by all means
speak to the parents. Feedback from people that work
with the youth is very important to the doctor in
deciding on the correct dosage.
Finally, in response to Darryl's comment, " Others
that have been supposedly diagnosed with ADD and are
on the heavy duty psychotropic (mind-affecting) drug
Ritalin, (deep breath here) I will agree that Ritalin
is a mind-affecting drug. THAT is the whole point of
this medication.
A non-AD/HD brain is made up of many cells that do not
touch each other(or at least that is MY understanding,
from the many classes that I've attended). These cells
pass messages to each other constantly. The messages
jump from cell to cell, until they reach the correct
portion of the brain to initiate the desired action.
However with the unmedicated AD/HD brain, sometimes
the messages miss their desired target.
In our chapter, we often explain it as if it were a
water balloon toss. In the non-AD/HD brain, the folks
tossing the balloons stand almost close enough to just
simply hand the water balloons to each other. However
in the AD/HD brain, you move the folks further apart,
maybe tie one hand behind their back, blind-fold one
or two people, have one sit down, and another stand on
a chair. You get the idea, I'm sure. The delivery
system is seriously challenged!
Ritalin and other AD/HD medications (there ARE
several) kind of jump-start the brain cells and assist
the messages in getting across from cell to cell.
It's truly amazing to see the difference when a
medication is working. Not everyone can take the
medication though. I cannot because of allergies. It's
very frustrating. I've tried the medication and it DID
help. However the side effects because of my allergies
were not tolerable. AND you must remember that
medication is not a cure for this disAbility.
If any of you are worried about our Scouts becoming
addicted to their AD/HD medication, I assure you it
does NOT happen. Research studies have been done
regarding that issue and proven the AD/HD folks do not
become addicted to their medications because the
medication does not do for us, what it would do for a
non-ADD person. If someone with AD/HD takes too much
medication, instead of becoming more hyperactive or
wound up, they become like a zombie. Many people with
AD/HD self-medicate (before they are diagnosed) with
coffee, soda, or sometimes even illegal drugs.
(Part 3 to follow)
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