Is Adderall right for my child?

If you know anything about me you already know my answer.  No.
And yes, there are no exceptions.  
Adderall is amphetamine.  Full Stop.  Would you say it was safe to give your child amphetamines?

How have we gotten to the point where drugging our kids in order for them to learn seems like an appropriate solution?  When did schools start recommending kids be put on psychiatric drugs?  Teachers are not trained in neuropharmacology.  They have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.  I know because I am trained in neuropharmacology and moved into education to stop the insanity of drugging our kids.

I have been out of the public school scene since Covid, and for some reason I had convinced myself that the use of medications, especially the amphetamines, had declined.  So I was very upset when I talked with a friend who said everyone in her child's class is on medication. *loud exaperated cry, " Why!?"

Learning is naturally motivating.  Our entire nervous system is designed to seek out understanding.  Our dopamine "reward-center" is actually the foundational network for learning (see the work of Wolfram Schultz).  The same dopamine reward center that is being artificially stimulated through amphetamines.

If you are a parent, let me give you a serious warning before putting your child on amphetamines, or any other psychotropic medication.  First, the brain is still developing in childhood.  Any neurotropic medication will necessarily alter the natural development of these systems.  Second, the neurotransmitter systems in the brain, like dopamine or serotonin, on which these medications act, are magnificient biological wonders, designed to provide the exactly right neural architecture for the individual ideal.  Flooding the system with exogenous (external) substances will alter this delicate developmental process.  Third, for those of us who are old enough to remember, there was a lot of information on the way in which cigarettes stunt your growth.  Well, that has to do with the simulant properties of nicotine, and the same is true for amphatamines.  Amphetamines will stunt your physical growth, not just your height, but research has shown that heart and lung size are smaller in those children given amphetamines.  

Finally, amphatamines do not cure lack of motivation, they do not cure attention issues, they do not leave you with a better ability to direct y our life.  It is just the opposite.  Once you stop taking adderall, your attention system takes months and some times years to recover from the damage.  The nervous system is so damaged that often children start developing symtoms of Childhood Bipolar.  This did not even exist as a diagnostic until the start of the ADHD movement back in the 2000s.  In addition, there is a higher incidence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in children who have taken amphetamines, than in those who had the same attention profiles, but were never given medications. 

Instead of taking the time to help a child naturally develop their attention networks, which are foundationally connected to the somatosensorimotor system (i.e. move around in space not just sit at the computer or in a desk), we have damaged the natural development, causing all sorts of other issues.  We have seriously depeleted the natural dopaminergic drive that is associated with intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and genuine learning.  Shame, shame, shame.

If your child has been taking these medications, stop them now.  Be patient as their nervous system heals itself.  Healing is possible.  Getting out in nature.  Finding hobbies and natural interests.  Taking a break from any manditory task, but allowing natural play.   Oh yeah, and taking a break from screens. 

It may not be easy at first, but the effort will pay off with a healthy, happy, creative, and intelligent child.