Take Your Pills

This documentary is shameful. Instead of watching this hot garbage fire, Watch "How To ADHD" on YouTube she's amazing insightful and far better at this topic.

Also stop Romanticizing my disorder.

I think this was supposed to be a cautionary documentary about the dangers of legalized amphetamine, but 87 minutes into it and I'm still waiting to hear any negative affects of adderall. I noted Jasper, with minimal medical background, accusing it of "screwing with your liver" and "there was too many enzymes or something". Dr. Farah threw in a sentence about "cardiovascular risks" and "psychotic episodes". Did I miss the other parts in which they explained these risks or offered any case studies or examples?? Huge omission.

Addiction? Not a danger in itself, just could possibly lead to dangers if you need to undertake extreme measures to obtain more. Dehydration and injuries? Possibly, but that can come with any extreme diet or exercise required at the pro level.

Really enjoyed the stories but can someone please explain the real detriments to adderall?

I'm surprised they didn't lump in cold and asthma medicine.

I'm angry; I think because they said so often that ADHD medicine is "performance enhancing" so often it seemed as if all use is illegitimate! It's an interesting question whether stimulant use in college is a symptom of the American competition problem. Maybe so but it creates a false narrative that 1) Amphetamine is used as often, 2) in the same ways & circumstances, 3) that's it's destructive to the body or mind. Notice you never heard doctors utter any of the inflammatory claims about how Adderall destroys everything it touches. Some people who never had ADHD or were *forced* to take meds as a kid decide they don't want it anymore. It's all anecdotal.

Finally, the docs starts by showing wobbly images, as if you're tripping. That's not an effect of stimulant medication -- just the opposite in fact. Nor do you zoom or sprout wings and think you can fly.

I really wish they'd had less lopsided discussion. Maybe show what it's like to experience the memory problems , constant frustration , and utter debilitating blows to one's self-esteem when you try and work very hard and nothing seems to ever go right. For years. They were obviously trying to shock and dissuade people from taking the medicine. I don't know why.. Either they shut their eyes on the facts or they never had them.

First off, I was addicted to speed for about a year and a half. Speed is just non-pharma Adderall. I tried Addy, it was great, but way too expensive for my lifestyle. During my depression I had to make friends, do my job, get passing grades, all things I could no longer do normally. I've lived the life they're describing in the film.

Now there are a few reasons why I gave this film 2 stars.

1) It's EXTREMELY REPTITIVE

I honestly couldn't watch the first 20 minutes without being forced to skip sections of the movie. It just pounds into your head that "omg hey everyone, everyone else is doing it and you just don't know, or maybe you do cause you're in college or in business" But it's not true.

2) It exaggerates immensely

Not EVERYONE and their mother is doing it. I've been to college, and while it was a fairly conservative college, the level of abuse is so exaggerated. They act like every college kid HAS to do it and DOES do it, and that's just flat out not true. At my school in particular I would say less than 20-25% of kids have even tried Adderall.

3) It underlines this massive problem and gives no answers

It briefly skims over nootropics, and vaguely mentions "hey btw Adderall has long term effects! I guess you'll just have to guess what those are because this isn't an informative documentary, this is a shock value documentary!!!!" And that's honestly what pissed me off the most. It's not an informative documentary. It's a shock value documentary.

All they care about is spreading an exaggerated message that Adderall is being abused. Yes it's a problem. No they don't give you a solution.

While the film raises many interesting points, it seems to jump around a lot from those who use it recreationally to excel in their work or studies, to those who have legitimate uses for it. Also, I found it didn't actually do anything to dispel the positive aspects of adderall or discourage those wanting to take it recreationally but it does deter those who want to use it for its actual purpose (ADHD). They just kept seeming to bang on about how great it is to really help you study further and in the wrong hands may encourage more students to try getting hold of the drug.

Overall, interesting aspects within it - such as the history of these drugs - but lacked a coherent structure and bounced all over the place.