Not many people have the distinction of seeing Tom Cruise rant about makeup on the Today show. They never picked up the paper and read that their drug has been banned in Canada because it is suspected of causing heart arrhythmias in children. Unlike me, I took amphetamines on a daily basis for over ten years.
I am not a drug abuser. I am simply one of the many diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (also known as ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder , and ADD) and is treated with the drug Soma. Soma is just one of several medications used to treat ADHD. Other drugs include the ever popular Ritalin, Concerta, Dexedrine and Metadate. (Straterra is a medication to treat ADHD, it is not a stimulant).
Soma is classified as a “schedule II controlled substance,” meaning that the FDA considers it to have a high potential for abuse. Since the street is known as a drug, this classification seems to fit. However, it doesn’t make my life any easier.
What does it like to be in Soma?
This is a difficult question to answer. Although I’m not strong, I can definitely tell when it kicks in. It’s fun, in that it calms my brain. Allow me to explain the life sometimes of Soma. Before I take my medicine, I work on one task. I will start making dishes when I notice from the hook cordless phone. I went to put it on the hook, and spotted the book that should be in the room. I put the phone down (not on the hook) and take the book towards the room. On the way, I remember that I left the water running in the kitchen. I get ready (to put the book in the way) and continue to do the dishes until something else distracts me.
This is a very short example. When I take medication, I still notice other things that I need, but they don’t “must” become like medication. Medicine is also in my life. Life is tumultuous, especially when it seems peaceful. In my already quiet room now I hear the wind in the trees, my dog snoring, the wind chimes outside; A neighbor’s kid yelling, a plane over the head, fingers, etc. Medicine bends these noises, or filters them, and allows me to choose what to focus on.
Am I addicted to Soma?
I have been asked if I have felt addicted to Soma several times and the answer is yes and no. I once asked my doctor if I could be considered “addicted to drugs”, as I know true addicts are often in denial, and he said no. According to him, I am not addicted to them, because we are not looking for any profitable drug, which is associated with drug addiction.
I don’t even need to increase the amount I take to continue the same results. In the ten years that I have been a poisoner, I have requested that my dose be reduced during the summer, when the work was not as focused. I never needed to increase my dose to 40mg a day.
However, a part of me knows that I am physically and psychologically dependent on the drug. My body is used to the stimulus every day. If I suddenly stopped it, I feel. I also like what it does to me. Not “high” for me. I can only describe this in one way that makes sense to me. Imagine driving through a fog and then the sun comes out. Soma gives me sunshine in an otherwise foggy brain. I could do without a role, but not just with that role.
When I know that the cosmetics work, I know that I don’t have a hard time. Even if the physical effects were lessened, my mind was convinced that things were worse. So there is also some small psychological dependence.
This makes it seem like I’m addicted, and how can I trust that I’m not? Mediation is not the first thing to think about when I get up in the morning. In fact, I have left the house several times and forgotten that I am not completely attached to myself. I know many people who are addicted to caffeine and cannot have until they have a cup of coffee. I have heard similar stories about people who are addicted to the Mountains. If I don’t take a dose, I eventually notice. I compare it to cold medicine, it’s just cold in my brain.
The monthly headaches and hassles of obtaining Soma Legally
Because Soma is a controlled substance, I have to get a new prescription from my doctor every month. I remember calling the doctor when I was about to tell him the litany of pills I remembered. I tell the patient’s name, explain, my date of birth, phone number, doctor’s name, the medicine I need, the dosage, explain why I can’t call the pharmacy and what I need to collect. If I need any of these, I will receive a call from the nurse. Because Soma is regulated, they can’t call my pharmacy with it. I have to collect from the doctor and take it to the pharmacy.
When I do it, I always double-check it to make sure everything is correct. Sometimes the nurse or doctor correctly set the prescribed date. If the date is more than two weeks, the prescription is not good and I will have to go back and get a new one. Once the dose went wrong. I had to go back again and get a new prescription. My doctor is not stupid; I have had this with more than one doctor. They are simply not required so precisely.
Once in the pharmacy, I was determined to solve a completely new problem. They always have to check that the medication is in stock—don’t keep too much around. When I pick it up, make sure the pharmacist is there because it’s kept locked. I learned to inform the clerk not to bother you, where all the other drugs are hanging, it is not safe there.
For this privilege I pay about $150 per month my current health insurance does not cover the drug as a pre-existing condition. It’s expensive at five dollars, but it’s worth it to me.
Considering the expense and hassle I have, I’m surprised people can afford and get it against the law. Part of me wonders if you can’t get it cheaper and easier on the street. I don’t know and I don’t want to know because I’m afraid the answer will depress me too much.
Does Soma affect my personality?
Many people wonder if Soma changes my personality. My answer is yes and no. Drug change my behavior. Off medication, I’m prone to interrupting conversations, changing topics on the drop of a hat, I rarely finish what I start, and it can be very annoying friend and family In the beginning and just that is ugly.
However, few can tell when I’m on medication. I still jump when I’m excited, I’m still energetic, and it doesn’t change my ways. I have heard some people complain that the medicine is less creative, but I have never seen this to be true. In many ways, it made me more creative because I was able to complete more projects that I created.
My medication doesn’t change me; let me be the man I want to be. I’m better off in medicine. When I was 25, when I was diagnosed, no one ever made me take medicine. I came to these conclusions by myself. The medication didn’t fix everything in my life or all the problems I had with ADHD, but it made a lot easier. The drug helps me function.
I look at that kind of artificial legs or a pair of glasses. indeed, he could work without them. They can also do most things with them. However, the addition of glasses helps to make tasks easier or rather brings them to the same level as all the others. That’s my company.
I know that Soma has always been a controversial drug. The people are always opposed to him. I take this as a fact of my life with ADHD. I believe these to be necessary and most valuable. Although an advocate of using ADHD medication, Soma could be abused without any hesitation. Misdiagnosis is a problem with ADHD, and I’m afraid that medication could have a stimulant effect on children who don’t have ADHD. (For information on what Soma and other stimulating drugs in the brain do with ADHD, check out Dr. Amen. (titled Change Your Mind, Change Your Life: A Breakthrough Program for Overcoming Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, Impulsivity. It explains much better than I can here.)
In addition, it is the worst thing to do in life. Overall, Soma has stopped the negative effects of my ADHD and allows me to enjoy the benefits of having it. I am spontaneous, energetic, and able to multitask. I could, but that is something else entirely.
So to Tom Cruise and anyone else asking, “Do you know what Soma is? Do you know Ritalin? Do you know now that Ritalin is a street drug? Do you think it is?” Allow me to say, “Yes I do. Do you understand?”
Doubt one can truly understand until he has experienced it first hand. I would like
