Tell me, how do stimulants make someone more compliant? Why is it that when someone comes to the hospital in an agitated state, they aren’t given adderall? Why isn’t ritalin given before surgery? Why are people with schizophrenia given antipsychotics instead of vyvanse? This type of attitude is as ridiculous as it is cynical.

People act as if the idea of a Ritalin zombie is the goal for ADHD medication. It’s not. I’m not going to deny that stimulants do make some people lethargic, but that’s the exception, not the rule.

Do you want to know what it’s like to take medication for ADHD? For the first time in my life I can make choices. I can choose to clean up my desk without something deep inside me rising up to stop me. I can sit down and read a book and not feel the tensions building up inside me until it feels like a rubber band about to snap. I can wait at a restaurant without feeling the need for stimulation itch over me. My mind no longer jumps from idea to idea until I get lost in my own head. I can speak without stumbling over words because my mind is three sentences ahead. I can read a paragraph and actually remember what I just read.

The notion that I’m just some lobotomized zombie shuffling to the strings of my corporate masters is frankly insulting to everyone that struggles to live a normal life with ADHD.

In addition to making me a better worker, my ADHD meds also make me a better father, allow me to follow through on hobby projects, and other non-"cog" pursuits. I also started and ran my own business for a while. And my current workplace is about as un-factory-like as they come.

I actually enjoy the meds. Not in every situation and not all the time but the effects are definitely not unpleasant. I don't get the "zombie" thing.

Talking about Concerta/Ritalin. I actually asked to be taken off Vyvanse (more similar to Adderall) because it was a little bit too pleasant and disconcertingly similar to recreational substances.