this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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I've had someone tell me with a straight face that I'm "basically taking meth".
This is the same kind of person that says "American cheese slices are one molecule away from being plastic!"
I like to pour them a glass of peroxide and tell them to drink it. It's basically water. Literally just a molecule away from being water bro. Drink it bro, cmon! It's just a molecule!
It's actually just one atom away!
Lmao I knew that and yet my brain decided "it's a whole-ass molecule today!"
Since you didn't specify hydrogen peroxide, technically FOOF is a peroxide. And FOOF is a molecule away from being water.
OK fair haha
I mean, you technically sort of are taking meth in a way, but that's because you need it since you react differently to it.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with someone with severe physical trauma being given fentanyl for example.
You are 100% NOT taking meth when you take ADHD stims. The only thing linking the two is the core ingredient which is a methyl-5 molecule, which your body makes on its own.
The drug meth is a synthetic methyl-5 compound with a ton of other nasty crap in it that doesn't exist in ADHD medication.
Like I said, whoever says that is in the same group as the American cheese is almost plastic crowd.
Dex_amphetamine_
Meth_amphetamine_
No, the thing linking the 2 is the amphetamine part. Which is the actual stimulant.
The drug meth is actually just methamphetamine - there's no "nasty crap" in it unless the person synthesizing it doesn't refine and purify it well, which is true of basically all chemistry.
A more apt comparison is a strong beer and wine - both technically different things, but both get you drink because of the alcohol ingredient in them. They're both alcoholic drinks.
Same with amphetamines - both are stimulants that have essentially the same effect. That's specifically why they both work in treating ADHD. The only significant difference is one is legal (with a prescription) and the other isn't, which of course means good luck getting it really pure and at the correct dosage. The only other difference is how fast acting / long lasting they are because of that tail molecule, but the part that has an actual effect on people is the amphetamine part.
dexamphetamine literally lacks the methyl group which gives "meth" it's name.
Yeah but it has the "amphetamine" part that gives meth it's kick. And that's what most people think of when it comes to the drug - the effect it has on a standard person, not the chemical name (otherwise they'd be calling methylprednisolone "meth" too. And let's face it, the majority of the population doesn't know why it's nicknamed meth either).
On a legal scale, "amphetamines" are what's regulated, not methyl groups.
My meds are Methylphenidate so tbh I assumed they were a bit 'methy'
Meth is the #1 most abused drug by clinical scientists. That is to say, just like functional alcoholism is a thing, there's functional meth heads among some of the most well-respected and reputable scientists in the world. Anyway that would be my response if I was told I was basically taking meth.
That's not really a good way to spin it. Having ADHD is nothing like functional alcoholism. An alcoholic is destructively addicted to alcohol, and a functional one is really good at hiding it.
ADHD is a condition outside of any external influence, and medication helps normalize individuals dealing with it.
Your approach is the logical equivalent of a burglar saying "I rob people's homes because they have guns to defend themselves".
What? No? I don't think the scientists abusing meth all have ADHD or they'd have meds prescribed by their doctor. What I was saying was just a tongue in cheek response to someone telling you that you're basically taking meth.
I am really not following your analogy.
They misread the comment.
I didn't
Then that's an even worse analogy than I thought you were saying. I get what you're trying to say, but it comes across as "well that other guy did something wrong, so I can do it too".
And I know that's not what you're trying to say, but that's how it reads.
They do actually prescribe actual meth for adhd but it’s a different drug known as Desoxyn
Desoxyn is a brand name of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Literally the quintessential ADHD med.
It's completely different than the street drug "meth". The only similarity is the methyl-5 ingredient, which is a molecule that our body naturally synthesizes continuously.
Slightly surprised it hasn't spawned a factoid that claims the body makes meth/is full of it.