Take Your Pills on Netflix
The Netflix documentary Take Your Pills has sparked passion and rage among the users of prescription stimulants like Adderall.
They found the feature biased.
The provocative 97-minute long film focuses mainly on the use of amphetamine-based stimulants by people in high-stress and competitive environments (sports people, investment bankers etc ), the ease of obtaining these drugs without a proper prescription.
It underplays how the medication actually helped people with ADHD.
Some thought it actually attacks and shames genuine users of the medication. Those who are meticulously screened, tested and only then prescribed these pharmacological interventions by qualified and experienced practitioners.
It is being called misinformed and spreading misinformation.
At one place the documentary shows a mother saying she felt an improvement in her focus when she tried out the pill, hence she has ADHD. That is the kind of convoluted logic that we can do without.
Angry by the propaganda and the kind of wrong information being spread, many people who have chosen to taken medicines for their ADHD took to Twitter to vent out their feelings.
Medicines Work for ADHD.
Jessica (@HowtoADHD) started a hashtag #ITakeMyPillsBecause to counter the bias. Here is a selection of the reasons why people choose to medicate (in no particular order)
1. It is a medical condition – which MAY need medicines.
I’m working on a response video now. When it’s up, let’s get a hashtag trending: #ITakeMyPillsBecause
(#ITakeMyPillsBecause they help my brain focus, just like my glasses help my eyes focus. There is no shame in medically treating a medical condition.)— Jessica (@HowtoADHD) March 17, 2018
2. These have been prescribed by professionals.
Finally #ITakeMyPillsBecause they were prescribed for me after a long and expensive process with medical professionals, including a psychiatrist who has spent decades specialising in her field.
— Abu Owaisi (@hpstorian) March 20, 2018
3. It is not as if I have not tried hard and done my best to do better.
But mainly #ITakeMyPillsBecause I’ve finally accepted, over 30 years after I was first diagnosed, that ADHD is real, that I really have it, that it’s a big part of who I am, that it affects every aspect of my life, and that I’ll never overcome it by just “trying harder.”
— Kres Neely (@proKrestination) March 18, 2018
4. I manage through the day without getting overwhelmed or paralyzed.
As a feminist with #ADHD, I’m heartbroken that @takeyourpills, a film made by women, has done so much to further stigmatise my condition.#ITakeMyPillsBecause I need them to balance my neurotransmitters, so I can manage the day without overwhelm, not for competitive advantage. https://t.co/5tlhKqDq9F
— Michelle Beckett (@MichelleBeckett) March 18, 2018
#ITakeMyPillsBecause without them I am paralyzed, unable to perform simple human tasks on my own, I’ve cried myself to sleep so many nights before I was diagnosed. But now that I’m medicated I’m studying for my graduate degree. I’m gonna make a difference in this world @HowtoADHD
— Arghavan (@ACerseiA) March 18, 2018
5. Normal day to day life things can be challenging when one is paying attention to one too many things at the same time.
I want to #ITakeMyPillsBecause these things are real challenges:
– Sleep
– Getting a shower
– Eat&drink something
– Read a book
– Watch a movie
– Pick up the phone
– Listen to someone I love longer than 2 sentences without zoning out
– …
Everything that’s #Normal for you.— himbeerschaf (@himbeerschaf) March 17, 2018
6. I understand the risks and the benefits of drugs. I make the choice.
#ITakeMyPillsBecause any medication comes with risks and potential side effects, but so does not treating my #ADHD. For me, the benefit far outweighs the risk.
— Jessica (@HowtoADHD) March 20, 2018
7. Like glasses for eyes, these help the brain to focus.
#ITakeMyPillsBecause it’s like my brain is a jumbled up puzzle and taking Adderall puts the puzzle together. It’s like glasses for your brain. #ITakeMyPillsBecause it quiets the overwhelming noise that prevents me from every being fully in the moment.
— Máire Cáitriona Eilís (@marycatheriinee) March 17, 2018
8. I don’t function like neuro-typical people. I am expected to do the same things they do and expected to perform like them.
#itakemypillsbecause I need medication to function and be successful in a society constructed for neurotypical people. @netflix documentary Take Your Pills is irresponsible and spreads misinformation. Check out @HowtoADHD for highly researched and respected information.
— Lesha (@lillesh) March 17, 2018
9. I want to be like everyone else.
@HowtoADHD #ITakeMyPillsBecause thats the only way i can go from this to this pic.twitter.com/vj2UmmAeZK
— Arttu Mahlakaarto (@amahlaka) March 17, 2018
10. These stimulants, ironically, help reduce anxiety.
#ITakeMyPillsBecause After 25 years, I finally accepted that my brain was not made to function within the norms of society.
“You’re just lazy”
“You need to try harder”
The cycle of depression, anxiety & self doubt no longer controls my life. I am able, I am #ADHD— LernV (@lernv_18) March 18, 2018
#ITakeMyPillsBecause the ADHD meds do more for my anxiety, depression, and working memory than any strategy, medication, or anything else I’ve tried. My quality of life is worth more than any anti-medication propaganda. #endthestigma #endthelies
— Dusky (@DuskPunkZebra) March 19, 2018
11. Nope, there is no euphoria or rush.
#ITakeMyPillsBecause without them, “normal” is constant mental noise wrapped in a fog, which creates anxiety and depression, and makes life miserable. There is no euphoria or rush. #ITakeMyPillsBecause I love my family and they deserve a functional me.
— Jeremy Winch (@jerwinch) March 18, 2018
Have you chosen to medicate for ADHD or not? I would love to hear the reasons for why you made your choice.
Photo by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels
“1. It is a medical condition – that needs to be treated with medicines.”
Partly true! Just be careful of your wording please! There are still plenty of people with ADHD that do not need medication to help them, and that’s okay, even Jessica herself mentions it in a tweet or two. “It’s a medical condition where, for many, medication helps them” might be a little bit more understood, I think. 🙂
But this article is still great overall, however, and a lot of us appreciate it!
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Hi Ky,
What you are saying makes sense and I agree. Editing the article.
Thank you for your feedback.
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I was diagnosed at 39, after a lifetime of struggle and “if you just tried harder…” Looking back, I managed it with exercise pretty well–it is easy to see the serious dips in my ability to cope with ADHD are lined up with the times I wasn’t taking long bike rides, walking miles every day and swimming. But when I got pregnant with my son, I went from struggling to lost in the fog 80% of the time. On the few days it was clear, it was AMAZING…and then the fog would roll back in. And even after he was born, I remained lost, distracted, unfocused and constantly exhausted. Exercise didn’t even touch it, and sleep deprivation/stress couldn’t explain all of it, and I started living on coffee. And then he started Kindergarten, and had massive, MASSIVE issues…issues which were a lot like mine as a child. So I became one of the MANY adults diagnosed late in life through my child.
#ITakeMyPillsBecause without them I feel stupid, and can’t do things I WANT to do. #ITakeMyPillsBecause because I want to be able to focus on my child’s stories, to have patience for him. #ITakeMyPillsBecause because self-medicating by drinking 8 or more cups of coffee a day is worse for my health than one Adderall, and because so many other ADHD suffers end up self-medicating in even worse and more dangerous ways. #ITakeMyPillsBecause my boss also has ADHD, and takes her medication, and is one of the most amazing and inspirational people I know. I would not have been able to keep my job during those awful times without her empathy and faith that I could pull through it, and when she learned I had an ANSWER, she was so supportive. #ITakeMyPillsBecause I want to stay the ME I am when the fog clears. #ITakeMyPillsBecause it is not magic, but it helps.
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Hi Lacey,
Your story has been really inspiring to me. If you are on twitter, may I encourage you to tweet it over there so it can inspire many others. (incase you aren’t I could tweet it on your behalf – with your permission)
Thanks
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This is such a great blog, with such an important message. I don’t have ADHD, but I have social anxiety, and I can relate to a lot of the comments you’ve collated here.
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Hi,
I think your article was great. Everyone is different and I don’t think anyone has room to judge others. I have learned that people don’t understand what they can’t see and I believe that ADHD can sometimes fall into that category. People who struggle with it try so hard, but others who haven’t dealt with it don’t understand because they can’t physically see it so they assume you are just lazy. The same goes with people who suffer with chronic pain or even migraines. Just do what works for you and don’t listen to the naysayers because they probably haven’t spent a minute in your shoes.
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I just watched this documentary a few days ago and found it so interesting. Your post makes total sense. I was disturbed on how they portrayed ADD meds, felt it was one sided. I feel like the documentary should have been marketed more as a documentary on the abuse of meds rather than dragging in people who actually need the meds.
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I agree. In so doing, they (probably unwittingly) perpetrated the stigma that genuine ADHD medicine users have always felt.
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I know you didn’t focus on kids in this article, but as an elementary teacher, I see the difference everyday as far as kids getting what they need to succeed. For some kids, that’s ADHD medication. I loved your comment about it being like glasses, helping the mind to focus instead of the eyes. Great article!
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Thank you. Teachers are such an important part of our children’s lives. If they understand that an ADHD child, (that he is doing his best to do his work and assignments, that all he needs are just some tiny accommodations) it is such a relief for us parents.
So, thank you.
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I have a pretty typical ADHD-PI story. A female, who was always considered “bright” and “gifted” in school, concepts came easy to me. But i was also a fidgeter and had horrible study habits. I tore the hole strips off of dot matrix print outs and folded them into zig zag springs… i filled my school desk. I STRUGGLED in middle school and high school, and my grades started dropping. It took several hours to finish my home work every night. It usually took longer to complete my homework than it did to attend school. In college, I changed my major from the sciences to art because otherwise i probably would have failed out.
I was finally diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s. I had been prescribed a stimulant for weight loss, and almost immediately I started performing better at my job, my relationships at work and home improved, and i was finally able to plan and accomplish things, like household chores, self care, and even take up hobbies and projects. I got messages from colleagues who were impressed with my improvements at work. “I never thought you would grow out of the ‘kid’ mentality, but you’ve made so much improvement these last few months.”
I talked to my doctor about this, and a few tests later, she determined I have ADHD. Weened me off the weight loss stimulant, and onto adderall. 3 years later and i’m still only taking a child’s dose but it’s enough to make a HUGE difference in my life.
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OMG – as I was reading the first bit of your story, it was as if I was reading my daughter’s story. She is now in high school but everything is just ditto like you – being called ‘bright’, the tearing off the hole strips off notebooks and folding them, the grades dropping off in middle school.
WOW, so sure did have someone looking out for you. So glad you were able to be properly diagnosed and feel the difference.
and THANK YOU for sharing your story. Hugs.
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