For the sake of discussion, how long does it take for this drug to clear someone's system? If she isn't granted the TUE, can't she just stop taking it xx days before competition and be compliant with anti-doping, since it's allowed out of competition? How long is that xx? During that period, couldn't she just manage her ADHD like she did her entire life before recently starting Adderall - she said (paraphrasing) running calmed her brain right?
Generally medicines have a ramp on and ramp off period.
Correct. I was on Paxil in 2003. Had to ramp up for 3 weeks and then ramp down for 3 weeks once I was done. It made me sleepy all the time.
You've hit the nail on the head. Just as an albuterol inhaler would bring a non-asthmatic person up above normal, but brings an asthmatic person up to normal, so too do Adderall for those with ADHD. As long as it's taken in a dosage prescribed by a qualified psychiatric professional who has familiarity with the specifics of a patient's case, Adderall is an equalizer rather than an enhancer for those with a certain set of neurological conditions. For anyone else, it would absolutely provide an unfair advantage. It should also be noted that Adderall is a strictly controlled Schedule II drug (high risk for addiction or abuse), so unless you're obtaining it through illicit means (like the online prescribers or non-clinical diagnoses described by some in this thread) you should be regularly checking in with your psychiatrist to assess the effects it's having on you. From Molly's description of her situation, it sounds as though she's being very above-board and following the appropriate course of treatment as prescribed by qualified professionals.
But literally anyone who wants to can get diagnosed with ADHD. It's just an extra hoop to jump through but anyone can do it.
Same thing probably true of asthma. 90% of the Peloton has it. Lulz.
Might as well just make it all legal.
1. Have you heard of ADHD?
a) yes
b) no
2. Do you know how to spell ADHD? a) yes
b) no
3. Do you know whaf ADHD stands for?
a) yes
b) no
4. Did you hear about ADHD through a medical professional?
Adderall is a controlled substance that requires prescription. I take it for ADHD. If Seidel’s diagnosed with ADHD and that’s her prescription, she’s good. A TUE allows athletes to be treated for medical conditions. She’s all good.
In my mind if you're sufficiently unhealthy to the point where you need to take a banned substance, then you are too unhealthy to compete. Should be no such thing as TUEs
I took adderall for years. This is sad to see honestly. It works great until it doesn’t - and then you are in for a world of pain and regret. I wish her well, but I fear she is going through the honeymoon phase right now. Let’s check back in in a year or two. She’ll be wishing she never touched this stuff.
Are there horrible withdrawal symptoms? I think at one time I wanted to talk to my doc about it. Sometimes I can forget details and that's a bad thing in certain industries. I suspected at one time I had a touch of ADHD but not enough to get a script for it. I think I have more of OCD but not like what you'd see in the movies (Rain Man and others).
Some comments seem to indicate that she has a choice here. Seidel has been completely transparent with her mental health challenges for a very long time now. It sounds like she is really struggling and is hoping that this prescription will help her to lead a more functional life. Everyone deserves to live a life without struggle if possible. Give her a break. I am pretty sure if Molly was offered either a life completely without mental health issues, or a life full of struggle but with Olympic Gold and world records in the marathon, she would chose to live a simple happy life free of the struggle and quit competitive running immediately. Hopefully, her path to get a TUE will allow her to treat her condition AND continue running competitively. If that can't happen, at least she tried and was open about it.
100% mature post, no sarcasm.
I think she mentioned on a podcast that sometimes she feels like her brain is constantly screaming or something like this. It may have been with Citius and/or Allie on the Run, or with Anoush Arakelian. So her story, along with the ED she battled, makes me empathetic to her. She's battling conditions and issues that most people would struggle with even w/o the stress of competitive running.
ED AND the mental issues/ADHD/whatever (?) combined? That would send me over the edge--I don't know if I personally would be able to deal but am being honest.
I find this topic interesting, how long before the drug turned on you?
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 7th grade and started taking concerta. I've been taking ADHD medications for about 15 years. I definitely had difficulties focusing in school but my grades were actually pretty good. I don't think there was any change in my school performance from when I started taking concerta. I was diagnosed with the inattentive form of ADHD. I wasn't super hyper but I did have trouble focusing. When I started taking concerta I would go the whole school day without speaking to anyone. I NEVER participated in class. I think I had trouble staying friends with people because I just wouldn't talk during the school day. At some point during high school I switched over to Ritalin which was much more enjoyable than concerta. Ritalin was more of a rush and concerta was a slow release. I never purposefully took it before races in high school but I was definitely still "on it" at practice or dual meets. At some point in high school I realized that I could really motivate myself to train or race if I just took a small dose of Ritalin beforehand. But it's not all good. I would feel motivated to train but I actually wouldn't feel that good while training. An easy run would feel more difficult but it didn't matter because I was so determined to train. Some people might feel that there is a decrease in perceived effort, but I don't think it's that simple. When I took it to run I would feel better and worse at the same time. If you want to decrease perceived effort just drink coffee, it's much better imo. There are also the stomach issues that come along with taking Ritalin. You are supposed to eat after taking Ritalin but if you eat after taking it then it wouldn't really help for your run. So you have to eat before you take it which can work fine but can cause stomach issues. I took it before runs in college because I liked the motivation that it gave me but did it really help? I don't know. I think I noticed a change after college in the way I was taking it. Every day I would wake up to drive to work and I NEEDED to take 10mg of Ritalin or else it would take me 4+ hours to wake up. I started getting really tired during the day. Basically falling asleep at my desk. I would sleep 7+ hours a night so I don't think that was the issue. It just started to feel like I was unable to function without taking my meds. When I was working a doctor suggested that I start trying to come off the meds. I talked him out of it and convinced him that I needed it. It's pretty easy to stay on ADHD meds as long as you know what to say. It's hard to know if my life would have been better off if I was never diagnosed with ADHD. On one side it has allowed me to focus extremely well but then there are the negative side effects like irritability, loss of appetite (sometimes the thought of eating make me want to vomit), dizziness, headache, and so on.
Am I addicted to it? Probably. Nothing will stand between me and getting that prescription. Of all the things I forgot on a daily basis I will never forget to request a medication refill. I assume people will respond to this saying that I should decrease my dose or see a doctor about it but I'm not going to and there really isn't anything someone could say to get me to stop taking it. With all of the downsides the rush that I get in the first hour of taking the drug is amazing. I get to be at an elevated level every day and it feels so good.
For Molly I assume she will now feel motivated to run when she doesn't want to and it will act similar to caffeine. During shorter races she might be able to focus better but who knows. I would be concerned about taking this before a marathon. I have never run a marathon but I think that these ADHD meds can cause electrolyte imbalances. If I was Molly I would be worried about becoming so dependent on Adderall that I HAD to take it before a marathon and it starts to affect her negatively.
These drugs are a difficult subject because they feel so good but they also feel so bad.
Thank you for your honest, heartfelt post. I think that's a good point about being addicted to it from a MENTAL state, not just from the body's physical need for it.
If you got a performance boost before you ran each race, it'd be great, but what if you had a big race on a Sunday morning and you ran out of prescription the day before, or the drug store was closed and doesn't open until the race is over, how would you cope, as you hadn't run a race w/o Adderall in several months?
I highly doubt they grant her a TUE to use a stimulant in competition. I think she’s implying the need is mental strife? But she doesn’t get into exactly why exactly she needs it during a race in her pair. If she was able to compete before while not on it, how can she argue she now needs it during a race?
As many have stated, Adderall is legal out of competition. Happy for her she has found something that helps. But I’m not sure I can see a reason to allow it in competition.
U.S. marathoner Molly Seidel told fans she would not be competing as planned this weekend because while awaiting an exemption to race with the ADHD medication Adderall
I highly doubt they grant her a TUE to use a stimulant in competition. I think she’s implying the need is mental strife? But she doesn’t get into exactly why exactly she needs it during a race in her pair. If she was able to compete before while not on it, how can she argue she now needs it during a race?
As many have stated, Adderall is legal out of competition. Happy for her she has found something that helps. But I’m not sure I can see a reason to allow it in competition.
Seems odd they wouldn't, as my understanding is Simon Biles has competed in the olympics and world championships with a TUE for adderall. Is it really more advantageous in distance running than gynmnastics?
This is hilarious. Everyone at my work buys adderal so that they can crush the amount of work they can handle. And yes, they succeed. They are like robots with laser focus, (skipping meals) and efficiency. Every time I question them they always have a protective response about how it’s for their mental health or how a doctor prescribed them… so it must be fine.
The new mental health theatre is hilarious. Yes you have anxiety, yes you have stress, yes you are sad. Humans lived in a jungle for millions of years and we evolved to have all of those to stay alive! We are not special, you don’t need the legal form of speed to live like your commission based doctor tells you.
Interesting, do they have any side effects health-wise? I could see how Adderall would be a mental boost in terms of promotions and being noticed by your boss.
As someone who also has ADHD as well as OCD (diagnosed by my longtime psychologist for both), I know the reality of not having a quiet brain. Sure, we all have thoughts… and I think it’s pretty hard to have a perfectly still brain.Molly has previously talked about having OCD in the past. Combine both issues… your (my) brain can race (no pun intended) nonstop, and it can be hell for hours or days until you realize you’re in the spiral of it . For OCD, It’s not just having physical compulsions, like tapping, going up the stairs a certain way. There’s an obsessive thoughts component, too.
I share this all to help those who want to make fun or someone with either/both issues to stop and pause before you judge or condemn. I haven’t found an ADHD Rx that doesn’t give me bad side effects like crippling headaches or racing heart. I’m also too hesitant to trying something for OCD because I’ve had bad reactions to other Rx.
I’m glad Molly has found something that’s working for her because I wouldn’t wish this stuff on “my worst enemy,” so to speak.
Great take, you are also 100% spot-on with the OCD component. Everything you said, the way you wrote it, seems accurate.
I really don't see what the "doping benefit" would even be from Adderall.
Molly should be allowed to get the treatment and support she needs. I'm a fan and want to see her happy, healthy and performing well.
But isn't it kind of hard to argue there's no performance benefit, when your stated reason for needing the adderall is to help the eating disorder, which led to stress fractures and declining performance, so that you can improve the eating disorder to improve performance?
I highly doubt they grant her a TUE to use a stimulant in competition. I think she’s implying the need is mental strife? But she doesn’t get into exactly why exactly she needs it during a race in her pair. If she was able to compete before while not on it, how can she argue she now needs it during a race?
As many have stated, Adderall is legal out of competition. Happy for her she has found something that helps. But I’m not sure I can see a reason to allow it in competition.
Seems odd they wouldn't, as my understanding is Simon Biles has competed in the olympics and world championships with a TUE for adderall. Is it really more advantageous in distance running than gynmnastics?
Biles takes ADHD medication that is banned for the disorder in Japan, but an exemption likely allowed her and other athletes to continue their prescribed treatments.
I don't like TUEs, but her transparency is commendable. And she gets bonus points for being one of a very small number of American distance pros who did not stand by Shelby.
So as long as you tell them what it is you're in the clear?
What does Adderall do to you? Adderall is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, two central nervous stimulants that improve focus and reduce impulsivity by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Adderall in 1996.
Also, if you look at her 5th page (scroll to the right), it appears the drug is a legit need to save her life.
"and since I can't stop my medication without some serious mental health ramifications..."
(Direct quote from the insta story).
Reading this thread was important to me. I have been debating myself whether or not to get counseling for my own situation...
All meth users would tell you they need it, just look at any alleyway in a city. Adderall is a like what white people take if they want a meth high but don't want don't want to be associated with the lower class street druggies.
This is kind of when you start to realize that nearly all competitive running is stupid. The only worthwhile pursuit is to compete against yourself. Go ahead and still enter races but don't worry about the other athletes.
Molly taking adderall to take the mental pressure off being a pro athlete, rupp rubbing test cream on himself because his pubes didn't pop soon enough, you name it there is a pro applying for TUEs. All of these meds to become closer to their healthy self where their healthy self is defined as a 12:30 5k runner, or 2:20:00 marathon woman. Maybe their healthy self should be someone who runs 50 miles a week.
I pay no attention to the pros except to once a week see what letsrun is biching about.
The only thing i worry about is where i'm going for my next trail run, and to make sure im setting my self up to continue running while i age.
Pros, go ahead and do all the drugs you want. Im not watching, i don't care. Im not entering any races that pay appearance fees or big prize payouts. Your sport isn't even entertaining to watch anyway.
I disagree with the fact that amphetamines are performance enhancing for long distance running especially the marathon. They may make running FEEL easier and help the mental side to some extent but by and large the biggest limiting factor of the marathon is physiological. These drugs increase the heart rate and other objective measures of exertion causing a given pace to be at a higher effort level. Eventually you will burn through your glycogen faster and this would actually hurt a lot more than help in the marathon considering how important fuel utilization and pacing is, especially in the early stages. I could definitely see adderall helping in shorter events such as the 10k and below because you are already close to max HR and glycogen storage is not a limiting factor.
Running is a form of medication. At least she is being open about it. The issue with taking meds for ADHD is the body adapts over time, and it is very difficult to wean one’s self off the medication without feeling suicidal.
This.
I have ADHD and I don't have issues with getting out the door, I have issues with running too much. Being in a classroom when I was a student was horrific, it felt like jail and I could never pay attention. That's probably why I'm in sales..outside sales.
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