Soft Focus

A popular ADHD medication gave Jayme Cyk high-functioning superpowers for a decade—until the day came to call it quits.

In the last six months, podcasts have taken me on a self-care odyssey. They inspired me to launch my own consulting agency and start a beauty brand with my husband— and one pod in particular made me realize that after a decade, it was time to quit the prescription stimulant drug Concerta.

In 2009, while studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design, I found that I couldn’t sew in a straight line, patternmaking was beyond boring, and my draping was a joke. Concerned, I met with a psychiatrist and explained that I was nervous about getting through college. After one session, she whipped out her Rx pad and handed me a prescription for Concerta, typically prescribed for ADHD. Almost immediately, I became a straight-A student, a stark contrast to the Cs I received in high school. It wasn’t that I experienced a sense of fog lifting—it was more like a rush, which would make me slightly anxious and incredibly focused, like when you’re looking for your lost cell phone. I could sew for six hours, write a paper in three hours, and manage to get to the gym, all while holding an indepth conversation with a peer or colleague. I was even able to multitask, a skill I had never attained before Concerta.

Although I met with my doctor in person every three months, what I wasn’t thinking about at the time has since come to the forefront regarding ADHD medications: The stimulants are highly addictive; the potential side effects of misuse can be as serious as heart attack and stroke; and the rise in inappropriate prescriptions has caused the American Medical Association to issue concerns. I was unknowingly part of a generation so hooked, there’s even a 2018 Netflix documentary about the phenomenon called Take Your Pills.