pill-ow talk

Taking Adderall makes me gay. Help!

A self-described “straight male” is feeling awfully confused about his sexuality, and he’s turned to the internet for advice.

He wants to be clear about one thing, though: His same-sex attractions only manifest when he’s on ADHD medication Adderall.

Posting to the ADHD Reddit forum, he writes that, “I can’t explain the science of it, but I know that when I take my meds, I always start feeling different. Can anyone explain this? I feel that it will be an awkward conversation with my psychologist. I have always been a straight male, but I always ending up feeling unusual and have an attraction towards other males when I take Adderall.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments section is brimming with jokes. “Ah, the curious case of GayDHD,” wrote one user.

“Take ur medigaytion,” suggested another, while one commenter joked that “These are skittles, sir.”

Related: Gay guy worries his snack made him straight, seeks advice

Plenty of other commenters left unhelpful messages along the lines of “Nope you’re just gay.”

But some took the time to offer real, thoughtful advice.

“Two possibilities:” wrote one Redditor.

“1. Stimulants can increase your sex drive overall, which might just turn up the volume on a previously ‘quiet’ attraction to men.

“2. When I first went on meds, I found they made it harder to avoid things I’d ignored previously. Not even things I was consciously avoiding, you know? But I just wasn’t as distracted.

“Either way, I definitely recommend talking to someone about this. Yes it’s awkward but that’s not the worst thing in the world. Way better than repressing it. Take it from someone who has personal experience in this matter.”

Indeed, a possible side effect of amphetamines like Adderall is hypersexuality, which is an all-consuming preoccupation with sex. Other commenters reiterated this, urging the confused man to dig a little deeper than simply blaming his attractions on the meds.

Related: Married man grapples with bisexual urges and being faithful to wife, seeks advice

One comment that earned thousands of up-votes came from the mom of LGBTQ kids.

“Hi. I’m a mom of LGBT kids and I have ADHD and take Adderall,” she wrote.

“I believe Adderall helps shut down the chattering and unnecessary clatter in our heads so we can focus on the important things that we need to.

“My official mom opinion is you may want to spend some time analyzing these feelings. You can do it on paper. What do you feel? What do you think? Is your Adderall-free brain trying to repress something? What would happen if you were gay or bisexual? Would your family or friends treat you differently?

“Sometimes we push things away into the background noise of our brains but when that noise is quieter, some thoughts become the focus.

“Please just know that whatever you are you are loved and perfect. If you need a proud mom hug or pep talk, I’m available!”

After receiving 600+ comments, the original poster thanked “everyone who gave me actual tips and advice.” Here’s hoping it started him down a path of self-discovery.

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