Stopped Adderal Cold Turkey | ADHD Information

First thank you for all of the support I received on Oct 7.  That was the day I stopped taking Adderal.  The first 21 days was hell.  I slept most of the time and at times I wanted to sneak a pill to help me cope with being so tired.  I had nausea, headaches along with slight irritability.  I am pass 30 days now and am back to normal.  I do miss at times the extra energy I wold achieve by popping a pill, but the side effects would soon follow.

Unfortunately or fortunately for me I am not ADHD.  My doctor perscribed the medicine over 2 years to help me concentrate because of my eccessive workload and 14-16 hour a day schedule.  I became addicted to it and wanted to stop it several times this past year but, couldn't get past the tired stage and would go right back on it.

One of the worse side effects for me was it made me sexually aroused all the time. I know, and you say, That is a bad thing?  lol  It is when you are not able to focus because of it.

I am completely off of it and have no desire to go back on.  My sex drive is healthy anyway...so that isn't missed much.

I really wanted tosay thank you for those of you who helped me understand what I was going through.  I did it and now I have a coffe if I need a pick me up.

Flutter

 

well, congratulations flutterose.  glad all is well with you - and that you found support here too, how sweet of you to write and say thanks!  (don't mind bugz - he's got a bee in his bonnet about trolls )

and good luck with everything in the future too -

No, I do not take any other form of medicine. 

     If you are on any ANTI_DEPRESSANT, do not stop any other meds without speaking with your doctor first.I have quit an anti-depressant before and the effects aren't pleasant!!! But, i will say i am on the same medications as before, as I prefer to be able to make qa difference with my life rather than just an 'existance' of what I do.

Wow....I have never been called a troll before.  Thank you lol  I actually appreciated bugz response.  I like it when someone calls me on the carpet. As adults sometimes we think we can do or say whatever we want, by using our own nuerotic justification.  It's fantastic when someone with enough knowledge and guts can call our bluff!

Thanks Bugz....  BTW...I am deathly allergic to bee's!

I wasn't one who supported you back on October 7th but congratulations!  Nice to hear good news!     "My doctor perscribed the medicine over 2 years to help me concentrate because of my eccessive workload and 14-16 hour a day schedule.  I became addicted to it"

I hope you found a new doctor! Prescribing amphetamines for what sounds like sleep deprivation is at best unwise and quite possibly dangerous. It's not a drug to be taken lightly.

As for the addictive side, I must be lucky. I take adderall when I'm in school but anytime there is a break or holiday I quit. I've never had any problems just stopping. Maybe a little extra tired for a few days, but nothing really noteworthy. I really feel better after a couple of weeks off. I've tried going without it while school is in session but unfortunately studying is pretty much impossible without it.

I guess I have almost an anti-addiction to it. Instead of resisting the temptation to take it I have to resist the temptation to not take it. When I stop taking it I don't miss it at all and loathe having to start back, but I know I got to do whatever it takes to get through school.

Sorry for rambling about myself, and congratulations on getting your head straight! [QUOTE=FLUTTERROSE]Unfortunately or fortunately for me I am not ADHD.  My doctor perscribed the medicine over 2 years to help me concentrate because of my eccessive workload and 14-16 hour a day schedule.  I became addicted to it and wanted to stop it several times this past year but, couldn't get past the tired stage and would go right back on it.[/QUOTE]


EXCUSE ME, You Lied to a dr and claimed adhd to get adderall?

 A dr is not going to just prescribe adderall because you "work all the time"

 Your lucky your not dead from your adventure, and thanks, because of people like you, adhd gets a bad rap, as does adderall.

 I have no sympathy. I am glad you stopped, but taking pills and spending money on dr visits and pills is not something that is real smart.

 Which is why I really don't know if I believe you. Not the smart part, the spending money on the dx and rx . month after month.

 You had to get refills, how many per time? let the original poster answer please.

 ADDMD,, if you really have adhd, your chances of becoming addicted to your medication are really small. the real addicts are not adhd. at least that is all I have read.
bugzappers38659.7661111111

I went off Adderall cold turkey too.  I did not experience any of the side effects you describe.  I just stopped taking it.

Adderall was not addictive to me.  It helped me for a while, then it seemed to stop helping.  So I'm trying other things.

 

No, I did not lie to my Dr.  My family physician recommended that I see a physcologist to be evaluated for stress.  After 9 months of counseling she came to the decision that I was ADHD. Because my work schedule was so hectic, she advised that I go on Adderal.  I was sent then to a Physchiatrist and he perscribed me the perscription. 

I have never even smoked a cigerette or tried any other type of non perscription medications. I am not a fan of medicine since I am highly allergic to many of them and have been hospitalized.

However, when I started adderal I did notice it did seem to help me focus.  I also noticed I was able to get my 16 hour work days accomplished easier.  At first I didn't really pay attention to why. I was just happy I was doing it.  I own my own business and I support 4 children and put two of them through college on their own.  My business was having a hard time and I needed to restructure it.  And yes, there were days I would not sleep at all.  Sometimes I could work almost 3 days straight and then I would crash.

When thing began to settle down, I notice how I couldn't sleep and how I was having a hard time focusing. I couldn't multi task like I use too. I do not think adderal is a bad drug. It has helped several members of my family.  Probably why the Dr. thought i had it because several of my children have it but so does my Ex husband too.  I do not have ADHD which would prove why I became addicted to its "energy effect".  I had visited my Dr. several times to tell him that I wasn't ablet o stay as focused.  He said, I just needed to up my dosage. So, I was taking 40 mg in the morning and then anywhere from 20-40 mg sustained release in the afternoon.

I know now and knew after about 1 year that this was not right. I tried to stop but couldn't get past the sleeping phase.  I am not making excuses for my behavior or why I keep taking it.  As soon, as I didnt'have to work 16 hour days anymore, I stopped it. I took 2 weeks off of work to stop.

When I wrote that I had stopped it, I didn't mean to imply that I stopped because it was not an effective drug or I didn't approve of it.  On the contrary, my youngest is ADHD and if she is not on her medicine it shows.  We do drug free weekends, summers and school vacation days. It is only used once in the morning on school days. She is 15 and has been taking medicine since she was 8.  I will take a few weeks out of the school year and take her off. I will not inform the teacher about this and I can't count the days to whenI know I will receive a phone call, asking me if there are any problems at home, because "R" is walking around, disrupting class and being a aggressive. I tell them I test the medicine or the lack there off on a continuel basis.

I hope this has given you a better understanding to my situation.

Flutter

 

 

refills? 

That is wonderful!! I was concerned before I started ritalin that I might abuse it because I'd always had a tendency to use up all the vicodin in the house if I was in a depressive funk. However, since I started ritalin, I've never had any urge to use drugs and I don't even notice the ritalin when I take it. I notice that it slows me down and my urge to get out of my seat goes away but I don't get any 'drugged' effect. That was just another sign that I really do have ADHD. Like someone said, I can't believe a doctor would prescripe a drug for someone who didn't really have ADHD.

I'm incredibly amazed with your strength and determination. It is something for you to be proud of. As I read your post, I was thinking that if I were in your place, I'm not sure I'd have so much strength. Never forget how strong you are and what you can do!

The Dr. would give me 6 months of perscriptions and then I would need to see him before I received another 6 months. When I stopped, I had two perscriptions left for refills.  I tore them up.

My experience is like addMDtobe's

I take it during crunch times only.