AbsentMinded

I upvoted you on reddit, but just wanted to say great post! You did a ton a research that is helpful to. Have in one place.

You both bring up great points. I definitely think that I am trying to fit into societies norms but at the same time, aren't we forced to an extent? My apartment doesn't care if I have ADD they just want their rent paid on time. Any job has at least minimum expectations. Something that really bugs me when I read other add boards is over compensating which I mentioned here before. If someone is about to be fired and they take adderall it should bring them up to average worker. Yet all the posts talk about getting fired (or just not being director yet) to getting multiple promotions. Now you're not normal or average. Yet, when I was taking it doctors were surprised I wasn't excelling at work. I was showing up on time and not screwing everything up but I was no where near employee of the year. Some said that maybe it wasn't working well enough or I could take event more, but I was fine with average because compared to where I was before I WAS excelling. Now I'm trying to figure out how to be average while people around me are popping pills and passing me by.

I came across some old short educational clips on YouTube from the 50s/60s. If your interested just search things like procrastination 1950s or responsibility 1960s. For example on video has a girl who waits to the last minute to plan a party and ruins everything. Another one has a kid whose fish die and he can't find his new toy. A third is a girl who interrupts everyone and wears messy clothe because she doesn't bother to clean them in time for school. You get the idea. My point is that everyone in these videos would qualify for ADHD by today's standards. In the videos they talk about getting up on time, forming good habits, etc. So, it got me thinking. Did these characters have something wrong with them and were blamed for something they couldn't help? Or did we make up a disease to treat bad habits and traits with pills? Is ADD real? I feel like if it is i have it, but what are the alternatives to meds? The videos are just like "stop procrastinating" which we all know is easier said than done. At this point i feel great and healthy, but the issues i had pre-adderall with finishing things, forgetting things, etc are still there.

Took for over 8 years. I don’t think I realized it was causing problems until I quit. I didn’t register now anti-social I had become or how dependent on it I was for energy. Looking back now I realize I wasn’t full of life or really happy. I was Adderall happy. “Cleaning my floors is fun!!” I think it really started day one. So, it took me 8 years to wake up.

As others said it’s NOT permanent. A lot of people have been successful tapering down, but I actually think it’s more difficult. You’re constantly detoxing from the drugs which is where your symptoms are coming from. Once you’re completely detoxed I bet you will find you stop having these issues. Maybe instead of not taking any for two hours you could take a lower dose? Or when it wears off take some l-tyrosine or caffeine. I have only been off two/three months (Can’t remember my quit date. It was just whenever I finally ran out) I feel great and I think 90% is nutrition, sleep, and exercise. I ate healthy (by American standards) before but I really went all out when quitting and since I have a bigger appetite I was able to get more nutrition in. (Without gaining any weight). If I could go back I would have started this before I quit. If you have ever taken your blood sugar after Adderall you will see that it spikes. Add sugar to that and you’re in for a crash. I don’t know if any of this applies to you. TLDR: You will recover. Tyrosine is super helpful. It’s hard to believe how great you can feel off of it when what you’re feeling right now is detox symptoms.

I got off Facebook during the election and at first I really missed the mindless addiction. I went back a few months ago and it seems most of my friends are either off it now or haven’t posted in forever. There are a few acquaintances that post non-stop like they are on Twitter “headed to the movies and getting my nails done!” “Long day of work today!” This time I deactivated because I really just didn’t have any interest it in anymore.

I would also be furious at whatever vet okayed this. I would think most would have them taken into foster care or something.

I think this topic is allowed, but I’ll remove it if it’s not. I just saw a brief interview with Simone Biles (who is amazing) about how she takes anti-anxiety meds. I know she also takes Adderall as do other Olympic athletes. I just wonder what you all think of it in regards to safety and health of these athletes, as well as the potential for this to start a trend. Especially in a sport like gymnastics with stunted growth and hyperfocus would help anyone, not just those with ADHD. I know they are being seen by doctors and it’s their business, but it’s just concerning to me. Taking it to study is one thing, but taking it while doing intense sports just seems so risky. To be clear, I’m not judging anyone who needs meds, I’m concerned about those who see these world champions and think getting a script themselves could give them an edge.

I know this is an old post, but I figured I’d add my two cents. I was taking 3000mg 2-3X a day along with multiple preworkouts a day. I didn’t think it did anything so when I ran out I didn’t replace it. After a few days of wondering why I was so tired all the time I made the connection. I don’t think l-tyrosine makes you “feel” anything (at least for me) it’s not like caffeine when there is a clear difference. But, if I don’t take it I do notice. Kind of like how Adderall was in the beginning. I didn’t notice anything, but my world was somehow becoming more organized.

Congrats! I love this post. Dogs are the best. Some days I wouldn’t leave my house if it weren’t for my dog wanting to go out. I find I’m much more attentive to him now as well. I’m not blocking him off while I clean my clean floor AGAIN.

The idea of traveling. I remember looking up various places like Japan and finding out that it’s illegal to bring Adderall. (I think you can bring Vyvanse now) I pretty much crossed anyplace off my list that wouldn’t allow me to bring it. Now I can go anywhere and not have to worry if it’s legal, how many pills I have, what if I lose it out of the country. It’s such a handicap for any sort of travel or adventure. Also, I luckily didn’t have many physical side effects, but I was at universal once on a fast ride that really made my heart race and it scared me so I swore off rides and amusement parks. Will be fun to go back without worrying about dying on a roller coaster.

This may apply to men in other ways, but I wanted to make a quick post in case it could help someone else. The last couple days my clothes were getting tight, I was more tired than usual, and I started to think maybe I should go back on Adderall and try stepping down. I know it’s a vain thing to be concerned with, but the thought of receiving clothes from my family for Christmas and them being too small was really starting to get to me. Well, this morning I woke up and my clothes fit again. It was PMS weight gain and mental fatigue that I haven’t experienced in years. It was something I didn’t have to deal with on Adderall so I forgot it was a thing. So, in case any other ladies out there are thinking they gained 10 pounds overnight from stopping Adderall, it may just be hormones trying to regulate themselves after years of being out of wack. I have no scientific proof that this is what is going on, but it definitely seems to be what happened with me. Hope this helps someone not stress out about it like I did.

@Socially awkward I thought the lack of eye contact thing was just me. I would be talking to someone and completely avoiding eye contact, even though I knew it wasn’t normal. Yet I couldn’t make myself do it. So I would have conversations looking at the ground or in the distance and feel super awkward. Wish I made the connection earlier.

I have been slowly reading through all the quitting stories to keep myself motivated. I’m not sure how much information is actually registering, but I came across one that mentioned teeth shifting that really caught my attention. Is this a known side effect?! I had braces growing up, but I would constantly forget or lose my retainer so my teeth weren’t 100% perfect, but since Adderall they have shifted so much on the bottom I can’t even fit a retainer on them. I never attributed this to Adderall, but now I am wondering if it is the cause. On Adderall I started grinding my teeth at night while sleeping. Not during the day, but at night probably due to pent up stress?! Anyone else experience this? If so, this is another strike against Adderall. Although I have decided to quit, in my moments of weakness I think “what harm did it really do? What’s another month going to hurt?” But things like this help me realize that there are long term consequences that I will still have to deal with if I start and stop again so why make it worse?

Thanks for responding! I feel like I have to keep finding and reminding myself that my life was not perfect and easy. Right now I’m bored out of my mind when I try to work, but I’m also in no position to interview for new jobs. I want to be social again, but I almost forget how, or maybe I’m just too tired and overwhelmed.

Just curious. Some people say that Adderall made them more social and fun. For me it made me anti-social and I didn’t even realize it until now. I’ve only been off about a month (from 90/day) so I am by no means cured, but this is another strike against going back. Before Adderall I was very chatty at work. I saw work as another social outlet and would attend every happy hour or work event. This didn’t make me very productive, but it made work more fun. Looking back, from the time I went on Adderall, I became anti-social. Why would I want to leave early for happy hour when I can stay here and work more? Why waste time when there is money to be made? I switched jobs after the first two years and am just realizing I didn’t make a single friend at that job. When I left previous jobs coworkers were sad to see me go. At this last job, literally no one cared. Now I work from home so I don’t have coworkers (in person). Of course I loved it the first couple years. No one to bother me or disrupt my work. Now that I’ve been off Adderall, it sucks. What are your experiences socially with and without?

The comment about saving money on food hits home. Many times I have compared the cost of coffee to Adderall (and the doctors appointments) and justified that Adderall was financially a better choice. What a great reason to risk my health and well being! Of course I would determine this while on Adderall.

I just tried to comment on a blog post and had this issue. It says there is a captcha, but it’s a blank screen.

Part one I just came across this episode from 2012. It’s about kids being given 10+ drugs including Adderall. I hope parents are looking at all options and using Adderall as a last resort. I can’t imagine the withdraw that they go through coming off Adderall when their brains aren’t even fully developed. In these cases the parents were afraid of not following the doctors orders (doctors paid off by big pharma). But, as I’ve been researching more I came across a doctors discussion board. They were saying how when patients want Adderall they just gave it to them and how they NEEDED these patients to keep coming back so they could make easy money. One even said that he liked ADHD patients because he could print a script and send them on their way. Leaving more time for more “important” patients. Whether you ever really ADHD or not, this is really concerning to me. Psych doctors admitting they hand out Adderall like candy and get paid off by pharmaceutical companies. Disclaimer: I know there are plenty of wonderful Psychiatrists and Doctors. I’m specifically speaking about the ones who enabled all of us to get addicted to this stuff.

From NYT Article that cemented my decision: The evening opened with the local Chadd coordinator thanking the drug company Shire — the manufacturer of several A.D.H.D. drugs, including Vyvanse and extended-release Adderall — for partly underwriting the event. An hourlong film directed and narrated by two men with A.D.H.D. closed by examining some “myths” about stimulant medications, with several doctors praising their efficacy and safety. One said they were “safer than aspirin,” while another added, “It’s O.K. — there’s nothing that’s going to happen.” My Story: Growing up I was that disorganized kid. My mom would send me to school with a folder to turn in to my teacher and it would somehow disappear by the time she collected them. I did okay in elementary school where a common theme on back to school night was “daydreamer” “careless mistakes” I drove some teachers crazy not because I was loud or hyper, but they didn’t understand how I forgot my coat outside for the 10th time or why I would have to ask what we were doing because I wasnt paying attention. One year a teacher sent me to the reading specialist because they thought I was having reading comprehension issues. She sent me back with a note telling my teacher that I was above grade level and not to send me back. I can see why they were frustrated. Fast forward to highschool and I wanted to go to a good college so I really worked on learning study habits, wrote every single thing down, etc and did well. My friends constantly joked about me losing things and having “ADD” but I don’t think anyone actually thought I had it. Fast forward again to adulthood where I really struggled. I always said I didn’t want a desk job, but that’s what I got. I would leave it every chance I got to get coffee, water, talk. I was so unorganized. I would read an email get distracted and then stress when I got a follow up email wanting an update on my progress (on the project from the first email that I never finished reading). I think my managers let me get away with a lot because I was a team player and well liked and they knew I was trying. Over the years I would come across those ADD “tests” and articles about over medicated kids and think “ADD doesn’t exist, I have all those issues and I don’t have it” At a yearly appointment (after I rescheduled twice due to forgetting the first two) my doctor brought up dopamine and my 3 venti Starbucks a day habit. This led me to look at those online tests again and make a psychologist appointment. He told me I had anxiety, but it seemed to all steam from ADD inattentive and if I got that treated then it should help anxiety as well. So went to psychiatrist for confirmation and suggestions. I was put on Adderall. Unlike most I never got that “I was blind but now I see!” Result. In fact I didn’t think it did anything, but at the follow up the doctor made me realize that even though I didn’t feel different I wasn’t late to work, didn’t lose anything that week, etc. That was 10 years ago. From time to time I would think I want to get off just because I’m pretty health conscious and also anti-big pharma. I hated those follow up appointments and going to the pharmacy, ALOT. I would debate stopping every time I was running low. But, when I did stop and I was forced to sit at work it was torture. So, back to my supplier I went. Over the last three years the psychs in the practice I got to have been a revolving door and I can’t stand the latest one so I decided to find someone new. Except I procrastinate (even on Adderall) and ran out without finding anyone. So I went online trying to figure out what to do and was horrified at what I read on other forums. I love reddit, but the pro-Adderall mantra on some subs was concerning. People would go on saying “I feel like I’m having a heart attack I hate Adderall” and the responses would say “NO you need your medication everyday! Just a little side effect no big deal” Then the posts “I got to an Ivy League school and it’s hard so I tried to get Adderall and the doctor said I don’t have ADD” and the responses “find a new doctor! Keep looking till you get a proper diagnosis! I saw five before anyone correctly diagnosed me and now I take 120mg a day and it’s great” or the posts “i never knew I had add, but I took some Adderall and now I painted my whole house and got a promotion! Clearly I needed this medication and wish I had it sooner” Do I think Adderall can help people? Yes, it literally helps everyone. I just don’t agree that someone who goes from C student to A just needed a little Adderall to be top student in their classes. I feel like so many people overcompensate with Adderall and get extreme results. Then those around them need Adderall to keep up. I never had life changing results but it helped for sure. If I didn’t have to work I wouldn’t think twice about stopping for good and just being disorganized because that’s who I am. My dad is the same so I think there is a generic link to it, but is it really a disorder like schizophrenia or more of a collection of negative traits? Back to the NYT article. If you haven’t read it I recommend it. While reading it I of course am thinking “well glad I’m not addicted like him” while also feeling anger at the doctors who should really be called drug dealers. I’d like to think that because I actually do check the boxes and am scatter brained that the doctors were correct in prescribing, but it seems like they prescribe to anyone and everyone, so what me so sure? The part that really got to me is the big “pro-Adderall” gala put on my shire to tell everyone how safe and wonderful these drugs are. I went from 90mg a day to 0 for the last three weeks. It’s not much, but I figure this is perfect time to slack off at work due to the holidays and upcoming vacation. Sorry, Shire, I’m not falling for it anymore. It’s a weight loss drug, it’s addictive, and it’s not safer than aspirin. Edit: sorry for all the typos.