Worried Sister

Your story is very similar to my sister's, almost exact. She too was home-schooled (extremely smart girl don't think she skipped grades but very smart) She was diagnosed with Mono as well. Lost mom at a very young age but mom believed in natural healing and not in prescription medications. She was prescribed before college (age 15), she excels greatly at school, always top of her class, but she suffers in all other areas of her life right now. I hope one day she will show interest to a support group, you guys are very similar and it might be helpful to know someone with a similar story such as yourself. She also loveeees dinosaurs and I can't help but notice your name "tyrhannahsaurus", makes me smile. It's such a big step to take action and notice how it is effecting you. I wish I could talk to my sister about it, but I have no idea where she is with this and only assume she doesn't realize how it's destroying her health. I had a small experience with adderall in college but don't feel I can fully relate to others about the topic because addiction and struggle happened all in a few months. I don't know what it feels like to have been on it for years and I am not a doctor so I can't really say what might help. The only thing I can offer is encouragement. It's a long road to wean yourself off, imagine how amazing you'll feel once your free from it. Through all of the stories I've read on this site people do struggle to get through the withdrawal but they find it rewarding once their empathy returns and they are able to love, and feel again. There are some great tips on this site to help with withdrawal, also some supplements that might help take away some pain while your body is adjusting. I really feel for you, I hope you know you are strong enough to overcome this, it's amazing what someone can accomplish once they put their mind to it. Again, I wish you could talk to my sister, you guys would get along so well and I feel she would respond to someone who is also going through this, I really wish you the best. Thank you very much for sharing your story.

You're totally right, the more I read that I can't help her, the more I accept it. She has to overcome this on her own, helping her just feeds the addiction. I wish I could take the pain away for her, she is so smart and has numerous opportunities ahead of her, I wish she could see how much she is holding herself back and missing out on her life. It must be especially difficult for you, my heart goes out to you and your brother. You sound like a very strong person, you've taken responsibility to know you need to quit and you will overcome this, they say it takes time but with patience and endurance, you can beat this! I honestly don't know what a intervention will do, I feel if we (me, friends, family) confront her as a whole, she'll completely lose it, she is a very complicated person and it's hard to predict what might happen especially with her past antics. I will research that show though and maybe one day if she doesn't realize how it's destroying her, I might have to take action with a intervention. As a family we are hurting greatly for her, I don't think she realizes how much and I honestly don't think she cares. Something that helped pull me out of it (I had a experience with Adderall in college) was I really listened to myself, what I was saying, how I reacted to people, and found myself wanting to take it back. It's very small at first, but you have to think how you would of handled that same situation prior to adderall. I was also very lucky and met my Husband a few months after my experience, and he's the one who really saved me. Yes, I was pretty much alone through most of my addiction and withdrawal, but once I felt love again, it was the greatest high in the world.

Hi Jacob! I've read on this site that there are supplements to help with the withdrawal, I would first consult your doctor before taking any supplements especially if you are taking other prescriptions. You never know how one supplement may react with another, do some research and see what might best fit your aliments. I've also read potassium, water, and exercise are very helpful while recovering. Remember it's a long road to quit and going cold turkey from what I hear isn't the best route. They also say getting lost in TV shows and Books help cope with the withdrawal. This site is awesome for methods of overcoming withdrawal. When you feel weak reach out to others on here, maybe find someone to chat with and share your experience, while you're going through a tough time, it's amazing what a little encouragement can do and it does go a long way. Don't forget your inner strength, it's in there!!! and you can fight this!!!

Thank you for that, I often wonder if I am inhibiting solving the problem by consistently giving in, it's so hard to see her so alone...She does have good days, but they are far and few in-between. I've read on this site about losing empathy because of adderall, which I totally get (I used for two months in college and was soooo mean to my parents it was awful, I was constantly on edge barely sleeping, never eating), I feel she's lost her empathy which makes her unpleasant, but I put up with it because I was in that dark place for a short time, but the only person able to pull me out of it was myself...nobody else knew what was going on, I was alone and desperate and made the change willingly. I will seek out a counselor, maybe it will help give me a piece of mind, I am sooo distracted from my work....Dad might not be ready for that but we'll try. Thank you again!

Do you experience muscle spasms or lower abdominal pain?

I will say I am NOT a Doctor, I have only observed and assume this might be the underlying issue. It is possible her health issues are caused by another health problem. From the research I've done this seems to fit. She is just in so much agonizing pain that it breaks my heart, I just want her to feel better and live the life that was meant for her. One another note, she is doing very very well in school, and doesn't lose focus on the task at hand.

Does anyone else experience these symptoms from withdrawal or over dose of adderall? extreme shaking, tremors, muscle twitches, stomach cramping, irritability, depression, mental confusion, sleeping for 24-48 hours at a time, hopelessness, paranoia, withdrawn from reality, inactive social life, mood swings, and extreme anger/hostility when the adderall is not available.

You're Welcome! Imagine how it will feel once you've accomplished your first project without the adderall and how much that will mean to you! I wish you the best, and hope you have lots of loving support around you, also don't let work get ahead of your health, remember your health comes first!

I fought a addiction to adderall while in college, and am currently helping my younger sister with her addiction. I was not prescribed adderall, and was taking it to catch up in my school work. Catching up on my school work turned into taking it to party. It completely clouded my judgement and I found myself in a abusive relationship with someone who abused adderall on a daily basis. I lost all my friends and family at the time, and it destroyed my life. I went through all of this in the matter of a few months. Just two months and my life was destroyed, It has now been 7 years since this and I can't believe how far I've come. I can't speak as someone who has been on it for years but I've experienced how much it can take away from you, when I was on it and then experiencing withdrawal I was very mean to my parents, wanting to experiment with other drugs, experiencing hopelessness, heard voices, and saw things in my apartment on campus that were not really there. It was awful, and I can tell you now that the benefits of quitting are tremendous. Ask yourself this, do you want to live? Because when you're on adderall you're not living, you're dependent on a drug. YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT IT! You can overcome bulimia, you can open your own business, you can have healthy and happy relationships, YOU CAN WAKE UP! Motivate yourself by reading people's success stories/overcoming addiction. It's not a easy road but it is possible with the right support, seek out rehab if you find yourself on and off of it again.

Hello, I am seeking advice to help my Sister. She has been taking adderall for over 5 years now and started using it after being prescribed by a doctor for ADHD. Since being on adderall she has experienced many changes in her personality and day to day life. I am very close to her (although she lives two hours away) and will do anything to try to help her. She suffers from a extreme addiction to the medicine and is experiencing multiple health problems from the side effects. These side effects include extreme shaking, tremors, muscle twitches, stomach cramping, irritability, depression, mental confusion, sleeping for 24-48 hours at a time, hopelessness, paranoia, withdrawn from reality, inactive social life, mood swings, and extreme anger/hostility when the adderall is not available to her. For the past six months or so she has doubled her dose of adderall which means she is without it for a period of time at the end of the month, I believe she is suffering from overdose and then withdrawal which is causing the extreme problems in her health. She is a nurse and I am not, it is difficult for me to communicate my concerns about her addiction because she believes it is not the adderall and that her symptoms are caused by something else. I am scared for her life, she calls me in agonizing pain and it scares the hell out of me. I jump in the car and run down to her whenever/whatever time it may be and constantly drop everything in my life to help her, which I don't mind but others in my life are becoming irritated by it (my husband, parents, friends, even clients). I feel hopeless, I want to help her so bad but the only solution I have read about is rehab, which is not a option for her. She is very stubborn and always gets her way, if I were to suggest rehab I am afraid she would turn away from me and the family. She attempted suicide two years ago, my husband and I had her forced into a hospital for care (she refused to go to the doctor and slept in her closet for days). After the attempt she was able to talk the doctors out of putting her under a suicide watch and they had to let her go. She was never treated properly for the mental state that she was in. The next time she cut, she treated herself because she's a "Nurse" and refused again to go to the hospital. If I force her to go, the repercussions of that are devastating, she completely shuts me and the family out, and then I don't know what is going on in her life and if she is ok. It's terrifying. I know what needs to be done: quit adderall, rehab, talk to a therapist (which she has, but I don't think she goes anymore), but I just don't know how to go about it. Anytime I've mentioned that the adderall is the problem, she finds a way around it, saying it's another health problem, and when she goes to the doctor with her pains they just give her more drugs! I constantly think and pray for her, SHE HAS NO IDEA, she thinks that I don't care no matter how much I show her. She never thanks me for driving two hours in the middle of the night so I can help her with her dog and take care of her. She is easily angered and irritated by me, sometimes it can be very hurtful, I feel trapped and don't know how to help her anymore...I feel she would be more receptive to someone she respects and admires (which is obviously not me) I try to talk to Dad about the issues but he feels she needs to get through school first before we suggest getting her off the adderall. I'm worried it will be to late by then...if anyone has any advice for me, phone numbers of specialists, or has experienced this yourself or with a loved one, please help me.