ADDrew Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Sorry if I'm missing something but I just don't know why I should want to stop. I was prescribed adderall in 4th grade, when I was about 10 years old. I was a smart kid before but I just couldn't manage all my energy and stay out of trouble. Once I started taking adderall, I was better behaved, more efficient, good at managing time, and felt motivated. I'm 19 now and a sophomore in college. I decided to try and stop taking adderall senior year of high school (by this time I was taking 25 mg of adderall XR daily). I began falling asleep in class (which I had never done before), getting unorganized, and feeling unmotivated. All of these things were horrible considering the fact that I was taking 4 AP classes at the time. So before things got too bad, I began taking adderall again and everything straightened out. Once I graduated, I just stopped taking it again and I dealt with all the withdrawal symptoms. I was tired and unmotivated, then I fell deep into depression and developed problems with anxiety. Starting college was tough without adderall. I began to realize that adderall is basically my reality. I had been taking the pill through some of the most important developmental years for the brain and then I just stopped taking it suddenly. As a result, I turned to other things to stimulate my brain in the absence of adderall. I smoked weed and drank increasingly often. I have a pretty level head and realized what a problem those two things could become and quickly stopped before they got out of hand. Since then, I take adderall every once in a while just to feel "normal" for a little while. I feel like I'm very aware of addiction and how easy it is to become addicted to something, and how those things can be extremely bad for someone's health. I'm just struggling to realize what is so wrong with adderall. I can't even remember why I originally stopped. I think it was just an experiment to see if I could, and here I am. I have been incredibly unproductive this semester and have dropped 2 important classes. I want to go to medical school and I honestly feel my dreams slipping away. What's the point of stopping? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Why did you come to this site if you don't want to stop? Did you Google 'quitting Adderall'? We are not here to convince people that Adderall is bad. We are here to support people who want to get off it for their own reasons. Decide for yourself if there's a point in stopping. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 I'm not sure why you are here, but as Cassie said, "we are here to support people who want to get off it". Please be mindful of what you say and how you say it as there are those of us that are struggling to remove this addiction from our lives and putting adderall in a positive light may cause someone to stumble. It sounds like you have some self examination to conduct to answer your question. If you don't see a reason to quit, then it isn't the right time for you to do so. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerokewl Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 WE quit because our lives became a personal hell on the drug. Tweaked out mindless robots with poor circulation we decided to free our mind grapes from mediocrity. Its different for everyone, you may not be ready to quit now, or ever, given your length of use recovery will be a life changing experience. But its not easy the lethargy and depression you described we've all experienced, it gets better but it takes time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADDrew Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Cassie, no, I actually Googled "dry eyes from stopping adderall" or something along those lines, and I found this site. I wanted to see what other people had to say about their experiences with the drug.Justin, you're right. I guess that was the wrong way to put it. I just wanted to get to the root of the issue and put my perspective out there to see if anyone has been where I am and has any helpful advice. Sorry to anyone who may have been offended by this. Thanks Zero. I think you're definitely right about how it will be life changing if I decide to stop. Maybe I'll just have to find some sort of balance or something. I'm not sure I can imagine living without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerokewl Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 Stopping Adderall could be life changing in the most amazing way. Imagine.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 5, 2013 Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 The track record of this drug is that your body will build up a tolerance and you will need to increase your dosage in order to realize benefits from taking it. My advice is that you consider staying off because you are on a relatively low dose and it should be less of a crash; but there will be about a year of crap to deal with during withrdawl regardless of when you quit. It will be easier on your body to cope with withdrawl at a younger age than later in life also. That's my two cents but you need to do what is best for you and as always, you should consult a medical professional regarding any mental health issues or questions you might have instead of listening to some schmuck on the interwebs; insert death, dismemberment, instability, and anal leakage clause here... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 If you can't find any reasons to stop taking adderall, then you shouldn't even attempt a Quit. Do you believe that is a drug you can continue taking for the rest of your life? Do you believe it is causing harm to your body? And if so, do the benefits of using adderall outweigh the proven negative effects of long term amphetamine use? (i.e. Parkinsons disease) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADDrew Posted November 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 Yeah I kinda already went through a lot of the withdrawal stuff. It really sucked. That's a good a point about it being more difficult later in life. Quit-once, I didn't know about the link with Parkinson's. I looked into it a bit and it looks like its pretty rare, but still that's pretty scary. One thing that does bug me about adderall is the apparent lack of knowledge of effects from long-term use. This really is a tough decision for me. There could be underlying causes but all I know is that I just don't feel normal when I don't take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searchingsoul9 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 Well, you tell us. What is the point of stopping? For me adderall made me a completely different person. Boring, quiet, robotic, annoying, crack head-like, unhealthy, depressed, angry...the list goes on. If you have no negatives to say about adderall, then maybe you do really need it. If you're not abusing it, maybe it is okay for you. For me, no way. Adderall is an emotion stealing man made pill. I hate it. As does everyone on here. Do you feel like your true self on adderall? I personally don't think ANYONE truly needs adderall. Personally, i believe ADD is a made up load of crap. You can fix concentration natural ways. Some people are more hyper and outgoing than others. I think that it's beautiful. I think adderall steals their true identities. But, that's just my two cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searchingsoul9 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 If you can't find any reasons to stop taking adderall, then you shouldn't even attempt a Quit. Do you believe that is a drug you can continue taking for the rest of your life? Do you believe it is causing harm to your body? And if so, do the benefits of using adderall outweigh the proven negative effects of long term amphetamine use? (i.e. Parkinsons disease) I was abusing for two years and my shaking hands and motor tics freaked me out. This generation is like the first real abusers of adderall. We wont find out the negative long term side effects of it until it is too late for us. We don't have any evidence to show whether or not parkinsons is a probable outcome of abuse. Just like smokers didn't realize it was linker to lung cancer, until people died and the government or who the hell ever linked cigs to lung cancer. I do believe though that in the future adderall will be linked to NUMEROUS illnesses and side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 ADDrew, I applaud your efforts to get differing viewpoints about using this drug. I am sure you are aware that the opinions expressed around here will be biased against using adderall - otherwise we would still be using it and posting on drugs-forum.com. or addforums.com (both sites are worth checking out). Quitting is a huge and personal decision that needs to come from within. Whether you like it or not, addiction is the reality of amphetamine usage, whether you abused the drug or not, and it is nothing to be ashamed of, either. But that is exactly why you do not feel "normal" when you don't take it. Recovery from adderall addiction is a multi-year process which you can verify by reading some of our stories. In fact, you may feel out- of- sorts for the entire first year of quitting. It is not something you can quit and go back to and cycle through use and non use without feeling like total shit for a long time. So the decision to quit requires total commitment. By the way, the most famous case of amphetamines causing parkinsons disease was Adolph Hitler. Also, JFK had some long-term amphetamine issues as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 ADDrew, I applaud your efforts to get differing viewpoints about using this drug. I am sure you are aware that the opinions expressed around here will be biased against using adderall - otherwise we would still be using it and posting on drugs-forum.com. or addforums.com (both sites are worth checking out). Quitting is a huge and personal decision that needs to come from within. Whether you like it or not, addiction is the reality of amphetamine usage, whether you abused the drug or not, and it is nothing to be ashamed of, either. But that is exactly why you do not feel "normal" when you don't take it. Recovery from adderall addiction is a multi-year process which you can verify by reading some of our stories. In fact, you may feel out- of- sorts for the entire first year of quitting. It is not something you can quit and go back to and cycle through use and non use without feeling like total shit for a long time. So the decision to quit requires total commitment. By the way, the most famous case of amphetamines causing parkinsons disease was Adolph Hitler. Also, JFK had some long-term amphetamine issues as well. Quitonce where did you read that hitler had Parkinsons? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 I personally don't think ANYONE truly needs adderall. Personally, i believe ADD is a made up load of crap. I disagree and I find this somewhat offensive. Adderall is a bad solution to a real problem. You may be the victim of an overprescribed culture but there are those of us with real issues that you have just marginalized. My diagnosis is a noteable deficiency in my visual processing ability, there are things I can do to boost that ability a couple of points but the gap in this area will still be significant. Of the different flavors of ADHD, this one sees the least benefit from any type of drug. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerokewl Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 ADHD is real. The science for treating it is bad. It should not be classified as a disorder but as a difference in cognitive ability. The current pharmaceutical model that so many psychologists and doctors follow is FUCKED. Imagine the world if Woody Allen (ADHD for sure) had been prescribed adderall. Rise up and smash your pill bottles and free your mind grapes. Fidget, scribble and wiggle sitting still is for suckers. * please consult a doctor. advice presented by zerokewl may not be right for everyone. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searchingsoul9 Posted November 6, 2013 Report Share Posted November 6, 2013 Sorry. Wasn't trying to victimize or offend anyone. I just mean, two if my close friends had ADHD. Bad. Well doctors said it was bad. But I thought their hyperactive personalities were wonderful. It made concentration difficult for them, but they become zombies on adderall. I should've phrased my words differently. I just meant there are other, non stimulant ways to treat attention disorder and that doctors push this unhealthy stimulant on kids as young as like 6. Sorry again quote name="JustinW" post="12465" timestamp="1383749750"] I disagree and I find this somewhat offensive. Adderall is a bad solution to a real problem. You may be the victim of an overprescribed culture but there are those of us with real issues that you have just marginalized. My diagnosis is a noteable deficiency in my visual processing ability, there are things I can do to boost that ability a couple of points but the gap in this area will still be significant. Of the different flavors of ADHD, this one sees the least benefit from any type of drug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Quitonce where did you read that hitler had Parkinsons? On the History Channel! It was a show called "High Hitler" and it detailed his daily injections of "vitamultin" which was a vitamin and amphetamine cocktail. It showed footage of him in towards the end where he could not control his shaking and he had to hide his hands during troop reviews. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 My diagnosis is a noteable deficiency in my visual processing ability, there are things I can do to boost that ability a couple of points but the gap in this area will still be significant. Of the different flavors of ADHD, this one sees the least benefit from any type of drug. What does this mean and what are your symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADDrew Posted November 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 Yeah, I have never abused adderall. Quit-once, thanks, I try to keep an open mind. That is very interesting. I didn't know Hitler had Parkinson's. And yeah, I see how it's going to be a big decision. My dilemma is that I really think adderall is what is going to get me where I wanna be in life. It keeps me motivated while studying and also helps me stay organized. It's tough. Definitely gonna take some time and thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 What does this mean and what are your symptoms? Intelligence testing is broken down into 4 areas (if you are going with the Wechsler IV): #1 Verbal Comprehension #2 Perceptual Reasoning #3 Working Memory #4 Processing Speed If one of the areas has a score that is 20 points+ lower than the other areas it can help with the diagnosis and type of ADHD. I know, I know, standardized testing isn't 100% reliable in every situation; but in my case it seems to ring fairly true. I have around a 25 point gap between processing speed and my lowest score of the other 3. I apologize that I don't have the tests in front of me to give you firm numbers. It could be a mix of ADHD-I http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD_predominantly_inattentive and SGT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluggish_cognitive_tempo I will say that my hand eye coordination has always been an issue, never could play sports; and my parents thought that I was dislexic during my preschool years. I think that the combination of adult symptoms across those two articles should give you a good picture of what I deal with. I have coping mechanisms to hide it most days so life goes on without medication; we all have our own challenges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 One more symptom that my previous post exhibits is the lack of ability to consolidate information from multiple sources. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 When you talked about visual processing ability I wondered if you had a problem remembering what you saw or even a vision handicap. But the hand-eye coordination makes more sense to me now. Adderall really fucked with my visual processing ability. i had horrible depth perception and couldn't even catch a tennis ball. I found that some computer games helped to restore my processing abilities, and I spent time in early recovery just throwing a bouncy dog ball against a brick wall and catching it with each hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted November 7, 2013 Report Share Posted November 7, 2013 When you talked about visual processing ability I wondered if you had a problem remembering what you saw or even a vision handicap. But the hand-eye coordination makes more sense to me now. Adderall really fucked with my visual processing ability. i had horrible depth perception and couldn't even catch a tennis ball. I found that some computer games helped to restore my processing abilities, and I spent time in early recovery just throwing a bouncy dog ball against a brick wall and catching it with each hand. Not handicapped, just a little uncoordinated at times; this has always been the case pre and post adderall. Adderall did help somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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