Are the addictions any different for ADHD vs non-ADHD?

[mom]

I'm just now reading information on your website and trying to figure out if the addiction is any different for people who took Adderall as prescribed due to ADHD or people who took it on their own? Is the addiction different? Is quitting different? Are the challenges different?

[Sebastian05]

I took it as prescribed.

 

10-20mg a day. (a lot of times only 10mg a day)

 

for me, i think quitting cold turkey may have been a mistake and made withdrawal even worse.

 

But after reading the horror stories on this site, I wanted it out of my system ASAP.

 

Adderall was very useful to me. And if it werent neurotoxic, i'd continue to take it.

 

There came a time though when i realized that taking 10mg in the morning wasnt really doing much for me. It was at that point where i knew i could either up the dose or just give it up. I'm thankful i never raised my dose, because i feel like i could have screwed myself even more if i had done that.

 

im 15.5 months off of it. I've had a pretty good week this week.

 

I was in the dumps last weekend, but feel pretty okay this week.

 

How much are you taking and how long have you been taking it? abusing it?

 

Put it this way...

 

If i ever have a kid...and a doctor tells me he/she has ADHD and writes him/her a script for adderall.

 

I'd take that entire prescription pad and jam it down the doctor's throat.

 

The best thing about adderall is that it works. The worst thing about adderall, is that it seems that you really can't take it forever. and that is a huge bummer.

 

If you read thru this site you'll see that many people hit 4-5 years or so and realize that maybe they're not doing the best thing for themselves.

 

But, to answer your question a little better. I think if you have ADHD and are taking adderall as prescribed, it is still tough to quit.

 

If you're taking adderall and abusing it at insane doses (adhd or not) its even harder.

 

S

[mom]

I'm the mom of a young man who has been taking Adderall type medication for 4 years. His dosage is much higher, he is up to 70mg/day and he wants to quit. I agree with your statement about not wanting young children to start on the medication, when teachers suggested he might be ADHD we didn't agree with medicating him so we did our best in other ways. When he hit about 15 yrs old he was really struggling with everything and asked to be tested for ADHD then went on medication. At first it was a wonderful thing. Now he is seeing and feeling all of the downsides with it and wants to quit. Being in a supporting role, I wanted to know whether his experience in quitting will be different. It is entirely his choice but given his dosage perhaps weaning him will work better than cold turkey.

[Marissa]

I've been prescribed Adderall since 7th grade and have been taking it since (I'm a senior in college now). With the exception of last year I've always taken it as prescribed or at a lower dose than prescribed (around 40 mg). I haven't quit yet, but my first and second years of college were spent avoiding it at all costs, so I had a few weeks off of it here and there. Looking back there are a lot of things I wish I knew at the time. Mainly, I didn't make an effort to "quit" so I think it's really good that he wants to commit to that.

 

I think framing his experiences as a part of the "quitting process" will be helpful. If he's extremely tired or hungry, or even depressed, he can know that it's one of the effects of quitting and that it wont be forever. He can also find ways to manage those feelings (I didn't try to because I didn't realize what was going on).

 

I never find the "detox/withdrawl" to be all that bad, but other people seem to. It's intense exhaustion, hunger, and brain fog. I think the hardest part for me during the months that I didn't take it was the psychological dependency on Adderall. Before Adderall I didn't understand school at all. When I started taking it I finally knew what it meant to be a student and enjoy school. I made an early connection between my "smart" self and Adderall. 

 

When I went off of Adderall, I felt completely incapable, I felt like I was stupid without it. And those feelings really effected the effort I put into school and everything else. I pretty much abandoned my work because I thought "oh well I can't do it anyway", and when the time came to actually produce work I ended up taking Adderall again.

 

When I quit (in a few days) I am planning on rebuilding my life, basically "starting over". This site has given me the encouragement that I can do it. 

 

I'm usually pretty weary of giving advice (especially since I don't know you or your son), but if I had someone in the supporting role that you're in I would want them to know a couple of things. The most important thing is to be encouraging and understanding. Little things, small tasks, without Adderall are huge. And the sense of accomplishment in completing them is immeasurable. For example, a few years ago, I edited/re-wrote a short paper for a class off of Adderall. I didn't expect it to be any good. But when I finished it, I ran all the way to my friends house feeling amazing and I wanted to tell everyone I saw. They didn't understand how big of a deal it was, and it would have been really nice to have had someone there validating how accomplished I felt.

 

Also, before I quit I want to make a plan and ask my friend to help me stick to it. Basically having someone there to say "get up from your bed, you can do it, I believe in you, you need to do this and you'll be glad you did". 

 

I hope this helps a little bit!

 

I think it's amazing that your son wants to quit. He has an opportunity to develop true interests, passions, dreams. I really wish I had come to that realization at an earlier age! 

[mom]

Thank you for your viewpoint and advice Marissa. Since he is away at college, I agree with the support system you suggest. I think it would be great for him to have people in his daily life who are there to encourage and hold him accountable. I also like the idea of making sure you celebrate the small stuff because it may be huge for him. He just made the decision yesterday and today he called really excited because he studied yesterday without medication and took the test today without medication and he thinks he did great! One victory at a time.

 

I still don't completely understand the whole brain chemistry thing and the balance between what is right for any one individual....a non-medicated hard to focus person or a medicated not themselves person. Is it all or none, is it retraining, is it low dose? I'm sure it is different for everyone and I have a lot to learn as will he.

[Marissa]

That balance is definitely what's hardest about figuring any of this out. In college especially. It's a constant negotiation between work and socializing. I've found that when Adderall is thrown in there, the "balance" is nearly impossible.Taking it is committing to a day of isolation, work or no work. And, in my experience, whatever stability I got academically meant complete instability for my mental health, physical health, and relationships. 

 

I would choose my unfocused, non-medicated self over my medicated self hands down. But in an academic environment, I feel like I haven't been able to. I'm happy to be graduating and moving on so I don't have to make that decision any more. 

 

I'm glad to hear about your son doing well! He must feel great about it! 

[LILTEX41]

Hi Mom (ha ha..that sounds funny!),

 

In the beginning I took it as prescribed. Then in time I needed more and more of it to get things accomplished.  I loved being able to stay on task and keep my life nice and neat. I'd come up with reasons to take more and justify it to myself like for example, on my way home from work, I'd be coming down and feeling tired. I remember thinking..."I need to water the plants. Hmmmm..I better take another half so I do it."

 

Is it easier to get off of this stuff if you are addicted vs. not addicted?  That's a tough question.  I think anyone who takes it has to have developed a psychological dependence on it and will find it extremely challenging to just stop taking it.  I don't know if you saw the movie, "Limitless", but that movie does a great job of explaining what taking Adderall is like.  I think you are so lucky to have a son who actually wants to stop taking it.  I think coming off this drug is the best thing anyone could ever do for their health and emotional well being in the long term of course.  In the short term, it is very hard, but if he can stick with it and keep his vision in front of him, he will prevail.  Have you told him about this site?  I think have a support group is key.  The people on this site have all been there and gone through it.  Whenever I feel weak, I come here and am reminded of all the reasons I quit.  I know I can reach out any time and I'll get amazing feedback that will keep me on the right track.  I think it's really easy to get discouraged initially when quitting, but again that's why the people are great.  Like Aristotle says, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

 

So in summary, to answer your questions, "Is quitting different? Are the challenges different?"  Honestly, I think it just depends. I think it depends on how badly the person wants to stop and how attached they are to these pills.  I know for me personally, I was a slave to them.  I never in a million years thought I'd be able to stop taking them and it wasn't until I went to the emergency room for a second time due to taking too much that I finally quit for good.  I had tried to quit them several times before that and failed.  IF I had not relied on them so heavily for everything in my life, it may've been easier.  I don't think there is a black and white answer to this question.  Everyone is different and may need to approach our recovery or quitting process in a unique way that is helpful to us.  What works for one person might be totally different than someone else, but at least here we can help each other by sharing our experience with one another.  I draw a lot of insight from the support here and I will be a lifetime supporter of this group because it helps me stay clean to reach out to others.  I wish your son all the best!  May he find a happiness and fulfillment outside this drug.

 

Take care!

 

Lil Tex

[Greg]

I really don't think there is a difference but I would like to add to what other people have said on this thread that Adderall is especially dangerous because of that psychological dependency u build on it. I think that distinguishes it from other drug addictions where there is a more of a physical dependency. It really takes over your mind. I remember at one point I felt like if I wanted to pay attention to watch a movie from beginning to end I would have to take adderall. I laugh at that now but I really believed I needed it to do the most minor things. It took so extremely long for me to break free and feel like I was able to do basic things without it. I may be an extreme case but I still get strong adderall withdrawal symptoms like withdrawal headaches and cravings even though I have been clean from it for many years. It is certainly not a drug to mess around with.

[hyper_critical]

Hi Mom,

 

Welcome to the forums. Reading your posts evoked a pretty strong emotional reaction from me. I'm sure my mother would do anything to rewind the clock to when I was four years into my use and intervene, knowing where it eventually took me. I too was prescribed for ADHD, diagnosed after a battery of tests, but unfortunately, in my experience and the experience of those I've met along the way, the ends are the same.

 

I think setting expectations appropriately is going to be important. This is not easy and there will inevitably be a lot of extreme ups and downs, but they're manageable, especially if you're ready for them and your son has love, understanding, and support.

 

All the best,

[mom]

Thank you all for the great posts. I guess time will tell what his experience is. I know about this website because he directed me to it and asked me to read as much as possible to better understand what he will be facing. He is a pretty great kid and I am looking forward to him feeling more comfortable in his own skin. One day at a time...