Popular Post Perullo Posted June 9, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 So this is my first post since signing up to this site a few days ago. I just wanted to check in, say hi to everyone, and detail a little bit about my Adderall adventures. I promise it'll be short, as it's very similar to a lot of the other posts I've seen on this forum (which is actually one of the things that drew me to this site to begin with). I started about 7 years ago when my psychiatrist perscribed it to me. I was reluctant at first, but I figured that I could trust a "professional's" opinion on the matter and went ahead with it. Of course, my grades and productivity skyrocketed, and I got hooked, etc etc. Fast forward to age 28 (present day), and more and more I'm noticing the classic side effects - sleeplessness, restlessness, mid-day crash, and the libedo of a 90-year-old. Probably the worst part is that even now, that increased productivity is steadily deminishing - which was the whole point to begin with. I've been toying with the idea of quitting for about... 3 or 4 years? And I think now is as good a time as any to strike. I've made a tentative start date of July 7th to quit cold turkey (I'd do it right now, but I want to make sure I'm fully prepared so that I don't end up back on the stuff). I've talked to my wife about it and she is on board. The thing that scares me the most is how my work perfomance is gonig to suffer. A couple months ago I tried going to work without the meds and had to go home within 2 hours, as I damn near had a panick attack - I wasn't affraid of anything specific, but I just started freaking out for no reason. I think now that I've been getting myself mentally prepared to do this, I'll likely have a bit more success now. But I'm still terrified of losing my job over this decision. I am going to go through with this however, as I'm not putting work before my health. So that's about where I'm at. Feel free to message/friend me, and if anyone has any advice I'd be glad to hear it. Glad to be on board! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysAwesome Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 I haven't had any adderall since Wednesday, June 5th. You are wise to post before you quit...I don't have the energy or brain capacity to type a long post. Hopefully, I will be able to relate my story and SUCCESS within a few weeks. I say, Go For It! I am already finding it easier to get up in the morning. I don't have to drag my sorry @$$ out of bed and crawl to the pill bottle. Still, the weight gain and sluggishness are quite bothersome. I am having trouble believing I will get through this without weighing 300 pounds! Hmmm, this is not turning out the way I hoped it would. My ADD is roaring back without adderall, but I am welcoming it. Maybe I will remember how to multitask (and not finish anything...). Godspeed! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerokewl Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Hey guys welcome to the board. The process of getting off adderall is a rocky in the first months. It gets a lot better but it takes time. Essentially your brain needs to re-calibrate itself and the best way to help your brain do thois is get lots of sleep. Take some time and read the articles on this site the more you know about the recovery process the better. in terms of quitting at some point you just have to jump off the cliff and build the wings on the way down. It can be difficult at time but also extremely rewarding. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 When I quit I didn't work for two years. I just dedicated that time to recovering, I gained weight and I just focused on recovery day like I was in rehab only I was doing my stint in rehab at home. I know it's not easy to do that but I felt I really needed to do that to successfully quit because I had relapsed in the past. I'm back on my feet now but I still feel the residual effects of quitting adderall so many years later if that gives you more motivation to quit now.. When you are quitting keep a REALISTIC perspective on what you should expect from yourself. You chemically altered your brain. It has to recover. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinybuddha Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Welcome!! Keep checking in with your progress. How is it going? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perullo Posted June 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Welcome!! Keep checking in with your progress. How is it going? I haven't quite started yet, but have a target date slated for the beginning of next month. I'm doing all I can to prep ahead of time so that I basically don't relapse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 When I quit I didn't work for two years. I just dedicated that time to recovering, I gained weight and I just focused on recovery day like I was in rehab only I was doing my stint in rehab at home. I needed to hear this today! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 I needed to hear this today! Yeah I think a lot of the longtime members remember this. I did NOTHING for two years except study for a school entrance exam. The entrance exam made me feel like at least I was doing a little something...which I really needed to feel. But there was no pressure involved with doing that. On a lot of days I felt so worthless ... and I was SO worried about how NOT Doing anything would impact my future, how it would impact my resume..but The strategy paid off. I feel I'm I'm a better spot now than I was ever before when I was taking adderall because of those two years of foundation building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 Perullo, Congratulations on your decision to quit. When I quit, I quit in my mind long before I ceased taking the pills. I, too, planned my quit for a few months and timed it to this time of the year for several reasons. I really think you have all of the components in line for a good and final Quit - especially that your wife is on board with it and will be supportive of you. Don't worry too much about losing your job, People have natural ups and downs in their life. People get sick, sometimes for the long term, and their work performance suffers. When I quit, It was on a Friday, and I took the following Monday as a sick day then I came back. Just have a good story lined up as to why you are sluggish or unproductive, if you think you will need to explain your loss of productivity. Good luck, I think you can do this. There are a lot of things to get in order before quitting - like cutting off your supply and getting rid of any stashed pills. Have you given any thought to these items? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perullo Posted June 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 quit-once, I don't really keep a "stash" of pills, just a bottle in my medicine cabinet. I take 1 XR every morning, only on work days. As far as cutting off my supply goes, I plan on filling out 1 more script a couple days before I quit, and immediately flushing all those pills down the toilet. Why bother wasing money on a script that you're just gonna get rid of, you ask? Because in my experience, most pharmacies won't let you fill out more than 1 script within a 30 day period. That'll actually force me to be off the stuff for about a month, without a reasonable chance for failure. I figure if I can survive without the stuff for a month, that'll give me at least enough momentum to carry through the next one. BTW - I'm glad you guys liked the quote. It's a paraphrasing of something that I heard from Larry Winget, who may well be the main reason I'm doing this to begin with. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perullo Posted June 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 So it's 16 days until I cut myself off from the junk (I changed my date to July 4th, as that's the start of my weekend), and I gotta say I'm glad I decided to wait a month before taking the plunge. These past few weeks (both in my life and on this site) have given me the chance to refuel my hatred for the stuff. Initially I was scared about what it'll do to my career, but at this point, I actually can't wait to quit now. I'm sure that song and dance will change on Day 1, but for now I'm going to keep building momentum in this direction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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