When is depression/anxiety not related to withdrawl

[PbTheDude]

Hello. I'm new to this site. I have read a lot on here but have never contributed.

I have been on adderall for around 5 years. I recently had a bday and decided to stop taking it. It's been around 2 weeks, which I know isn't long. My question is I've been fairly depressed/anxious feeling since stopping. At what point would one not attribute this to the adderall withdrawl and have to come to terms that this is how they are? I know I need to give it more time and I know adderall is not an anti depressant but it definitely helped me with social anxiety. At what point would I say ok I need an anti anxiety medication, i.e.: an ssri and this is not related to quitting adderall?

Thanks

[quit-once]

Hey Dude-

That is a great question.  In my own experience, It was somewhere between 2 and 3 years after quitting that I just accepted that depression happens, and you never really know when it will come on or how long it will last.  I experience depression a few times per year and recognizing its symptoms is the key to managing it.  Anxiety and indecision are two obvious symptoms for me, and I start taking supplements at the first sign of a depression coming on.  I know it will usually go away in a few days and I refuse to let depression win.  If I were you, I would exhaust all possible supplement options (tyrosine, St. Johns Wort, fish oil, vitamin D, etc.) before getting on more drugs.  However, in the beginning of your quit, the supplements may not give you much relief.  Just take it one day at a time and relish your newfound freedom.

[Renascido]

Hello and welcome to the site,

 

so to answer your question, as with all matters related to the brain, there is no simple answer. When someone is mourning the death of a loved one, when is it safe to say that their grief has morphed into depression? 2 weeks? 2 months? (For diagnostic purposes, DSM-5 has arbitrarily set it to 10 months, I believe). The point being, you would be hard-pressed to find a "definitive" answer to your question, especially considering that many health-care practitioners don't even acknowledge a severe withdrawal from adderall. With that said, regardless of whether your condition is derived from withdrawal or a separate, distinct condition, you can attempt to treat yourself in the same way: through adequate rest, abstaining from drugs/alcohol, and giving yourself plenty of time. 

 

Many users on here didn't find peace after quitting adderall for a few months, a couple of years, or sometimes even longer. Whether you'd like to turn to medication to help you on your recovery journey or not is completely up to you, but in my opinion, medication this early in the recovery process may only complicate matters. I'd suggest reading a previous post, where I elaborated more on what is occurring in your brain during recovery and how I feel about medicating. http://forum.quittingadderall.com/topic/3393-dopamine-serotonin-can-someone-help-me-out-with-that-the-hell-is-going-on-in-my-brain/#entry25727

 

Good luck on your journey, brotha. It's worth it.

[PbTheDude]

Thanks quit-once & Renascido

Considering im on day 18 I have a ways to go. I did make an appt w a doctor but it's not until December; if I can make it to then without thinking I need an ssri to help w depression/anxiety then that's good

I can usually deal w the depression aspect fairly well, I exercise a lot which helps. But I know my personality and I have always had issues with social anxiety, and have been self medicating for a while. But this site helps for motivation and resources. I have to get to a base level to see where I'm at without any medication and go from there. Thanks for the Reponses

[Frank B]

I would stay far away from any SSRI depression medications if your looking to go the prescription route to help cure depression/anxiety. Do your research don't blindly trust a doctor.

[PbTheDude]

I have researched a lot about the various types of medications available, CBT, meditation, etc.., I wouldn't just blindly try something the doctor prescribes. The problem with the medications, as I've tried a few, weight gain, no energy and just blank feeling. Even though the anxiety is hard to deal with, specifically social anxiety, the anxiety is an energy source for me, motivates me to hit the gym, hike, etc.. so it's a love hate relationship for me. I've always had this issue w anxiety so I do believe it's a chemical imbalance, so I'm not totally against medication

[Frank B]

 So how is weight gain, no energy and feeling like a zombie better then having motivation and energy to do things you enjoy?

 

 Here is my story on a SSRI. The worst anxiety ever experienced in my life was on Prozac and Zoloft (Not at the same time) swore I was going insane. I guess it worked because once I stopped taking them I knew what real anxiety was and really relieved I did not feel like that. Maybe it works for some people I guess obviously prescribed to millions but I see so many suicides these days and media if covered usually not says "They were suffering from depression." What the leave out is "They were suffering from depression and recently started a SSRI or tried to quit a SSRI." A mom last week at my sons school last week planned her suicide for weeks had two boys one in 7th grade one in 5th grade. She set money aside for them and even sent a text that day saying she loved them and she was sorry. It makes no sense she was not terminally ill or anything like that and this happens everyday around where I live either that or murder suicide from people with no prior criminal history. Something is very wrong and no one wants to talk about the elephant in the room. The media sure wont they are either in it with the drug companies for sponsorship or to scared to get sued by them if they actually did a story that links these suicides to SSRI medication. Go read how SSRI medications came about and how they got passed by the FDA its total bs people looking the other way for handouts under the table.

[PbTheDude]

I know that the SSRI's don't work for everyone and I'm not trying to tout them as the answer. I've tried various ones in the past. I'll see how I feel in a few months, I exercise and do CBT but I've always struggled with extreme socIal anxiety. But I do get what your saying but a lot of people benefit from them. I'll have to weigh my options and see where I stand.

[LILTEX41]

This is just simply a random post from who knows if even truly a reliable source, but I believe it is most likely true.  I found it when doing a search for suicidal thoughts and adderall and stumbled upon this link.  Anyhow, this is most likely why you or anyone feels depressed for that matter once quitting.  I would hold off on any SSRI for a good amount of time if at all possible.  It's going to take some time for your brain to heal, but it will.  Hope this helps.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/1f12ls/suicidal_thoughts_and_adderall/

 

 

[–]smoothaspaneer 3 points 3 years ago
Im a med student and we have learned a little about this. Ill see if i can try and explain this. Adderall actually has been used as a form of antidepressant especially in acute cases of depression but one of the side effects of adderall is depression once stopped. Basically adderall helps with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine staying in the synapses of your brain. giving the exciting stimulation. What occurs after extended use is receptor desensitization of the receptors that respond to these neurotransmitters. Which essentially can cause anhydonia or lack of interest in things aka depression. sorry if that doesnt make too much sense. In the middle of studying and just trying to help out