Oh This is Super Weird...LOL

[jimithang96]

Hi there! Wow...um, I really hope people still read these because I need all the help I can get! LOL! My name is Kristin, I'm 28. I have no kids and I'm not married but I do live with a GREAT guy! I call him "my toddler" because he's 4 years younger than I am. Yep! Call me a cradle robber, I'm cool with it. Anyway, I'll keep this short and sweet...I conned a stupid doctor into prescribing adderall to me about 4 years ago because I wanted to lose weight. Little did I know...I was the idiot. I'm an ex-theatre major and a helluva good time...or at least I used to be. I don't really remember now. I've taken WAY more than my actual "prescribed" dosage and I've hurt my sister and myself because of this stupid dependency. I want to find me again but I'm terrified. I'm terrified that I'll gain a shit ton of weight and I can't handle being overweight AND lazy. I'm terrified that I'll start confronting some things about my life that I've hidden from for so long, thanks to addy...and when I do, I'll fall into a depression. I guess my first question is...what are some tips for the first week? I'm 4 days in and I just realized that my 30-day ends on my kitten's one year birthday which is really kinda cool. I need help trying to avoid the 2 major problems that WILL CAUSE me to get back on this evil medication: Weight gain and lack of motivation. I know, I know...it's normal coming off of adderall. What I'm trying to tell you is that if I can't at least soften the blow, I know I'll revert back to my old ways. I have over a month until I can get anymore adderall and I would love nothing more than to be done with this stuff. I've neglected my closest family, my friends and myself for long enough. This HAS to stop.

[Cassie]

Hi Kristen,

A little weight gain is to be expected when quitting Adderall, I'm afraid. The effects of sleeping and eating all the time during withdrawal, combined with a slowed metabolism, are probably going to cause you to put on a few pounds. I think the only people who don't gain any weight when quitting are those that were naturally thin to begin with. And being young helps. I was fairly thin before taking Adderall, and even I gained almost ten pounds in the first two months after quitting. But I also went from age 25 to 30, so it's probably unrealistic to think my body would never have changed regardless of the Adderall.

If you enjoy running, that will help. Any consistent aerobic exercise, really. Healthy protein snacks will help, as will coffee, vitamins and lots of water. But some initial weight gain is usually inevitable. You can always lose it later, when your mind and motivation come back. At some point you may need to decide what's more important: being skinny or being sane and addiction-free.

Many years ago, I worked at a debt negotiation firm, where we helped people settle their credit card and medical debt for less than they owed. It was an alternative to bankruptcy - less hassle. Like bankruptcy, it was a quick way to get out of a lot of debt, but it damaged your credit for a few years. That was the trade-off. Many of our clients were afraid of ruining their credit, so I would ask them, "What's more important: getting out of debt or having good credit? You have to prioritize, because you can't have both at the same time right now." The key phrase was "right now." A few years after a debt negotiation or a bankrutpcy, their credit would rebound and they would be debt-free. Your dilemma is similar. Ask yourself: do you want to be Adderall skinny or do you want to get your life back? You can't have both at the same time right now.

[Greg]

Welcome to the forums! I just wrote a post and deleted it by accident!

But it went something like this:

Suggestions for the first week:

- Distract yourself with DVDs. I got myself absorbed into tv shows. I watched episode after episode of '24' and 'Alias' which really helped distract me from withdrawal (a lot)...

--For the first week at the very least, your full time job should be "not being on adderall all the time" so just relax, sleep as much as you need to, and pamper yourself.

-- Distract Yourself with books.

-- Try supplements

-- Try out an NA meeting in your area.

-- Read lots of stories on this site, realize you are not alone

-- weigh yourself every day, so if you see surges in weight gain, it might deter you from devouring everything in sight.

-- grill lots of veggies: eggplant, zuchinni, squash, mushrooms, onions, peppers, asparagus and store them in tupperware. Reach for those instead of unhealthy snacks.

-- But You can always, always lose the weight later! So you don't necessarily have to eliminate oreos and cheez doodles altogether. (You gotta give yourself a break, too, Going through withdrawal and being on an crash diet is really extreme and could be difficult. Remember, your full time job should be 'not being on adderall all the time') Just be very mindful of the slower metabolism and potential for weight gain when you are quitting and try to adjust your eating habits accordingly, to the best you can. But dont be too hard on yourself.

-- write down a list of reasons of how adderall messed you up and the benefits of life without it. keep reviewing that list...do what you need to do to keep your motivation to quit high.

--Most importantly, believe in your ability to 'kick this', take one day at a time and keep us posted!

[quit-once]

Kristen,

I don't know if I can add anything to what Cassie and InRecovery have posted, but I will try to put their answers into my own short words.

You have a rather big hang-up still looming over successfully quitting adderall, but at least you can see it. Until you make quitting adderall your HIGHEST priority you will be prone to relapse. Quitting adderall has to be more important than all of your combined reasons for using it. If being skinny and being productive are the biggest priorities in your life right now, then you are not yet ready to quit. Your kitten's birthday only comes around once a year so don't blow it. Your cat and your boyfriend will both like you better off adderall.

[2Cool4School]

Hi there! Wow...um, I really hope people still read these because I need all the help I can get! LOL! My name is Kristin, I'm 28. I have no kids and I'm not married but I do live with a GREAT guy! I call him "my toddler" because he's 4 years younger than I am. Yep! Call me a cradle robber, I'm cool with it. Anyway, I'll keep this short and sweet...I conned a stupid doctor into prescribing adderall to me about 4 years ago because I wanted to lose weight. Little did I know...I was the idiot. I'm an ex-theatre major and a helluva good time...or at least I used to be. I don't really remember now. I've taken WAY more than my actual "prescribed" dosage and I've hurt my sister and myself because of this stupid dependency. I want to find me again but I'm terrified. I'm terrified that I'll gain a shit ton of weight and I can't handle being overweight AND lazy. I'm terrified that I'll start confronting some things about my life that I've hidden from for so long, thanks to addy...and when I do, I'll fall into a depression. I guess my first question is...what are some tips for the first week? I'm 4 days in and I just realized that my 30-day ends on my kitten's one year birthday which is really kinda cool. I need help trying to avoid the 2 major problems that WILL CAUSE me to get back on this evil medication: Weight gain and lack of motivation. I know, I know...it's normal coming off of adderall. What I'm trying to tell you is that if I can't at least soften the blow, I know I'll revert back to my old ways. I have over a month until I can get anymore adderall and I would love nothing more than to be done with this stuff. I've neglected my closest family, my friends and myself for long enough. This HAS to stop.

me too!omg im terrified of weight gain and falling asleep at work/on the train ride.

I quit for like two months and it was great feeling like myself again and my husband loved it, but I got so fat and sloppy. I started back on addreall....same thing what you said is what im feeling