New to adderall but ready to quit

[MollyT]

Hi, I’ve only been on adderall a few months but I’m already feeling like this isn’t something I want to get into after reading through this. I’m newly diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed adderall.  I had a rage outburst last night and it’s not like me. Worst fight my husband and I have ever been in and we’ve been married 20 years. I threw everything I could get my hands on and that’s not like me.  My question is, if not a stimulant, what do people take for ADHD? I am desperate for help with my ADHD All I know is after my rage last night and then reading through the stories of broken marriages on here, I’m seeing that this isn’t something I want to mess with. 

[sirod9]

Hi Molly - I've done well without it before. Actually, I believe it has done more damage than good over the last five years. I had to live a very healthy lifestyle if I wanted to be my best at work without medication. and if I wanted to stay up late or drink on the weekends, I had to be okay with not being 100% at work. But towards the end, the adderall worsened every facet of my life, so stopping was the only choice. I'm on day 5 of a very painful process, but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. that is the only thing I'm holding onto. I'm sorry you are already experiencing some of the dark facets of this drug, though that may be a blessing in disguise. I've never been married, but I did lose a relationship that was very important to me and I believe my adderall use mostly contributed to it. It created so much suspicion in my mind that I often was unsure if I could trust him. I've isolated from my friends and family towards the end and that is just not like me. anyways, I'm not your doctor, but those guys tend to shoot at the hip with this powerful drug. I can only say that from my experience, the increased productivity, or illusion of increased productivity was not worth it. I was more fit, happy, healthy and successful before i started taking that crap.  I hope this helps you.

[SleepyStupid]

hi @MollyT

welcome to the forums! glad you were able to find some stories relevant to your situation. even putting aside an extreme event like a rage outburst, Adderall is insidious and overtime gradually warps your personality. it gives you so much fake confidence that you can never be wrong or do no wrong. I think one of the most important functions of a healthy relationship is the mutual validation and support each partner provides to one another. what Adderall will do is actually override the need for your partner's validation - you're replacing them with a chemical.

On 8/4/2021 at 9:53 PM, MollyT said:

My question is, if not a stimulant, what do people take for ADHD?

it honestly depends on how severe your ADHD symptoms are. there are some people that believe it's a bullshit diagnosis to begin with, but I think that's an oversimplification of the problem. as @sirod9 said, psychiatrists are incentivized to medicate, its just the nature of their profession. I'm of the belief that ADHD (and related conditions) are real, but medicating with hard stimulants was originally intended for cases of severe handicap, not professionals or college students who are kind of struggling with work loads. that being said, there's certainly behavioral therapy to address your symptoms, and there are lesser forms of stimulants and even some anti-depressants like Wellbutrin that are sometimes prescribed for ADHD, but you need to really ask yourself:

do I need medication, or do I want it? there's no free lunch when it comes to this stuff.

[sirod9]

On 8/6/2021 at 7:30 AM, SleepyStupid said:

hi @MollyT

welcome to the forums! glad you were able to find some stories relevant to your situation. even putting aside an extreme event like a rage outburst, Adderall is insidious and overtime gradually warps your personality. it gives you so much fake confidence that you can never be wrong or do no wrong. I think one of the most important functions of a healthy relationship is the mutual validation and support each partner provides to one another. what Adderall will do is actually override the need for your partner's validation - you're replacing them with a chemical.

it honestly depends on how severe your ADHD symptoms are. there are some people that believe it's a bullshit diagnosis to begin with, but I think that's an oversimplification of the problem. as @sirod9 said, psychiatrists are incentivized to medicate, its just the nature of their profession. I'm of the belief that ADHD (and related conditions) are real, but medicating with hard stimulants was originally intended for cases of severe handicap, not professionals or college students who are kind of struggling with work loads. that being said, there's certainly behavioral therapy to address your symptoms, and there are lesser forms of stimulants and even some anti-depressants like Wellbutrin that are sometimes prescribed for ADHD, but you need to really ask yourself:

do I need medication, or do I want it? there's no free lunch when it comes to this stuff. 

so true!

[oswhid]

On 8/4/2021 at 9:53 PM, MollyT said:

 I had a rage outburst last night and it’s not like me. Worst fight my husband and I have ever been in and we’ve been married 20 years.

 

On 8/4/2021 at 9:53 PM, MollyT said:

All I know is after my rage last night and then reading through the stories of broken marriages on here, I’m seeing that this isn’t something I want to mess with. 

Hi @MollyTI'm one of those broken (and recovered after 11 long years*) marriages that you may have read about.  Just the fact that you were able to determine that adderall was the cause for the rage is admirable.  Once you are under it's spell, that's when the blame game begins.  I don't have any advice that others haven't already said better than I could so I will just say this, "Run away from this stuff as fast as you can and never look back! "

*Mr. Oswhid had his five year quitting adderall anniversary on May 14