Groundhogdaze

Hi how are you feeling now? I stopped on January 19 2024. I still have too much anxiety but I know part of it is the dage I did to my life while I was abusing Adderall. I also know that outside of this forum, no one understands what we are going through. At least not yet. Few people who have abused Adderall long term can even get off Adderall let alone stay off. So congratulations to you and all of us. I might go off coffee to see if it helps the anxiety. Hope you're well!

I don't know what is going on with me at this point. I’ve been off Adderall for approximately three months with the first two weeks being the worst. I am having anxiety on a daily basis. Of course my thoughts are to take a pill but I’m not going to throw away three months just to experiment. I have also taken benzos forever along with Adderall but didn't expect to need them when i quit adderall . Does anybody else experience anxiety after quitting adderall? Thanks for being here. This is the only place I trust that I will read actual experience of Adderall users..

Have you been able to relearn how to work without use of this drug? Did you have Depression? Lack of motivation? anxiety? insomnia? I have all these and wonder if it will get better. I've been adderall free since january 19 2024. today is march 15 2024. Thanks,

Hi anyone here. It is March 15 2024 now, I quit January 19th. I have all those symptoms you described above. The weirdest thing is that I expected to be sleeping like a baby and tired and lethargic but i have non stop anxiety and can't sit still and cannot sleep without sleep aids, in my case, clonopan and gabapentin. So now I am going to have to go through literal hell to get off those demonic drugs. I would say I am mostly dysfunctional. I wasn't very functional before which is why I finally decided to quit for good. Adderall made me feel hopeful that I could be ok but I never actually read more, never did well at my social work job (documenting for hours and retyping sentences well into the night). Maybe this gets better later maybe not but I need some help, mostly getting shit done. Did NA have ideas for this? Thanks

Good for you 10 weeks! I'm having trouble today. Craving sugar lately and body discomfort. It's 16 days fore, I think. I have tapered for past 8 years off and on, since I've tried to kick this over and over. This is the best I've done outside of when I went to treatment. I'm just ha.gimg on. I feel better though in some ways. Hands and feet not cold. Back doesn't hurt as much. Less depressed some days. Actually more productive if that is possi Le. Adderall stoped working for me these past 5 + years or more.

Existential despair is torture. That's getting better these past two days. I'm on day 14. I figured out I am likely not sleeping well because I've quit clonopin after years of taking it to help with sleep while on Adderall. I got it down to very low dose but this could be cause of restlessness. I also increased ,dose of antidepressant snri which makes me feel restless and want to move my legs. Thanks for your reply.

Thank you for the encouragement. I am still off it. Lost track of the days already. I've also been taking clonopin for sleep all these years. I'm mostly off that and doc has me taking gabapentin. I want to get off everything now and clean up my health. I think those first 3 days were the worst. I have always gone back on after 2 days. I can't believe this drug is even prescribed except thats the pharma industries job. Thanks again.

I agree on connection but the family of the addict probably caused their inability to connect. I had one after the other, incidents and trauma that left me alone without help. 12 step Programs connect addicts to other addicts with no agenda but to help each other. I agree jail is not the place for addicts though.

RosaRita are you quitting Adderall? I have been on it for 24 years. I tried quitting and never got past six months over those years. Today is day six and I feel awful. I did not sleep last night. It is now 8 AM and I’m just gonna be on the sofa today. Maybe I’ll get out and take a short walk. I asked myself if it’s worth quitting at my age since I’ve been on it so long and I am now 67. I also have extremely dry eyes and have been looking at various glasses that seal them up so when I go outside, they don’t water so much. i’ve been weaning for a long time. When the dose was higher I used to chew my teeth and my tongue and have lost two teeth. It is supposed to be very bad for your bone health and I have osteoporosis. I can’t look back on the years of using the stuff, but I don’t know how I’m gonna do this, I’ve gone on and off so many times and every time I go off I tell my kids and then I go back on and it’s not good for them to hear about this. how are you doing now? I know this thread started along time ago.

That sounds like a helpful plan. Were your parents the ones who encouraged you to start this drug?. Did you have trouble sleeping or with your sleep schedule when you first quit? I expected to be able to sleep better when I quit but last night I barely slept at all.

No not cold turkey. Ive been weaning off and on for years. Several times i got to 3 days and went back on it. I will try to pick up that amino acid amd will eat more protein. Thank you. Wish there was a 12 step group or something for this.

I totally relate to this thread, to both of you. I started taking when my kids were young and got addicted to it and I have been on it for 24 years and it’s pretty much destroyed my life. I used to get chills when I heard music and I used to be creative and I had a personality, and now I feel like I have to force everything and nothing is very moving to me. I am on day four after trying to wean off this and get off it for good, really over the past few years. I even managed to get off for about I don’t know maybe six months After going to treatment in 2013 but thinking I do better on it, i made an appointment got back on and then cranked it back up again and was eventually hooked again. It’s very depressing but I am on day four and I am wondering if I might need a 12 Step program. I just wish there was one for Adderall, because this is kind of a unique drug. I keep reading and hearing about people who never do get off, but I wonder what happens as they get really old this is not sustainable.

Good for you quitting! I agree it should not be given especially to kids. I think we need a support group for this drug. Its a horrible scam that made a lot of people rich. Like the opioid epidemic. Hang in there. I’m only on day 4 and i can’t move. Took it for 24 years.

I think NA is probably as close as we can get. There are so few pills anonymous meetings, I didn't find it helpful. The desperation I feel can only be helped with a meeting every hour. I found that the first few weeks it was a godsend but I feel bad i didn't stay. I may go to some open meetings and be straight forward with my dilemma. I need help and thats about it for us; and this forum. Thanks!

Hi Hopefully, I know what you are going through. I am on day 34. I use the AA app to keep track. I have been on this forum previously, about three times, with that same scrounging around, mad I tossed it out; emptying purses, drawers, you name it to find those tiny fragments to use. I always ended up frantically making an appointment and getting more from my "dealer". My doctor prescribed adderall 23 years ago. I've had twenty three years of this roller coaster and my heart is now damaged. My echocardiogram result was the final straw to get me to go through withdrawal. Now I have new medical results that are making me even more upset. Adderall can lead to osteoporosis. I have it; though not 100% from adderall, I shouldn't have severe osteoporosis yet. My endocrinologist told me adderall causes this as well. I have to go on a painful infusion to prevent fractures, and I am/was an active cyclist/mountain biker/skiier/walker and yet have no stamina, I'm short of breath, and fragile. My teeth are shot. If you are young, I hope this information helps you to stay off and keep or regain your health. Once you are past a certain age, the heart muscle doesn't get much better. Our bones are always losing mass from age 30 and older so we don't need adderall to make things worse. I'm in almost constant pain and almost always exhausted. Normal weight and good diet. Heart rate always at least 90. So...yeah. not happy. Even with all that bad news, I can only take it one day at a time. At ten days I didn't think I could make it another hour let alone another day. I actually went to NA when I had severe cravings. It's getting better but still comes up strongly. NA helped me because I knew I wasn't alone with the damage I 've done to myself. They teach you how to live life on life's terms and now my terms are kind of sucky. I hope you get strength from your husband and friends and wherever you need it. If you have to go to a 12 step program or a residential program, I'd recommend it. This drug is not worth the damage it does. Sometimes we can't do this alone. I wish I had reached out for help before I had done this much damage. Driving? Really struggling there. I rent; i don't own. when I drive, I do listen to podcasts but I was so spaced out I almost ran a few lights and my friend in the car caught it. Stay current here. I'd hope you can look ahead to better days. I'll get that book later but right now it is too much.