EricP

Genetically listed as "Blurred Vision" as a common side effect. Mine is more of a contrast/low light issue that got twice as bad after quitting. I read that dopamine stimulates norepinephrine which affects vision. So when the Adderall come down or withdrawal occurs low dopamine output basically means impared vision. I think we all assume we'd notice these side affects right away right after using the first few times and if it presented a problem we'd notice and stop using it. Problem is many of the side effects don't show up after long term use and by then we're addicted and the damage is done.

A week on welbutrin, the first 3-4 days were great. Probably enough clarity like what I was originally hoping for from Adderall however got MUCH MORE... Days 5/6 I kinda crashed mood wise not sure why and my stomach is a bit off... today I am feeling ok, not much to report... Will update in a couple weeks as I realize this stuff needs time to really work the kinks out.

Glad to hear your progress! Gives me hope, I am avoiding talking to anyone who "really knows me" in fear of them asking what's wrong or why I seem off. And people I don't know I have zero desire to begin a "chatty" conversation with...

My vision has definetly been sacrificed with the use of Adderall. It is a side effect I read about actually... I noticed it a little during however I actually feel like since I quit it even took a turn for the worse. My night vision is much worse, judging distances of on coming cars and low light reading smaller print is poor. Add a little light and I can read, however not too much as then it's too much. Its like my "contrast" is messed up however not my ability to read small print. As for hallucinations, I only had a couple nights of that when I quit cold turkey and was when I was fading in and out of sleep.

So glad you plan to "try" either way! Don't give up! Maybe after your gaps the 5-10mg will at least ease the edge... Best of luck, my body really depended on my dose as I am still struggling and spending a lot of money on vitamins and health food to try and compensate. I had a good run of almost 2 weeks of feeling pretty good then this week I got really depressed and energy crash all over again. So frustrating... One day at a time.... I guess everyone is different 5mg did what I needed and was even a lot for me for a long time. Wasn't until the last 6-8 months of the last year I was on it that it seemed to drop off and have negative effects.

Tom sounds so familiar! I think it is a few things from my research and much reading. For one adderall use impairs the adreanal glands and thus depletes the adrenalin rush we used to get then we have the whole lack of dopamine issue. Neurotransmitters are out of balance so the little stimulation we do get aggravates our central nervous system triggering the remaining responsive "fight or flight" response and thus the negative effect.

I quite coffee at the same time... Mainly because I was finding I was drinking it nearly all day along with the adderall and neither was doing anything much for me anymore. I am still fighting day to day however I have tried coffee a couple times since and the weird thing is it doesn't do much for me anymore even being off both all this time. The first time I had a cup it increased my anxiety for sure however neither time did I get that good old "coffee buzz" I used to get. I think the adderall has just nummed my brain or there just still isn't enough dopamine on standby to give me that caffeine rush... Not sure if anyone else has had a similar experience (or lack there of) to caffeine?

Yes no matter how bad it gets don't ever truly consider taking your life! You are most definetly "loved" and your life is "worth it"! Suicidal thoughts are "real" with depression. I have had depression before and never even thought of taking my life once then or before this... The depression that is present during withdrawal is like no other. It has for the first time crossed my mind a few times, not so much in a way that I would actually do, it more in a "if this doesn't ever get better" way of thinking... Taking it "day by day" and working thru the tough ones will prove to you things get better. A lot of my days still really suck for me however comparing my notes to 1-2 months ago there is proof in time things do improve.

Thanks for the reply. Mine are mostly high frequency and I mostly have to either look for them or have anough anxiety for them to appear. I went to a neurologist and he called them phycological tremors. I am supposed to go back in a month. I think they are somewhat going away at least it seems like I have mornings without them. Time will tell.

Glad you found the site and are working towards quitting! It is totally worth it in the long run however it takes true dedication and work. Exercise as painful as that sounds will be your friend, try supplements as well. I am taking a number of things in addition to Tyrosine. The family and work part is a hard one. No one in my family or work knows I was on Adderall so everyone close just thinks I am a depressed and become lazy ass at the moment in my 4mo off. I have to try really hard to engage with people and show up to things I don't even want to attend just to keep under the radar in my secret rehab. I would suggest tapering however I think I read in another post you quit already. I quit cold turkey and had really bad side effects, went to doc and had numerous tests. Paranoid, trembling and horrible anxiety. These things are slowly going away. Even after 4mo, days like today I took off work to get caught up at the house as I lay in bed not wanting to get up... So be patient and don't expect a miracle overnight, it's a day by day recovery that some days feel like a step forward and others two steps back.

I am a little over 4mo off and taking 1000mg in the AM and PM. I cannot say I noticed a drastic change however it did seem that around the time I begun taking it is when I finally began somewhat functioning.

Hello Alyssa, thank you for sharing your story. I am at 4mo since I quit taking and am just starting to have normal days. I still seem to have at least one really bad day a week. I quit cold turkey which now looking back I wish I had tapered off. Besides taking a semester off maybe you you could start tapering off a couple months before summer then stop once school is out. I would consider talking to your doc about welbutrin as many here have said it helped the transition, I just got a script myself as I am still struggling. Exercise really helps also, some of my worst days when I peeled myself off the couch to break a sweat really helped. Good luck and hope you give it a go when your ready for it! Even on my worst days I don't regret quitting!

Thank you hyper_critical! I am seriously thinking about it. I have have two doctors that also agree Welbutrin may help me with the transition. Initially besides the idea of another medication I was mostly concerned about trying it only because I read the side effects were potentiallly loss of sleep and anxiety. I already have those issues so am hoping it doesn't amplify them any further..

It is likely I just had a ton of anxiety from stopping Addy and had nothing to do with the diet. Sometimes following a doctors orders will help curb anxiety so maybe listening and switching did help me. I do have lorazepam .5mg that I use on a very sparingly basis. Usually only on a completely sleepless middle of the night episodes. Trying to stop completely however I am still a mess on some days. My doc knows I don't want more drugs to get off the drugs. However some days I consider trying an SSRI however I haven't read anything good here or anywhere about going that route. One day at a time...

I tried Keto shortly after stopping Addy and I agree it did add energy and clarity pretty quickly however my anxiety was real bad and it greatly amplified my anxiety as well. Once I told my doctor about my diet she was insistent I needed more healthy carbs in my diet. Once I followed her instructions it did help reduce about 50-60% of those anxiety symptoms however I lost the Keto buzz I would like to try again however once I know my anxiety is pretty much in check.

Vent away! Quitting Addy can be very lonely and no one understands what this feels like... I am at 4mo and like you I have a few good days then a real bad one. Then some that are just "ok" in that I got by however did not challenge or push myself. Kinda like working 3-4hrs of the 8hr workday. I also have my share of messes amongst the home. When I get a good day I do more to catch up and clean. I actually find on good days that I go even further that I would prior on Adderall to organize and do preventitive work to make my next days easier. Not sure if this is who I always wanted to be or just self protective for the days I can barely cope.

Your description is very much like my sleep pretty much nightly, I had a couple good nights last week which were a first in awhile, now back to the restless sleep. I quite coffee so that is not it and my bed time directly affects my wake up time in a weird way... It's something like 3-4 hours of sleep before waking up. I take melatonin on most nights which helps get to sleep so maybe this is when it wears off. I look at it more like "middle of the night anxiety" caused by my subconscious thoughts or something.. My brain starts repeating thoughts and heart has that hard anxiety beat, sometimes feel a little hot and a little sweaty. Just not fun. My next step is to really work to switch my exercise to the mornings rather than after work as well as not drink anything a couple hours before bed. Midnight bathroom breaks are sometimes the first awakening of the sleepless madness. The early exercise is hard as I usually finally begin to get back to a good rest in the 5-7am range which is when I should be at the gym...

Thank you both for sharing! I have a mild case in the sense that I can still function for the most part. Utensils and spilling is not a problem, however I do feel I am a bit noisier shuffling around in drawers and just shaky doing fine motor skills. It's also a mind over matter in the sense that if I focus on the tremors the anxiety goes up and thus the tremors do also. Speaking of Parkinson's I got this off of the National Parkinson's Foundation guide "What you and your family should know" guide' "Drug-induced parkinsonism can be difficult to distinguish from Parkinson’s, though the tremors and postural instability may be less severe. It is usually the side effect of drugs that affect dopamine levels in the brain, such as antipsychotics, some calcium channel blockers, and stimulants like amphetamines and cocaine. If the affected person stops taking the drug(s), symptoms usually subside over time, but may take as long as 18 months to do so." I am praying for the 18 months at this point as many of the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's are very similar to quitting Adderall also. Reading this stuff is just plain scary however we should all be educated and pass the info on to others whom have not quit or are considering using Adderall. Abuse to this are of the brain is not something anyone should be reconsidering. Thank you for the support and hope!

Thank you so much for that description. It gives me hope that something more serious isn't wrong with me. I am at 4mo and am still "day by day" on how productive I can be. I am "functioning" however a full day takes a lot out of me and the days that I can, I go home early. Weekends I have big plans in my head and then spend most of my time on the couch. Can you or anyone share your experiences with sleep? I just cannot seem to get a full Deep night of sleep. I can easily take an afternoon nap as well as fall asleep at night however find around 1-2am it being somewhat of a half sleep tossing and turning with some light dreams and any noise can awake me. I am wondering how long this phase lasted for you or others?

I was on Zoloft while on Adderall which is also an SSRI, however I quit taking that first and didn't notice at all. Now that I quit Adderall (4mo) I am "day by day" in how I feel and contemplating getting on some sort of antidepressant again. Emotionally numb is definetly very familiar. I read elsewhere that if you start taking an SNRI after Adderall it can help speed up the dopamine recovery process indirectly by boosting the other neurotransmitters... I have a doc appt next week and was going to ask about it. Scared to try anything with a prescription at this point though.

I know I have been posting a lot of my symptoms here and hope it doesn't get old for you all... It seems there just isn't a lot of support "anywhere" but here for this miserable process of getting off of this drug. In any event I have read how "flat" and emotionless many of you feel off of Adderall. What about in extreme events, sports, adrenaline and dopamine rewarding situations? I am a car guy, love fast cars.. A friend of mine just let me drive his 2017 Cadillac CTS-V and I drove the heck out of this car, super fun and fast... But honestly it hardly "moved me" I was as calm getting out of it as on the way in and just in a weird way barely absorbed the whole experience... So weird. Can anyone relate to this? How disappointing

It's been a few weeks since your post, I hope it got better for you! At 7 days for me I thought I was going to die. I was as my doc getting blood tests and event an MRI as I had sharp stomach pains. All of which came up fine and pain was likely just constipation. Adderall really threw off my digestion pre and post quitting. Take supplements. L-Thyrosine and many others you can find here so help. 5-Htp helps my anxiety a bit. Simple lists really helped. Nothing too crazy just the very basics to start. Exercise in the morning if you can fine anyway to do it! This will really help at least the first half of your day. On my bad days I would still crash in the afternoon so be patient. So your best to take it one day at a time, thinking too far forward will stress you out and cause anxiety. I am at 4mo and still working thru this day by day however any craving and long since subsided.

I guess withdrawal tremors or "shakes" are not that common as I haven't seem much input on this.. I have read about it on other forums and especially meth forums... I guess I will just wait it out as some say it goes away and others say you just get used to it. In the meantime this week I am finding controlling constant underlying anxiety is my key to solving many symptoms including reducing my tremors. The days I have bad anxiety seem to be the most debilitating ones. Trying very hard to using all natural approaches to remedy this it's not easy some days. I cannot find great support for SSRI or SNRI's anywhere really. As much as I would love to get some help I really don't want to be in the same boat a year from now trying to quit another prescription drug.

Yeah it is likely trying to do too much at once. I used to do some cardio every day when I would workout as my warm up and did well with that however that was also a good 10 years ago now. I have always been active however I am sure at 34 my body tolerated and healed much faster than now at 44!

I have been exercising on and off since I stopped Adderall 4 months ago. However to keep pushing toward recovery over this past week I have forced myself to get a good 15-30 minutes of cardio followed by 15-30 minutes of weights. The variable in time is just that the bad days I can barely stand 30min of workout. While even on my bad days exercising does help me feel a bit better. It doesn't restore my missing energy levels by any means however I do at least get some sense of restored clarity. On good days it really helps a lot! This last week+ I have really pushed workouts only skipping one day that was a long very physical work day. The biggest issue I am finding with this is the muscle soreness. It seems the recovering/healing time is not near what it used to be. As I lay here typing this morning my legs are a bit heavy, a bit tingly with slight burning sensations. Even my arm and hands a bit tingly. I want to push to workout again today however not sure I can handle much more muscle pain. Just trying to figure out if this is normal in PAWS or maybe just still adjusting from being less active. Any others experience anything like this with body aches and find aids to combat this? I just bought some Creatine from GNC so plan to try adding that to my protein shakes after workouts.