EricP

I did not taper and it was very bad at first so I do believe tapering could help relieve some harsh early symptoms. You will likely have brain fog no matter what you do, we are all battling that issue it seems. Things will get better however you cannot really begin the healing process until you take that last dose and cut off your doctor.

I wouldn’t be to worried just yet. I have quit twice and both times I had odd cardiovascular symptoms in which both times I consulted and cardiologist. I often would drop low on heart rate and blood pressure however then find just the mildest exercise or stress and it would spike quickly. I am exercising a lot right now so my BPM is in the 50’s and stable overall. However it still surprises me how fast it can rocket up past 150 when beginning a workout. Another thing to test would be blood sugar levels. I noticed some spikes after quitting and sometimes even after fasting however every test for diabetes came back normal.

Congrats Frank! I also sink like a rock, have my whole life. While I can do some basic strokes and keep afloat long enough to save my own life I suck at swimming. I will have to consider trying this also as soon as our local pools open back up in the spring. I tried a little last summer however felt like I lost my coordination and my endurance and desire to move fast has faded a bit since quitting. Will have to give it another shot!

How long have you been off Adderall? I thought I read you haven’t quit yet... Yes I have similar symptoms after 1.5yrs quitting. It got worse after quitting however is now very slowly improving

If trying to keep a job my guess is you will need to taper off very slowly over a long duration of time. I stopped cold turkey and that was horrible. I don’t know if anyone here had better results from tapering off but it couldn’t hurt. The hard part about tapering is that you will still have a supply and will be super tempting to increase dose as soon as feeling awful

@Tom23Jones Glad to hear you are doing well. I have also have been hitting the gym hard. I’ve found the weeks I get there 5-6 days I feel the best overall. If I miss more than a couple days in a row I start feeling negative pretty quick.

I agree everyone is different in their recovery. I have seen a "few" posts on this site and others that state they feel fine after a short time however I would say this is a low percentage of individuals. As for work/life after adderall I can say in the first year I was on the brink of closing my bushiness giving up; felt like I was truly planning my "end of days" in ways. I ended up with almost every credit card I had near max. I lost clients, staff and family were all questioning what was wrong with me. I only confided in a couple supportive people in my life. With time and finally getting the will power and strength to begin fighting back; I forced myself to function even on my worst days. Now in just the past 6mo I have been able to turn profitable again, paid every credit card off but one and got my credit score from a low of around 650 to high 800's; I have never had a better credit score than now even before or during adderall. I wont make this all sound too positive and cheery as I still have my ups and downs. I have days and moments I feel near 100% normal and lows that hit out of nowhere that feel like the early days of quitting. My drive persists however as just a small "feeling good moment" is enough of a reward to keep battling.

Hello TLNJ2 and welcome to the forum! I took very similar doesage to yours and about the same time except I stopped after 2yrs and then went back for nearly 2 more. I am now at about 18mo and can tell you I feel the same way. December for instance I was feeling pretty good almost myself and now I am feeling like crap again. I can say that this used to happen in waves of days and now it is in weeks so the ups and downs are further apart. However even when feeling decent I find little pleasure or interest in things overall. I also have difficulty concentrating or being interested in meaningless conversation. People ask about my kids or family and I’ll talk to them however hours later I realize I just did what I had to do to get thru the conversation and never expressed interest in them or asked about their family... It’s like nothing interests me and in ways I really don’t care however deep down I do... I could go on however thats what I have been dwelling lately... stay strong and keep posting. We are all here to help eachother!

I have to say everything his research is all valid if you do some googling; I commend him for documenting so well and sharing. The best neurologists and researchers haven't even scratched the surface in being able to truly "cure" any brain related disorders. We are in an era of trial and error for patients with mental ailments and diseases. The brain is very complicated and what works for one individual won't always work for the next as we are all different how we metabolize certain medications as well as what formulation is needed to support each of our chemical deficiencies. It is hopeful that we all try some supplements or prescriptions like wellbutrin that many have said "help" this lengthy healing process. I'd just caution that highly experimental substances should likely be saved for those with neurodegenerative diseases willing to participate in research as they have much less to loose by tying these things. The exercise and General Health Stack is all healthy advise; I'd pick and choose after that. Metabolizing this much stuff could be hard on other organs and have unknown side effects. & Bromantane is almost just like Adderall. Avoid that one!

I hope you keep us updated on your progress. A good test will be when you stop these supplements all together long term and see if your plan promoted healing that is self sustainable.

Wellbutrin is relatively mild and it’s action primarily recycles dopamine does not specifically up-regulate. However there are withdrawal symptoms from Wellbutrin as well and tapering is also required. I will find some references for you however it’s pretty common knowledge that when you open the dopamine faucet the receptors over time resist the increased flow. I am not against a number of the items listed however others like Bromantane is in a very similar family as amphetamines and I would not advise taking anything off an internet list without doing your own research first so you know the risks. I have tried numerous supplements and honestly can’t say anything really helps significantly. Anything significant would likely be too close to the problem we are trying to leave behind us. I think with any therapy the goal would be to use short term or on an as needed basis.

Great read, well done! I agree with most of it, some experimental items I would be concerned with how much for how long or if trying it is worth it at all. Also there are many substances listed that are “stimulants” in one variation or another which will only cause a different dependency. Anything that causes dopamine up regulation will cause receptors to down regulate and land us in the same boat over time. The diet pills SynaptaLean is an interesting one for energy? I have read in more than one site now... Ingredients look pretty natural and similar to what I take individually. Wondering if anyone here has tried these?

I have used NAD, I have read a lot of supporting information and it seems like something that could be beneficial however I cannot say I have felt any effect from taking it. There are also many different flavors NADH, NAD+ and NAD... Not really sure the difference between them...

Congrats on the 16 months! Nothing you are going thru is surprising. I had many of your symptoms and still have some of them as well at my 18mo. I still have memory issues, recalling names of people movies and sometimes even "forgetting what I forgot". Everyone's brain is different in how these medications affect them as well as how fast we recover. Also each of us had different doses as well as other mixed chemicals during use whether it was alcohol, anti depressants or whatever... So each persons recovery and symptoms will be quite different. Don't loose hope and keep doing positive things. Exercise is miserable however it really helps once you commit to it for a few solid weeks. Good luck to you and keep posting!

I felt very similar to your description prior to quitting. "Flu Like" is a good way to describe it... You will need to taper down your high dose before quitting and you will feel even worse once you quit. The good news is normal healthy energy will come back. I still get a day here and there where I have that sickly feeling however it is mostly gone now...

How long have you been off Adderall? PD medications are primarily for movement issues, they don't give you the mental boost or euphoria of adderall. Most post adderall users do have a decrease in dopamine however its not the same as parkinsons. Recovery takes a long time and is very frustrating. During the first year I have very bad symptoms and some got better within months and others seemed to get worse before stabilizing. Now at 1.5yrs I still have struggles however I notice very subtle improvements. I honestly believe it will be a good 3yrs before I feel the subtle improvements will amount to a near full recovery.

Sean we are on similar timelines and I can tell you the temptation to go back or try anything to ease the way I feel is tempting! Don’t blame yourself for having a relapse, just work to get yourself back together and you’ll recover from this in the long term! I have had the same feelings you are having and the biggest thing that keeps me going is the hope of hitting 3yrs with few symptoms left... You are not alone in the way you feel trust me!

The symptoms you are having are very similar to all of mine over the last year + Most of the debilitating ones were gone by the 1yr mark however I still functionally fight little physical and mental battles daily. Praying a year from now these fade away

@SeanW" bored and overwhelmed at the same time " I totally relate to this!! Definitely many of times I feel like I need to be doing something so I can't relax but then feel overwhelmed and don't even know where to start in anything that I actually think of to do! I think it is still good old "anxiety" of sorts... Also relate to the drinking... I feel half way normal after a couple drinks and it's hard not to want to drink when it takes that edge off... I think alcohol not only relaxes the anxiety but also gives us a little dopamine which we all crave... I am really trying not to drink as when I do I usually drink too much. Just a social cocktail or glass of wine once in awhile is my goal.

I had the same problem for the first few months, I even went to a Gastroenterologist. After their workup they basically told me to eat more fiber and take MiraLax. MiraLax is different than most laxatives in that it basically just helps get more water into your digestive system. It is very safe even pediatric doctors prescribe for infants. They said I could even take twice a day which is over the dosing on the bottle. It wont make you "blow out" or anything awkward, its more of a thing that will help after a couple days of using and will get more regular then cut back over time...

@Socially awkward I was on it for a couple years years ago. I quit that time slowly and now that I reflect back I can see why many aspects of my life fell apart after stopping that time. I had a lot of depression back then and never tied it to quitting. My docs just convinced me it was anxiety and depression and that I should be back on Adderall. That round things did get better with time but I eventually went back for another 1.5yrs... My earliest of warning symptoms this time that got me to stop were mainly that it just quit working for me. I was getting super tired within a couple hours of a dose, my personally was gone, angry a lot and was drinking at the end of every day to cope. Also weird physical symptoms which some have gone away and some haven’t. @SeanW Good to hear from you. Sorry to hear your in the same boat! However reassuring that I am not alone.. I always have been here lurking a bit but also took some breaks also from my phone in general for awhile as I was getting consumed. Have been trying to get more focused on moving forward in life and getting shit done that has been neglected for many months. I have been doing better with respect to that but honestly feel like shit most days. Each day is a different battle but I can say I am at least functional. Energy is low and cognitively just space/forget a lot of things. Keys always misplaced or just takes me 2-3 trips to the car to actually get everything I need to leave each day. Administrative tasks are my worst enemy however hands on work I can at least get motivated to get done now. Still get odd headaches and sometimes weird numbness in my face. Doc says anxiety or the headaches can cause that. Really nothing docs can do to help this process... Eat good, avoid alcohol, workout and keep busy are my top goals however I cannot say I am great at sticking to my goals just yet. Looking forward to working on my goals more passionately and thru the next year+ to hopefully feel better! - What are your biggest struggles @ 20mo?

How long have you been off Adderall? I am over a year and still struggle finding joy in things...

All of what you are feeling is normal. I am slowly inching to 2 years next May. At 1yr I was still a mess, I am starting to feel subtle progress now which is reassuring... And exercising consistently does help!

Great post and thanks for the info. I too have found this issue among my adderall days and since quitting. I quit drinking for about 6mo at one point... I don’t drink daily however when I do find the occasional excuse to start it seems stopping is an issue. There is a small window of feeling a bit of euphoria or almost normal when drinking that doesn’t seem to come until well over the normal 2-3 drinks most people have which quickly turns into stumbling and slurring about with regrets the next day. I’ve been working hard to find a ways to stop and may have to give this a try. Also seems even 1yr+ post adderall has raised the “buzz” tolerance much higher when drinking for me. I don’t think the drinking did this as I don’t drink frequently and it also seems it has made finding a natural high without any substance almost non existent for me which is basically depressing. I’m still fighting and working to find natural joys in life. Alcohol is certainly not beneficial to this process.

I agree, I have stopped social media in past months as well... I really find little interest in it. Another part of this healing process is I find it increasingly more stressful to “keep up the pace” and “produce” as I used to even pre adderall... Thus when I get home I find my mind is still busy spinning a bit and it’s difficult to be “present”. Being present in the moment is something I am working on and hopefully I can find a way to reduce my load and still pay the bills...