[22 months off adderall after 8 years of daily use update]

6 hours ago, erinnmacq said:

That’s incredible!!!! 22 months?? Phew, you are getting through it and that’s a tremendous amount of time.  What does it feel like when the PAWS lifts?? What were your first few months like? I’ve been on for like 15 + years and am losing myself with this drug. 

Hi Eric, to say quitting adderall after 8 years was difficult is a understatement it was brutal. 

The main physical side effects of comming off it (headaches, bodysweats, extreme hunger, bodyaches...)only lasted a couple months but it takes a lot longer for the anhedonia to subside and to learn how to be functional without the drug. 

Over the last couple years I have dealt with many uncomfortable emotions and also gained 65 pounds. 

Ultimately and in retrospect this is a small price to pay in order to not be drug dependent. 

When I quit the medication wasn't working as intended no matter how high my doses were. It was destroying my teeth, heart and I didn't know who I was anymore. 

Paws lifting for me means a clear mind, natural energy and "normal motivation levels, feeling joy, my metabolism healing to name a few 

15 years is a long time and when your ready to quit you can expect a few years to adjust and find a natural baseline but it's definitely worth it. 

[22 months off adderall after 8 years of daily use update]

Things are slowly improving but admittedly I still have lots of bad days and a few good ones in between 

I haven't been able to lose the post adderall weight gain 

I recently had a dream of taking adderall and being on it for a few days

I felt the adderal rush in my dream but thankfully it was just a dream 

Cognitively and energeticly I am still not 100 percent but hopefully this will continue to improve. 

I still feel like I have boughts of paws that last few days to a week and than go away. 

I did take adderall for 8 years so healing  takes time if anything this process is teaching me patience. 

On a side as tempting as it was I did not take pharmaceuticals to aid me in paws I did it cold turkey and did use some canabis during this process.