Jon

Kori, I tapered down to 10mgs a day from 30-40mgs in the final stages. I found that there were days where I would want a 5mg booster around noon and I would take it. I did this for about a year and felt miserable most for of the day, every day. After I found this website and read Mike's article about tapering, I knew that bumping up to 15mgs from 10mgs was the cardinal mistake in tapering. Shortly after this discovery, I quit completely. I am going to see my prescribing psychiatrist on Tuesday, not for any meds, but to tell him of my recent developments and to ask for his support. I am interested in his support for his willingness to write a note for time off from work, if I feel I need it during the next 6 months or so. I also want to have a face to face meeting with him to tell him that I am done with Adderall forever, no matter what I might say contrary to that in the future. It is more accountability to keep my resolve strong. I believe that if I were to use again, it would kill me. It is not the kind of death I want to have, especially if it was a long and slow death by way of exhaustion, while being someone other than my true self.

Please observe the proper way of disposing of unused chemicals like Adderall. You don't want your Adderall winding up in your local water table. Most local pharmacies (in most states) have a pill depository box for unwanted pharmaceuticals. If they do not, there are much safer alternatives to flushing. http://www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/buyingusingmedicinesafely/ensuringsafeuseofmedicine/safedisposalofmedicines/ucm186187.htm and: http://www.wikihow.com/Dispose-of-Unused-Medication

One word: ACTION. Do something related to quiting...anything. It could be the beginning of something big!

A giant first step would be to beg your friend to drop their perscription or you will remain co-dependant forever. You must remove yourself from people, places and things that have led you to use this powerful drug. Try tapering down from 120-150mgs. From those levels down to zero is a huge fall..maybe too big for a sustained quit. Your timing has to be right too. Plan your quit. Start with your supplier.

Thanks for the good article. I choose to focus on the positive comment that was your first reaction. The super sleep time after quitting Adderall is healing our brains, both short term and long term.

Kori, You will need to face these things again if you are going to successfully quit Adderall. It just comes with the process of recovery. I know it seems scary, but you can do anything you put your mind to. You can find the success stories all over this website. Start with the articles written by Mike. "How to quit Adderall" That is a good place to start. Look at the FAQ's. Read the threads, pick a date to quit, cut off your supplier (maybe your doctor) and prepare to nothing for the first 2 weeks of quitting except sleep and rest. Plan your quit around a time when you can dedicate this 2 week period. These are just fundemental ideas that are covered in detail in Mikes writings available from the home page at the top. I also suggest that you use a PC to interact with the site. Maybe you don't see all of the options available to you.

Hi Kori, Get your plan together. Make it good so that you only have to quit once. It make no sense to drag a soul through this long and difficult process more than once. We have an experienced member on this forum called Quit-once. If you are serious about quitting and doing it once, post here that the idea appeals to you and see what happens. To respond to your question directly about replacement activities; start with sleep, rest and browsing this site, like it is your new addiction.

Good job Corey. You picked up the telephone in time to save yourself. We all need telephone support for the very reason that is is immediate. We can all learn a valuable lesson here. Even a good recovery has fragile moments. Thank you for sharing.

5 months of congratulations to you, svandal! I am definately sharing this journey with you. It is good to hear from someone else who used for a long time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts at this point in your recovery. Stay with us.

Zerokewl, Congratulations on achieving your first 3 months without Adderall! Thank you for posting a message with enthusiasm about your future. I needed to read this today because I am struggling. It is good to have your support, all the way from Western Canada. Keep up your hard work. It shows...and it helps others.

Thank you for your honesty Lunax. We cannot know what we are capable of acheiving unless we try. You will have learned something this go around, yes? You'll know where to make adjustments next time.

rB, from what I read about it: It's an anti-seizure medication prescribed for bi-polar alot. There are quite a few success stories and some stories that said it made them way too tired. I'm sorry that you have to be at the dwaring board once again. At least you know that any class II drug will not be an answer for you. I believe that they can all be killers to anyone like us. I say vent all you want, that is part of support too...being a good listener.

Krax, I am taking Xanax for anxiety. It has never bothered my stomach before but, it seems that all bets are off for right now. Thank you for your concern.

Thank you all for taking the time to post. It's all good because it comes from you—you who know the struggle. I am crushed to lose coffee from my recovery tools. If life was hard before, it's even harder now. My only stimulant is called Zip Fizz Energy Shot. It's got 2500 mcg of vitamin B12. I try to take it only once a day. I don't get anything done before taking it. I still take the tyosine, but only felt the magic that first time, when I was utterly exhausted. My parents always said that I have to do everything the hard way. Evidently, it's true. I'll update this post if my tummy or my anxiety improves so that I can have coffee again.

I had to give up my longstanding and much loved habit of drinking morning coffee due to the upset stomach it causes me. The further I got into into my quit, the more pain I was feeling. Drinking coffee has also exasperated the morning anxiety I feel. It would take a lot for me to give up coffee, especially after quitting Adderall, yet here I am doing without. I am actually afraid to drink it. Coffee was a major source of energy for me. Now I can’t drink it. Please share your experience about drinking coffee after you quit Adderall.

Zeroqewl, Easy does it. I hear your cry of pain. My life, as I knew it, has gone up in flames too. Mike has said that this is the purpose of quitting...to put a torch to our old lives on the pill. I am proud of you that you let your cries out here on this page, rather than popping a pill. It took courage to do that. One of my mother’s favorite expressions was “Time heals all wounds.†Looking back over my life, I find it to be true for everything, even job loss. You must make it through this day.

Nice alternative, Quit-once. Thank you. This could be a very popular topic and post Occaisional01. Saturday - I got a haircut. I know it sounds pathetic, but that is all I had. Sunday - I cut the lawn. I dread this every weekend, but if I miss it, I am behind the eight ball. I can't do it during the week. After I finished cutting the grass, I continued to work cutting back spent growth in my garden beds (about half of what is needed). I filled two 55 gallon bags to the top. I worked until dusk. My mindset is still set with the pill.

Thank you Greg. Your experience, your strength and your message of hope is shared by us all.

Commiseration? No. I refuse to romanticize the superman qualities I had while taking the pill. Do you not remember the obsessions you had while cranking out hundreds of words? Do you not remember the distractions your writing took into complete discourses on stuff that had no place in your story? Do you like playing with fire? Two or three years could easily pass by before your next choice point arrives about taking Adderall. It’s just not worth it.

A bananna is a good start. The first thing I've been going for is a protein shake. I am eating like I am still on the pill, having to force myself to eat. Although, I have put on weight in the last year of tapering off...about 15 pounds. I hate it, but what am I going to do? Taking the pill again is simply not an option. Looks like you are stuck with the clean quit too cdawn. Nice...3 months.

It is a long way to fall from 240mgs a day. Consider tappering. Do you have a doctor who is prescribing you medication? Maybe he can help you get some inpatient care. We wouldn't want to lose you. Please keep us posted.

Thank you everyone. Cat, Ashley, blesbro, LILTEX, Zerokewl, 1 bad88. Your input is important to me andI appreciate you taking the time to drop me a line. I wish we could be in a circle together. All the best to you, Jon

Oh so true, Mapquest. It is hard to cover everything in a few paragraphs, but we try anyway and usually wind up with a short novel. I do anyway. There are so many little misdirections our brains are used to handling. I like your belief about stepping up to the plate. I am the problem with Adderall. Thank you again for sharing a story of hope.

Zerokewl, I wish there was more science available to us on how the process works. If it is anything like learning to use my cochlear implant, we will be close to 100% after one year. That is how long it took my brain to learn how to turn tiny electronic signals into speech. I experienced improvements in performance at quartly intervals. I did formal practice during the first 6 months. I had a partner read to me and I would repeat back what I heard and would be told when I made an error. I also worked directly with the audiologist doing aural (sound/ear) rehabilitation. I wonder what kind of formal practice there might be for motivation, other than just push yourself into action at every opportunity. I've read at least one post about someone joining Luminosity for learning. Has onyone out there tried Luminosity?

Hi Sunny, Welcome to the Quitting Adderall forum. This is the right place to be if you want support in quitting Adderall. One fact is that our bodies become dependent on Adderall. The problem is that in order to maintain a certain level of functioning the dosage must be maintained and eventually increased over time. This is why your body wants to sleep all weekend. You cut back on your dosage. Your body has become dependent on Adderall. After we take the drug for a long enough time, in our minds we build up a relationship with taking the pill and our will to get things done. Take a pill, wait for 20 minutes, get stuff done. I believe this is the addiction part, but it's all the same ball of wax. It sounds as if your situation for quitting isn't ideal right now. That's okay. You can plan your quit to suit your situation. It is different for everyone. I'm sorry you find yourself suddenly hijacked by this awlful drug. You are not alone. Stay close to the forum.