adderall addiction

[alcybiades]

I have been addicted to adderall for over ten years.   I have unsuccessfully tried to kick the habit several times.  However, each time i go cold turkey i end up dysfunctional for weeks until i relent and go back to it.  the withdrawal symptoms are absolutely miserable.  I feel as though i am half conscious and all i can do is sleep.  i have tried tapering myself off of it but job demands always start interfering and i relapse.  i could go into rehab but i have already  successfully abstained for a month and I still didnt feel any relief from the withdrawal symptoms that make me dysfunctional, making it impossible for me to work.  before rolling your eyes please understand that I am an academic so I need to concentrate to work.  I find that i cannot even teach let alone do research when i am off of it.  I cannot lose my job.  I still have student loans to pay.  is there any hope for me?  is there a strategy that i might employ to get off of this stuff.  I have yet to try taking an ssri or an snri when tapering myself off of it.  I cannot really confide in a psychiatrist because i have been doctor shopping for years so i feel like i have to rely upon myself.  What if I started taking a less powerful drug designed for narcolepsy such as provigile?  I would greatly appreciate any advice.
thanks

[alcybiades]

yes,
when I take Adderall I can go to sleep and I feel relaxed.  I probably need it for adhd but my drug addiction is too severe for me to take it as prescribed.

[Jillby]

First thing- you can't do it by yourself. You are just making yourself suffer more. Join a 12 step program. Addicts are welcome at AA. The same week I got a DUI- I started AA. it helped me get sober and there were so many people I could talk to and get advise from- addicts and alcoholics like me. You need someone to talk to- not just a message board. I wish you the best of luck. Why were you prescribed Adderall - unless you have ADD or ADHD you should not be taking it. It is a dangerous drug.

[JayFive]

You must consult a doctor for a few reasons. Many of us here have abused our medications and after hearing from doctors that are either uneducated, judgmental or just plain intolerant its imperative that you are being taken care of for your health. I have never been addicted to any kind of stimulant but rather opiates and benzo's. So I know what it's like to go doctor shopping and being red flagged. I then found a support group that put me on suboxone and now i'm trying to get off of that. I may lose my job, I may lose my place of living. I may lose everything. If I wasn't taking suboxone or any substance for that matter I probably would not be facing these issues. My biggest pet peave on med-help is when someone asks a very distinct question and gets a very vague answer. So I'm trying not to do that here, rather offer encouragement and a little bit of advice. I myself need help so I would consult people that have gone through exactly what you have and listen to them. I was however a drug and alcohol counselor for a season in my life so I enjoy helping people.

What I do know about adderall withdrawwal is that the majority of it will be in your lack of motivation and ability to stay focused on anything for a long period of time. Now you have said this is not an option and I get that. I really do. But what are your options at this point? Do you want to take this stuff forever. What if at some point you are unable to get the medication. Is your family ok with you using? These are rhetorical questions that I want you to ask yourself. In no way am I trying to pry into your personal life. Anyway, If you give it enough time you'll realize that the mental aspect of breaking from any addiction far exceeds that of the physical dependency one has on the drug. Your body however will try and tell you otherwise as you have been feeding it a very helpful and powerful substance for a very long time. You must seek a physician and tell them exactly where you are at and let them know your intentions of getting help and helping yourself in the process. If they do not want to help, move on. And remember, sometimes the help we need doesn't always come in a package that we want. The internet is like a library, there is a lot of good information in there, yet there are a lot of opinionated pieces written that are full of BS. IME I have found that seeking truth, devising a plan, and going for that plan on a daily basis is the only way to freedom. If you try and tackle this thing all at once you may run into trouble. Each day try and make a goal for yourself. I hope this helped.

God Bless

[VICourageous]

Hi & Welcome..Well the good ol Adderall. All I know is that I used to get mine off the streets..I do not have ADHD so when I would snort these with my Methadone, you could only go figure..Up & Down and all spun and wired up to the max..I had to take a benzo at night or early morning to come down.
Well back in 2012 I c/t all 3 meds at once. Number one I got down from a 12 yr prescribe dose on the Dones to 30mg and jumped. I also did not know how bad a benzo w/d could be or how dangerous it is for some..SO now we talk Adderral. I can not say how it could be coming off of it if you were prescribed this med for a reason..All I know is with all 3 meds it was the worse detox I had ever had in all my using off & on for yrs. I can just kick myself in the ash for doing this drug. It was like my old crank days back in the 70-80s and I just was to darn old for this crude.
Anyway the best I could say is to for sure talk to a DR...For me it just added to the rest of the detox and I felt my nervous system going up & down and all around as I went through detox. All 3 meds hit some of the same in the brain but I had a upper, downer and a all arounder.
If you needed it for a issue then it would of calmed you down a bit instead of wiring you up. Right now or after you talk to the DR make sure you drink LOTS of water to help flush the toxins out. Make sure you eat very Healthy so you can get some good vit/min in. I do believe if you talk with the DR they can give you something that is less potent or even some comfort meds..Make sure you start taking some good vit/min too..They do take time to kick in.
It is hard for me to tell from your post if you just got relaxed with this meds as it is used for ADHD or if you just used it for the buzz as many people do these days..All I do know is that YES you can have a w/d from it if you stop it at once. Please just go and tell the DR what you have just discussed on here. Meanwhile do all the other things I mentioned so you can built up a good immune system to help push the toxins out from this drug..I sure would be curious what else they would give you if you have a mental disorder that requires this type of med..I sure wish you the best and please let me know what happens..I am just so curious about this issues on the Adderral..I do know the different parts of the Brain it hits and also have read somewhere that if you snort this type of drug it could crystallize in your lungs..Oh, how dumb, dumb, dumb I was to do this...BUT I am a Addict in Recovery now so I will not beat myself up..Good Luck! Keep in touch!
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