The end of Adderall?

[MendozatheJEW]

SWIM has been reading posts on this website for some time. He has been slowly abusing Adderall more and more without knowing how much of a toll it is taken on him. SWIM will take it for two days, way above his script, not sleep for a night and then feel paranoid and tired the whole next day. He feels depressed when he is not on the drug, binge eating, feeling very unmotivated and antisocial. At first Adderall worked great, helped him with his studies and made him calmer around people, but now has become an addiction. He can barely go a day without taking it. He can't remember what he was like off of it, and is afraid that it will have detrimental effects for a long time. Depression and lack of motivation effected him before he started taking it. That was two years ago, and he can't believe where the time has gone. And so, he is stopping today but was wondering if if anyone knew how long it wil take before he is back to his old self? Is the depression and binge eating a result of the drug withdrawal? Any help would be appreciated very much

[stoneinfocus]

If your depressed your judgement of yourself is impaird as well as memories of your former self are (you will know when you´re lucky, when it was that you you last felt this way, niot the other way around).

It´s really bad when you´re getting used to being depressed and blaming drug-use for it.

Try doing some endurance or other sport, because the "unused" stress-hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, etc. ) do make euphoric in the short, but are depressing in the longterm, if not metabolized by the appropiate situation (fight&flight, endurance). Works wonders, at least in swim!

Also, try to not use time-released adderall and keep the use to a schedule, that you want to accomplish, instead of doing it the way you described.

[Nagognog2]

Depending on how long this binge has been going on, SWIM should be up and running smoothly within a week or less. Eat. Sleep. Take vitamins. And swear - SWIM - you'll not be doing that again.

[MendozatheJEW]

Of course SWIM does not want to do this again. SWIM feels like the drug can be used for good purposes if not abused. However, SWIM needs to take it, not as daily regimen but on an as needed basis. SWIM also takes Lamictal for depression, anxiety (psych claims bipolar, but not). The problem SWIM has is when he takes it for several days, the nights when he withdraws is so depressing, when he loses interest and become unmotivated again, that he becomes over depressed. He is scared that stopping will result in weight gain and slipping grades. But SWIM realizes now that if his life is not okay when he is off Adderall, he will never be able to regulate himself on it. He is going to try very hard to eat well, relax, do some exercise and take vitamins for the next week. Whenever he feels normal again, he believes that he was exaggerating the problem. It is only when he takes it again that he realizes the severity of the dependence. SWIM should not be taking it every day regardless, it send him into what can only be described as a manic episode. Work, work, work, etc. Besides, SWIM wants to cut down smoking which he knows is impossible on Adderall. SWIM appreciates your feedback and hopes for some more, people should know when their use has become dependent, and their mood reliant on the drug.

[pokeyjo304]

if swiy is as badly addicted to adderall as he says, then it is a good idea for him to cut down, the depression and other withdrawal symtoms should subside once he has completely detoxed. if swiy needs to use adderall again the he should only use small doses and not everyday as he was, this should help prevent the problems he ran into before, remember moderation is the key to a happy drug filled life.

[stoneinfocus]

Seems like an approach, to swim, it was even easier to stop smoking, when he was keeping the feeling of "clean" well functioning lungs on dex in mind and wanted it to stay so and cigarettes were definately contra-productive to this feeling, so he stopped smoking.

Also , the exaggerating when being on is something that you need to get a cooler attitude to, as you said, which you will acquire, when your life makes more sense to you, on or off any medication -what´s that hype with combining "antidepressives" with lobothomizing neuroleptics and/or with amphetamines? -seems like the revival of the good old seconal/amphetamine -benzo/amphetamine mix of the old day, only a bit half-assed.^^

Damn, I´d rather take the money from, the health insurance and treat me myself, instead being treated by a studied retard child, with def. too much money and power. -it´d be more effective, healthier and cost-sensitve.