Treating a recovering methamphetamine addict for ADHD

[Dvussmile]

My 17yr old daugher is a recovering Meth addict, she is also trying to deal with ADD. Her doctor recently changed her medication to Concerta (methylphenidate). My concern is that in the past week her deminor has completly changed, almost like she is on Meth again. (we know for a fact she isn't) She has no highs or lows, no reaction to anything around her and no motivation for anything.

What if any is an acceptable medication to help her with the ADD? At this point I don't what to do to help her!

[toe]

Atomoxetine and (apparently) bupropion both have applications as ADD medications. Modafanil has been looked at off-off-label for this as well- it doesn't act through any of the same channels as the the previous two. Ask the doctor about these.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good info to know, thanks

[beentheredonethatagain]

Originally Posted by Dvussmile

My 17yr old daugher is a recovering Meth addict, she is also trying to deal with ADD. Her doctor recently changed her medication to Concerta (methylphenidate). My concern is that in the past week her deminor has completly changed, almost like she is on Meth again. (we know for a fact she isn't) She has no highs or lows, no reaction to anything around her and no motivation for anything.

What if any is an acceptable medication to help her with the ADD? At this point I don't what to do to help her!

I want to first say that I respect the Love you have for Your daughter.
I first would ask her if the new medicine is working for her, I mean how does she precive things to be. The reason I am going that way is when you say she acts like she is on Meth but you're sure she isnt , I don't know how you can speak so matter of fact, those who use can be quite cleaver in their use. If she isnt using and the medicine is making her act suspisious then she would be aware of it. and if she says she thinks it works and see's nothing wrong then it would raise a red flag

[e4rolls]

Originally Posted by Dvussmile

My 17yr old daugher is a recovering Meth addict, she is also trying to deal with ADD. Her doctor recently changed her medication to Concerta (methylphenidate). My concern is that in the past week her deminor has completly changed, almost like she is on Meth again. (we know for a fact she isn't) She has no highs or lows, no reaction to anything around her and no motivation for anything.

What if any is an acceptable medication to help her with the ADD? At this point I don't what to do to help her!

Methylphenidate is not SWIM's favorite ADHD medication. SWIM has tried Ritalin and did not feel that it was very effective at treating his ADHD. SWIM's pdoc prescribed him dextroamphetamine and then Vyvanse which is alot smoother than methylphenidate with fewer side effects for SWIM.

SWIM does not feel like a "zombie" on Vyvanse and his ADHD symptoms are alot less bothersome now.

[marct]

Hi,
Im new to this forum but after reading your post I feel its almost exactly what swim has gone through.
First thing first is u have to know whether your daughter wants to quit the meth. Everyone says they want to quit but to actually go through with it, its a long route to it.

Secondly, to actually stop doin meth, one has to stay totally away from it. In other words, stop the association from people using meth.

Now the part about medication, I, myself suffer from ADHD. SWIM used meth to self medicate for a period of time. To further explain, cuz prescribed medication for ADHD has similar strain of chemicals of amphetamines, meth u could say in a way medicates people suffering from ADHD. When swim was addicted to meth, they actually came to a point where they needed to use meth to put self to sleep. Why so? Well.... reason behind it I feel is ADHD people tend to find it hard to sleep because their minds are constantly on the move. They are hyper physically n mentally. So sleeping was an issue for SWIM when they were tryin to quit... but thats off the topic ... will further explain if anyone needs more info....

Anywayz, SWIM is using concerta and frankly speakin to actually get off meth with that medication is hard. in fact gettin off meth with n e prescribed medication will be hard.
2 big reasons behind this is:
1) the purity of meth is at least 10 times higher then any precribed medication. the toxicity of meth therefore is alot higher too. which leads to my first statement whether ur daughter is ready to quit....
2) concerta contains similar but has different chemicals within that actually doesn't provide the so called "high" what your daughter wants to feel

But anyway, just to answer your question, from taking various types of ADHD medication, the closest one I feel that could help is ritalin or dexamphetamine. But because your daughter has been using meth for self medicational purpose. the amounts she has to take will be alot higher then precribed to actually get her off it.

If you still need more info ... feel free to pm me ...
good luck

[Grey Sky]

Atomoxetine is used for treating ADHD patients who have a substance abuse risk, since it doesn't have any recreational potential, and it's the standard ADHD treatment these days on the NHS. Swim was prescribed atomoxetine at one point, but it didn't agree with him in the slightest. Pharmacologically, it's more like an anti-depressant than a CNS stimulant, and Swim has reacted very badly to every anti-depressant he's been given in the past, so it wasn't surprising to Swim that he reacted badly to this medication. Some people fare better, but only about half as many people respond positively to atomoxetine as respond positively to dexamphetamine or methylphenidate.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Excellent information.

[nefarious145]

Get her the fuck off the methylphenidate, for her own good. I have ADHD too (supposedly) try bupropion

[~lostgurl~]

Originally Posted by nefarious145

Get her the fuck off the methylphenidate, for her own good. I have ADHD too (supposedly) try bupropion

Please give the reasons behind your statement, without reason your reply means nothing to anyone.

[rhudson]

Originally Posted by Dvussmile

My 17yr old daugher is a recovering Meth addict, she is also trying to deal with ADD. Her doctor recently changed her medication to Concerta (methylphenidate). My concern is that in the past week her deminor has completly changed, almost like she is on Meth again. (we know for a fact she isn't) She has no highs or lows, no reaction to anything around her and no motivation for anything.

What if any is an acceptable medication to help her with the ADD? At this point I don't what to do to help her!

Listen to me very carefully. Your post is touching and I want you to make an informed decision:

DO NOT DENY YOUR DAUGHTER HER MEDICINE BECAUSE SHE ABUSED METH IN THE PAST.

People who have ADHD have a _much_ higher risk of substance abuse, generally because they are trying to self medicate. This risk goes down a lot when they are properly medicated. It is very probable that your daughter, being as she has bona fide ADHD, was in some way (consciously or otherwise) attempting to self-medicate with methamphetamine. This makes perfect sense, as methamphetamine is actually one of the medications that is used to treat ADHD (it is marketed under the trade name Desoxyn). If your doctor refuses to give your daughter strong enough medicine becaue she had substance abuse in the past, FIND A NEW DOCTOR. Trust me, whatever your doctor gives her will be more benign than street speed. It is not altogether wrong to consider her previous meth addiction a symptom of her disorder (ADHD). Do not withhold medication from her because she exhibited a symptom of her illness.

Again, I can't stress enough how important it is NOT to deny someone medication because they "abused" drugs in the past and tried to self medicate their own condition. Clinical trial after trial has shown this to be a disaster. Opiate addicts who self-medicate for legitimate pain need pain killers and sadly doctors often refuse to prescribe them, which leads right back to addiction to street narcotics. Similarly, your daughter probably needs treatment for her ADHD. Some other users have suggested weaker medicines like Wellbutrin. That's great IF IT WORKS. But if it doesn't, for god's sake give her the medicine she needs or she will just return to speed, and nobody should be shocked.

Another thing to realize is that a big part of addiction has to do with how fast the drug hits. She was probably smoking the crystal, which is much more addictive than when the exact same substance is taken orally.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Excellent advice. Very well said!

[jmo562003]

Ask her doctor about Vyvanse. It is one of the only drugs approved by the FDA for adult ADD/ADHD. I believe that one of the reasons for this is because it has no potential for abuse.

Also, I'm in agreement with what rhudson said. It is NOT right to deny her the proper treatment solely due to the fact that she has "abused drugs" in her past. To do that is simply exacerbating the problem and directing her back to using the meth as a means to self-medicate. Believe me. I speak from experience.

[Methlehem]

I have wondered about this in the past and it has come to my attention that there are alternative treatments which do not involve treating this condition with stimulants. There is a drug-free approach, but I can't speak to whether or not it's effective. It might be something you could look into, however. I am aware that they are starting to incorporate these methods in correctional facilities where inmates in drug diversion programs are participating in chemical dependency treatment. programming