Stimulants Adderall Addiction?

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

Was prescribed adderall two years ago... low-dose. Basically, in the beginning I wouldn't abuse the darn thing because the paranoia aspect and my tolerance was so low. But fast-forward to now and I'm losing control. It's hard for me to leave it in a drawer and take it some other time. I go through the script in about a week and then always face a depressive episode. I'm not taking ridiculous doses like 300 mg at once a day because my script isn't that large to begin with. But it is starting to affect my life at times--like staying up a whole day or two without any sleep before something really important because I can't control my usage. Has anyone had similar issues with the substance and find it incredibly addicting? I know the obvious answer is to get rid of the script. But whenever I say that I'll finally get rid of it I realize how much I'd miss it. I'd like to find a way to gain self control or set boundaries.. but unsure if that's even possible at this point. It's an incredible antidepressant for me and I'm afraid to face life without it 100%. I've heard so many people say that adderall isn't addictive because it's not like cocaine where you want to redose during the crash, but for me I always redose to escape the crash and it's a vicious cycle that makes me feel bad about myself. People on BL have said that health-wise it's fairly safe even when abused. Is this true?

 

[OrbitalCombustion]

To answer your question of whether it is safe, I would ask you if you think staying up 48 hours and repeatedly experiencing stress and depression from discontinued use will not have a noticeable affect on your life and health?

 

[OrbitalCombustion]

If you give the drug power in light of needing it to face life, it will most certainly invite you into the dangerous throes of addiction and the lifestyle that accompanies that.

 

[GENGAR]

Yes hun I’ve had the same problem for years with adderall. I’ve been up the past two nights because of it

 

[Phobos]

Was prescribed adderall two years ago... low-dose. Basically, in the beginning I wouldn't abuse the darn thing because the paranoia aspect and my tolerance was so low. But fast-forward to now and I'm losing control. It's hard for me to leave it in a drawer and take it some other time. I go through the script in about a week and then always face a depressive episode. I'm not taking ridiculous doses like 300 mg at once a day because my script isn't that large to begin with. But it is starting to affect my life at times--like staying up a whole day or two without any sleep before something really important because I can't control my usage. Has anyone had similar issues with the substance and find it incredibly addicting? I know the obvious answer is to get rid of the script. But whenever I say that I'll finally get rid of it I realize how much I'd miss it. I'd like to find a way to gain self control or set boundaries.. but unsure if that's even possible at this point. It's an incredible antidepressant for me and I'm afraid to face life without it 100%. I've heard so many people say that adderall isn't addictive because it's not like cocaine where you want to redose during the crash, but for me I always redose to escape the crash and it's a vicious cycle that makes me feel bad about myself. People on BL have said that health-wise it's fairly safe even when abused. Is this true?

Adderall is addictive, it's just maybe less addictive than cocaine in the short term as it lasts longer, so if dosage and timing is correct you will be down by bedtime.
But ultimately it is a stimulant drug and when you take more than the minimum needed you will want to redose and it's up to you to do it or not.
It is less dangerous than coke or meth, but it is not safe, just relatively so.
Loosing sleep is unhealthy and will negate most of the effects of Adderall, meaning that when sleep deprived taking more will just keep you awake but will not provide any beneficial effect.
You might want to switch to a weekly script to limit how much you can abuse it.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

Yes hun I’ve had the same problem for years with adderall. I’ve been up the past two nights because of it

Gengar, have you noticed any issues with health or mentally from any of that?

I'm considering having someone close to me just hold onto most of the script and distriute. Off topic, but ironically I've always hated cocaine and never recieved any euphoria from it like normal people seem to. Adderall is probably what cocaine is for normal people but for me. Super euphoric, good mood, energized, more social, etc. I started abusing my script after a bad breakup and the habit seem to stuck. I want to know though health-wise what I've done to myself or what this habit could continue to do. I know that adderall is a weaker meth.

 

[Zonxx]

i can't speak for it being 'safe' but i can say that most occasions when i use addy i tend to be up for 2-5 days at a time, there are times where i take only a dose or two to get through the day with a little boost, but then... there's days where without that boost i'll be more or less dead and without a spark of energy from using too much of the stuff, the same happens when i go on coke binges, but there is somthing about adderall, maybe its the duration but i haven't quite put my finger on it, that i never 'crave' it or 'want/need' it it's just there so why not take it kind of thing

You should typically be concerned if your doses are surpassing 120mg/day though which is double the theraputic maximal dose, while i can't say ive experienced anything bad from heavy use, i also can't say its particularly healthy to stay up days at a time, but if you take care of youself and make sure to eat well, and sleep 12-20 hours when you're done taking them then everything should balance itself out in the long-term, but if you're experiencing negative side effects like, racing heart, or overstimulation then you should take it down a notch, Ofcourse addy can be addicting, but not near as much as coke or opiates, its more of a can take will take kind of thing vs want/need to take.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

I'm in the same exact boat as you, I can't control my use anymore. Luckily I get rid of most of my script through other means so I only do 150-200mg binges over a couple days. Otherwise I would probably be a cognitively defective zombie for half the month and a bed ridden depressive for the other.

Usually my script comes up just in time for some event and I end up in the middle of a social situation completely zombified from 48 hours of no sleep and poor nutrition. If I have any adderall left all it does is keep me conscious.

The shitty thing is it actually helps me if I keep my doses at about 10mg's a day but once that energy and inspiration hit I don't want it to end.

Unfortunately I have no advice for you except to stop getting your script. If it's effecting your life to this degree you have to call it quits, or at least take a long break. It's hard to do but you'll feel much better.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

I think you should chuck that prescription to save your life. It's gotten to the point that, past heavy addiction, it's really doing a number on your brain.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

If I asked my doctor to lower the dose alot, would most doctors do that? Also I didn't know weekly scripts were possible or how that works. Btw I've come off mild/moderate painkiller addiction so maybe I'm replacing that in a way with adderall, or to cover up the long term blah feeling of adjusting to life without them. But truth be told I have been struggling with depression after coming off of 2 years of painkillers. Sounds rdiculous I know, but I'm against anti-depressants.

I appreciate the advice by the way guys. I should get rid of my script... but like can't force myself to do so if that makes sense? Every time I get close to doing so I back out :/ But I appreciate people saying that they've had similar issues, because before I thought I was the only one with a stimulant pill problem. I hope it is possible to gain control of my usage but could be dreaming. It's like telling a painkiller addict to get rid of his/her script. They know it's in their best interest if it's interfering with their lives but the thought would repulse them.

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

I have no doubt your doctor will lower your dose. Also i've been thinking about acquiring a time lock safe for my adderall to stop myself from taking more than I need. Usually my problem is that i'll have the self control at the time before my first dose but when I get going I want more.

So basically i'll just take the dose I need and keep the rest in the safe where I can't access them for another 24 hours after it's locked.

 

[Zonxx]

I have no doubt your doctor will lower your dose. Also i've been thinking about acquiring a time lock safe for my adderall to stop myself from taking more than I need. Usually my problem is that i'll have the self control at the time before my first dose but when I get going I want more.

So basically i'll just take the dose I need and keep the rest in the safe where I can't access them for another 24 hours after it's locked.

inb4 you're looking for a hammer to smash that bitch open. haha

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

I'm not that desperate, I just have to make it less than convenient to access.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

I have this same problem with stimulants. The solution for me was logically simple but incredibly difficult to pull off during active addiction: just stop completely.

I had to accept I could not control my use. This meant getting rid of stimulants from my life. For me, It was the only solution but it took lots of hell for me to finally realize, and then finally accept, this.

Nowadays I only allow myself one short stimulant binge a year, just for old times sake. I make sure only to buy enough for a short binge and then when it's over it's over.

 

[Zonxx]

I have this same problem with stimulants. The solution for me was logically simple but incredibly difficult to pull off during active addiction: just stop completely.

I had to accept I could not control my use. This meant getting rid of stimulants from my life. For me, It was the only solution but it took lots of hell for me to finally realize, and then finally accept, this.

Nowadays I only allow myself one short stimulant binge a year, just for old times sake. I make sure only to buy enough for a short binge and then when it's over it's over.

easier said than done to stop completely, oddly though, the only stimulant that i use more than intended are amphetamines, i've never had an issue with coke/crack, go figure -,-

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

Really strange but I find the crash to be way less severe at night time. It actually hasn't been too noticeable lately luckily. Anyway, I usually don't take it over 100-120 mg over a day and my usage is way less if I smoke kush as well. I don't see how someone can like themselves while taking it to the 200 mg range. Either it's the crash at play making you feel horrible about yourself or the act of getting tweaked that much lol. And I can't fathom what meth is like with how adderall is already too strong imo. The positive thing about my usage is at least I can live the rest of my month like a normal, reasonable human being without it once it's depleted.

I have this same problem with stimulants. The solution for me was logically simple but incredibly difficult to pull off during active addiction: just stop completely.

I had to accept I could not control my use. This meant getting rid of stimulants from my life. For me, It was the only solution but it took lots of hell for me to finally realize, and then finally accept, this.

Nowadays I only allow myself one short stimulant binge a year, just for old times sake. I make sure only to buy enough for a short binge and then when it's over it's over.

Can I ask personally--how did it feel to be without them entirely? Cravings? Depression? etc?

 

[Zonxx]

Really strange but I find the crash to be way less severe at night time. It actually hasn't been too noticeable lately luckily. Anyway, I usually don't take it over 100-120 mg over a day and my usage is way less if I smoke kush as well. I don't see how someone can like themselves while taking it to the 200 mg range. Either it's the crash at play making you feel horrible about yourself or the act of getting tweaked that much lol. And I can't fathom what meth is like with how adderall is already too strong imo. The positive thing about my usage is at least I can live the rest of my month like a normal, reasonable human being without it once it's depleted.



Can I ask personally--how did it feel to be without them entirely? Cravings? Depression? etc?

do you you high when on amps? i find amps basically kinda block thc from working for me no matter how much i smoke

 

[Keif' Richards]

Without a doubt, absolutely, no room for debate or anything like that:

Adderall is a form of Amphetamine, which is known to be a highly addictive substance. It is rebranded every decade or so and packaged in a "now it's not addictive" form but pharma. This is just bullshit. It's gone by many names and in many preparations, but Amphetamine is a horse of a different color compared to Methamphetamine bought on the street. The only difference is that Meth is in fact easier to synthesize than Amphetamine, which is why it is the chosen form for drug cartels.

It is speed.

 

[Zonxx]

Without a doubt, absolutely, no room for debate or anything like that:

Adderall is a form of Amphetamine, which is known to be a highly addictive substance. It is rebranded every decade or so and packaged in a "now it's not addictive" form but pharma. This is just bullshit. It's gone by many names and in many preparations, but Amphetamine is a horse of a different color compared to Methamphetamine bought on the street. The only difference is that Meth is in fact easier to synthesize than Amphetamine, which is why it is the chosen form for drug cartels.

It is speed.

i concur, there's very little difference between amphetamine and meth, HOWEVER, meth is more effective in the way that the methyl component allows it to cross over the BBB much more effectively and in higher amounts than normal amphetamine can which is why it's more euphoric

In all honesty though, i don't really put amphetamine in the same catagory of addictive potential as either cocaine or opiates,i also do find meth to have a much higher addictive potential than amp. nontheless, it does have addictive potential forsure, it can easily become habit forming aswell, theraputically however, it is efficient to give you a boost throughout the day at moderate dosage levels

 

[Zonxx]

wanted to add that, Amphetamine does have physical addictive properties aswell, while not similar to the extent like opiates have however it has the typical stimulant withdrawal effects from regular use such as . much lower energy / irritability / some 'brain fog' / extremely less motivation which i kinda connect to having no energy to do anything
i'm not sure if i missed any potential symptoms but those are usually the ones i experience for a few days after heavy use.