Stimulants Stopping Adderall? Do I need to taper or go cold turkey

[reflection1988]

HI!

I have been taking Adderall for one week. I started last Wednesday with 20mg iR a day. I did this Wednesday and Thursday, but for some strange reason it kept me up all night long despite every drug I tried- Klonopin, Ambien, Clonidine, Trazadone. On Friday I had to work so I ended up taking around 100 mg to make it through the day. Of course I did not sleep Friday night. Saturday and Sunday I stuck with the 20mg IR daily. Monday I saw my psychiatrist and he increased the Adderall to 30mg IR daily. I had already taken 20mg by the time I saw him. I picked up the script and took 1/2 a 15mg tablet. Then I took the other half. By 3 AM I had taken about 120mg total for 24 hours. I did not sleep and I did well today. I took Clonidine, Klonopin, and Lyrica. I am just now starting to feel sleepy.
I want to stop taking adderall completely, but I am afraid of withdrawal symptoms. I know I only took it for a week but I am traumatized from going through benzo withdrawal. Should I do a taper like 40mg, 30mg, 20mg, 10mg, 5mg? I have to work Thursday, Friday, and then Sunday-Wednesday, with Wednesday being a night shift. I can't be withdrawing at work. I also have severe anxiety and depression so I have to be extra careful. I had to call in to work for Saturday-Monday because when I don't sleep I tend to get panic attacks and I just can't function.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[mtu mwendawazimu]

I have to work Thursday, Friday, and then Sunday-Wednesday, with Wednesday being a night shift. I can't be withdrawing at work. I also have severe anxiety and depression so I have to be extra careful.

I saw no one replied, so i'll give this a shot:

I think what i quoted is reason enough to taper off.

Since you've only been on it a week, you could probably lower the dosage every day, like you suggested.

I'd be curious for a second opinion, though.

Good luck!

 

[reflection1988]

So yesterday after Monday nights binge I stayed up all day and I took Lyrica 75mg, Clonidine 0.1mg and Klonopin 0.5mg every 4-8 hours. I was wired the whole day. By 7PM or so I started hallucinating. Things on the wall were moving around, and I saw a black dog next to my bed. My vision got so blurry I couldn't read. So at 9PM I look 3mg Lunesta and 1mg Klonopin. I also took a shit ton of vitamin C, like 833% of the recommended daily value. I slept great. I woke up this morning feeling like shit. My whole body hurts, I have a headache, and I'm emotional. So my plan was to do 40mg-30mg-20mg-10mg-10mg-5mg-OFF.

 

[Moonlitskies09]

I'm just going to say it, I really feel the need to advise going cold turkey. I've personally done about 200-400mg a day for a six day binge, comedown lasted three days and mildly uncomfortable. Adderall isn't the kind of thing that needs a taper. I think you're probably psyching yourself out a little here.

 

[kaosisallwesee]

I agree with the above post. I don't actually have any experience is the habitual use or addition to either benzos or amphetamine, but as far as I know Amphetamines take a long time to develop any kind of true dependence. A "come-down" isn't withdrawal, its more like a hangover, a few good sleeps and meals and you'll be back to normal.
I did want to ask about why you're prescribed it in the first place? I assume you didn't tell your psychiatrist about the overuse, the prolonged lack of sleep, and the fear of not taking it, or I doubt he'd continue prescribing it while also upping the dosage. So that'd be my only advice, either tell your doctor what's actually going on (if my assumption is correct), or/and go cold turkey.

 

[reflection1988]

I did tell my psychiatrist about the overuse last Friday when I saw him Monday. I explained to him what happened, and how I only took 10mg IR twice a day on Wednesday and Thursday and still did not sleep. He said I went into mania, which I guess can happen from Adderall. He said we needed to up my dosage to 15mg IR twice a day. When I was initially prescribed it last Wednesday, I told him that I am still depressed and that I have tried every antidepressant out there. I had read an article about Adderall being used as on off label antidepressant, so I spoke to him about it. I also asked him if he thinks I have ADD, because a lot of anxiety symptoms are just like ADD symptoms. He said lets try it. I did not realize that Adderall was so potent or that it was so widely abused and that people inject, snort and shove it up their butt. I did not tell him about me taking 120mg on Monday. I took this much for 2 reasons: I knew that this medicine is something I cannot be trusted with and I don't want to keep getting it so I can abuse it and 2: I knew I was going to stop taking it so I took advantage of the situation and I took a lot of it to get high, just to see what it was like. I then gave my husband the pills and he flushed all the 15's down the toilet. I don't think there is a benefit in telling my psychiatrist this because when I see him again I will just tell him it did not help me, and in all honesty it did not. People say it makes them want to get up and do all of these things. For me I just felt jittery and I did not want to go anywhere. Now for the comedown. I know I am not withdrawing, but I have to go to work. So tapering or at least taking something at a low dose for the next few days will help me not feel as crappy I would think. I don't want to go to work and have a panic attack, feel like I have the flu, or bitch someone out because they walked in front of me. I also cannot miss work tomorrow because I missed 3 days in a row last week when I started the Adderall.

 

[reflection1988]

Does taking a rational dose like 40mg IR help you from feeling like shit? Do you have a history of panic attacks or anxiety depression etc? I took 20 this morning and it did nothing, I just took another 20 about 30 minutes ago and that is all I can take today.

 

[mtop2036]

Does taking a rational dose like 40mg IR help you from feeling like shit? Do you have a history of panic attacks or anxiety depression etc? I took 20 this morning and it did nothing, I just took another 20 about 30 minutes ago and that is all I can take today.

Its been quite some time since I've taken any adderall but agree with the other in that you should just 100% cold turkey.

I get from where you would think that tapering is going to help but it's just going to draw out your comedown. That's what your feel, the comedown not withdrawls. It may not seem like it right now but I'm about 1-3 days you'll be back to normal. That's if you quit taking it now. Other wise your just going to prolong your misery. Then when you finally quit then you'll have to deal with the comedown for 1-3 days.

The best thing to do is just stop now. And drink plenty of water and eat healthy until you feel better.

 

[silentftw]

Klonopin is one of the benzos that withdrawal may take months versus Xanax would be weeks. You definitely need to taper. Although if you've only been taking Klonopin for a week you shouldn't really be addicted to it. Benzo withdrawal is by far worse than almost any drug withdrawal and existence.

And Klonopin is months and months long if you've been taking it for a long time. I would get some valerian root and some cough syrup with dextromethorphan in it the PM stuff for night time and use those as well as tapered underdose.

That is what my experiences with them. Even so you're going to have bad withdrawals if you've been on Klonopin for a long time. If it's been only a couple weeks your best bet is to stop as fast as you can. This is all from personal experience

 

[silentftw]

I may have misread this is about Adderall withdrawl? that's like a 2 day thing you'll feel shitty for 2 days then be fine . You might crave it mentally a few days after that but you should be fine. Amphetamines are one of the easiest drugs to withdraw off of it sucks really bad but it is over quick. Not like benzos and opioids which are totally different story

 

[reflection1988]

I am talking about Adderall, not Klonopin. And I have been through xanax withdrawal, and it was fucking miserable. I had to professionally detox 3 times, and I still wasn't right. Benzos in general are THE WORST WITHDRAWAL.

 

[reflection1988]

Yea I know but I can't feel shitty and go to work. At work I have to be 100% or not go at all, and I already missed 3 days because of this whole Adderall thing.

 

[reflection1988]

I have to work. Yesterday I ended up passing out while getting clothes out of the dryer. I stood up, got super light headed, held the door, and woke up on the floor to my daughter screaming mommy mommy mommy! She said I stood up, bent forward then backwards and then fell backwards, but she was standing behind me so she kinda caught me. It was scary AF because I woke up on the floor and I did not remember falling. Anyways I think I was just dehydrated, or I overdid it on the clonidine. I know I am not withdrawing, but I can't comedown at work. Do you think I will comedown after taking a reasonable dose like 30-40mg a day for a few days? Yesterday was a comedown I woke up with a fever, bodyaches and crying. The 40mg of Adderall I took did nothing to make me feel better.

 

[Speed King]

Don't make this over complicated. You really have not been on a very high dose for a long time. Don't get me wrong, it was enough for you to feel and at least temporarily alter your energy levels,etc. To avoid a crash, which would suck, but you would get over no matter what anyone has said, take as close to a normal dosage as possible.You are looking for a dosage that produces focus and a little energy boost, but that is it. This isn't happy fun time, it's keep you from feeling like shit. Have you figured out how long a dosage lasts you doing normal activities? Dose accordingly. You need to sleep at night. First dose when you wake up, second, if IR adderall, usually 4 hours. If it wears off quicker, 3 or 3.5 hours, then re dose. Make sure you eat breakfast, a reasonable lunch and dinner. Hydration with water, gatorade and other healthy drinks is essential. If you are completely coming off amphetamines, coffee is your friend. You don't need gallons of it, but one large cup nursed throughout the day will help with energy and up regulation of dopamine receptors over time.I take a higher ba% of magnesium. It knocks me out for sleep at night. Research which kinds cross the blood brain barrier the best. That will help you sleep.Simple. Don't believe the hype.

 

[reflection1988]

I am coming off of it. I am one of those people that can't take it responsibly, and it was basically a test to see if it helps with depression, which for me it did not. I have been taking the prescribed dose for the last few days, and sleeping well. Thank you for your help.

 

[Speed King]

Glad we could help you. I must give you props for realizing that this drug used this way for this particular reason, just will not work for you. There are many that do not understand this simple point. Good job. I am not putting anybody down, but many folks can learn a lesson from you.

 

[ComfortablyNumb95]

honestly tapering might just make it harder for you to get the rest you need, like sleeping and eating, plus it's gonna prolong any side effect you might be experiencing. it's just amphetamine and it's not like you've been taking it for months, you're gonna be fine by just stopping taking it.