Addicted to Meth with ADD

[BillDoolin]

I am 25 years old and have been addicted to meth the last 3 years of my life, as well as opiates and pot the last 10 years. I recently went to an inpatient drug treatment facility for 60 days and have now been clean for over 3 months. I believe I have fairly severe add as it is interfering with my life and relationships. My father is a recovering coke addict with a long sobriety, and knows what recovery is about and agrees that i should get tested to see if i do or do not have it. I have made an appt. with a psychiatrist i have seen in the past, and will be evaluated in a couple weeks. I know that add is treated with stimulants and my regular doctor said that if he could, he would never prescribe me stimulants for add even if it was severe because of my meth use (even though he does not do that type of stuff, he sent me to a psychiatrist). Is one automatically denied treatment if they have a history of abusing stimulants? Now I am under the impression through the research that i have done, that i was self medicating with meth, even though I was using too much. It made me calmer, more able to focus, etc. Even though I am an addict, and am taking the necessary steps to deal with this problem, i need to address the issue of my possible add. Will it be harder for me to get treatment if i do exhibit a diagnosis of add because i was addicted to meth? This is starting to wear on me and i just want to function in a more normal state, and if stimulant meds do this how can I be denied treatment because of another disease. Its starting to wear on me. I guess im just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this problem or am in the same shoes i'm in and what they've experienced. Thank you.

 

[motiv311]

Since you were referred to this psychiatrist by your primary care physician; odds are you won't ever get the meds you desire/need.

Chances are if you go to any random doctor or psychiatrist they won't even bother too try and find your medical records; and will just have you create new ones.

Most people just say "oh I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and took medication for awhile, but i just kinda stopped and now i believe i would find those medications helpful....

with your history with meth; don't expect the adderall/dexedrine/vyvanse to work QUITE so strongly and longly... but I quit meth a few years back and adderall will give me a pretty good buzz if I don't take it everyday.

Vyvanse is your best bet.. doctors are "pushing" this new med pretty hard in most states. Its also powerful and easy to get bumped up in dosages. Its my favorite but without health insurance its expensive. Expect to probably be prescribed 10 or 20mg Adderall XRs.

 

[rollingstoned!]

I agree with motiv311 on Vyvanse. Only problem is it is expensive compared to dexedrine XR, which are essentially the same drugs (d-amp extended release).
If this doesn't work, try a benzo. Just as amphetamines can make people sleepy (I still don't understand this, but experience it on moderate doses) benzos can get rid of side thoughts preventing focus.

FYI 3 months isn't long at all for a ten year addiction to pot and opiates. I first smoked pot at 15 for 6 months everyday, got arrested and was forced to stop. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't feel back to the way I did before pot until 3 months of abstinence! Up until then I was like "alright I haven't smoked in a month and I feel exactly the same". But sure enough, 3 months later my visions "FPS", FOV, and contrast went up. It was shocking. My thinking process returned to normal as well from the slow, twisted mess it was in. And I the fucked up thing was I never would've realized it. I am happy I waited as long as I did soley for that realization.

My point is you have a long addiction with multiple substances so I'd give it at least a year of shit and unfocusness before you decide to go back to using stims, because son, you have ADD right now. That's a side effect of using pot, opiates, and meth. Do you want to patch it the rest of your life with dopermigenics or fix it with willpower? That's your choice, but speed is the weaker one IMO. Accept that you will have to deal with depression for some time and eventually the brain and mind will heal themselves. And you'll be able to focus. Like a laser on meth and 4-max. Only you'll be doing it with nothing but yourself.

Good luck either way. And my advice for going down the "patch" route would to find a new doctor, be honest about your PREVIOUS abuse, and tell him/her you specifically want a low dose of a stim (perhaps even a weaker one like modifinal) because you need it to function but you don't want euphoria. Then if said modifinal doesn't work, ask for Vyvanse, or Dexedrine XR if you're on a budget.

 

[BillDoolin]

Thanks for the info. I think my pyschiatrist will understand if i'm diagnosed with add because of his background in addiction and with a dual diagnosis this can actually become a blockade in a sense of advancing in my recovery because of my problems pertaining to add. I'll just stick with him and see what he says after i'm screened. If I don't have it then great, but if I do I think something needs to be done about it because by then it's more than just post accute withdrawal symptoms. Thanks

 

[Student]

This is funny, I have crazy ADD but i dont really care for stimulants because of side effects (i like the euphoria though) so I cant really stand to take them often at all. And by often i mean the few times a semester i have a bunch of papers due or midterms or finals. Ur basically in the opposite situation I am. However i dont think strong stimulants are really the solution anyway.

I feel your pain though man, its like a constant ball and chain weighing me down every day. I'd recommend some herbal medicines that are a bit lighter on the body/mind though, check out american ginseng, ashwaganda, yerba mate (or caffeine from any source) and eating well/getting enough sleep.

writing lists is always helpful for me too. as well as not thinking about what im about to do before i do it, just start doing what ever and dont let procrastination have any time to manifest. Its all easier said than done though. It really is much more than a matter of pure will power. Infact i think that to be sort of ironic or oxymoronic; you have a lack of motivation and will power so the solution is to use your will power and be motivated? Thats like telling a black guy in the slavery days he should just turn white, or even better its like telling a kid whos drowning because he doesnt know how to swim that is problems would be solved if he just started swimming.

However i dont mean for that to be taken the wrong way, there is an amount of willpower that just needs to be exerted, you just gotta do shit sometimes. the problem is though that doing shit is overrated, or at least thats how i feel before i do it, then of course i feel exactly the opposite when i dont do anything hahaha

I guess its all about getting into good habits and exercising the points that are weaker in the ADD affected person, as the famous neuroscientist Hebb said "You use it or loose it." and also "Neurons that fire together wire together." Brain plasticity is great and always a source of hope, however it isnt as easy as it sounds and is a slow process. And im an american so i must have instant gratification!

 

[datSTIMfreak]

From what I know, taking methamphetamine when you have ADD will NOT get you high, there is a prescription form of methamphetamine called Desoxyn specifically used to treat ADD/ADHD.

 

[Student]

nope. definitely gets ya high in my experience. The difference may be that people who have add are more likely to appreciate the hyper focused effect of stims and call them medical rather than recreational. If you take some amps and study its legit/medicine/theraputic. if you take some amps and party its recreational. The difference is in the activity not the effects. maybe in the dose too, if u are doing it for recreation you will take a lot more to get a lot higher where as too much amps will make u end up unable to focus on anything cus your fuckin spun outta your mind trying to clean each individual carpet fiber for that head to toe clean house feeling that can only be achieved by an amphetamine addled mind. or maybe an underpayed mexican illegal immigrant