Stimulants Has anyone here quit Dex/Adderall, how long did it take and how bad was it?

[Mycophile]

I had a thread about this before but I've been taking Dexadrine now for almost a year and I know I need to stop and I'm totally starting tomorrow and HOPE I won't need a taper...

I started at like 5mgs-twice a day 11 months ago but have steadily increased my dosage and not used it as would be recomended (yes I "abused it", though I only very rarely insufflated and usually took it orally) and it has escalated a lot and I've been taking 27.5mgs twice a day for the past week or so, before than 25 twice a day (50), before that 20--22.5 twice a day)...SOMETIMES only once a day, RARELY 3 times a day....you get the point....escalation.

But in 11 months of using I only once made it 5 days without (a couple weeks ago and I still had BAD WD on day 5)....and only once made it 4 days,...a few times 3, but 1-2 day breaks several times.......basically, I have USUALLY had it in my system for a year, and now I am really worried about how long it will take to stop and how bad the WD will be.


I know I have talked to people here who say "oh, it's not bad, it doesn't last long", but I was just talking to someone who knows a lot who says it CAN be VERY bad and take months to years for the brain to recover, and on a number of sites they say that for people who really abuse it like I have for over 6 months it can very often take months or even years to feel normal again.....and I don't know who to believe.

I know that the few times I have taken days off I have ZERO motivation or energy, BAD depression, can't get out of bad but also have insomnia and then sometimes sleep a lot, hunger, irritability.

I have a feeling you guys who have told me it's not bad are only comparing it to benzos, opiates, and other hard drugs and that might be why you think it's not bad.

But i do NOT want this to last months or years!!

Some sites recommend tapers, but someone here said getting a taper would basically be ridiculously unnecessary (I like the idea it might be so easy, but many sites say it is NOT so easy....)


So, for anyone here who has used dexadrine or adderall in doses in excess of 30mgs a day for over 6 months, how long did it take you for pretty much most or all of your WD symptoms to dissapear, how hard was it, and was there anything you took in the way of supplements or drugs that helped, or anything you did like exercise (HARD to motivate myself while withdrawing from this stuff) that helped??

I hope this isn't bad and really is over in a couple weeks like some people say....even a month would suck, but more than that I DO NOT want.


Thanks.

 

[Mycophile]

I mean, this one guy I talked to who seemed to be well informed referred me to this thread on Reddit, and some of the people on there are making it look pretty grim and saying that WD lasted like 2 years for them before they felt normal.

That sounds like a damn death sentence:

 

[Wilson Wilson]

Hey man. I am scripted basically the dose you are taking. It's not outside the therapeutic dose range. The max prescribed daily dose for dex in adults is 60mg. So it's certainly on the high side but it's not insane, you are actually under the max dose. Plus you have only been on it for just under a year. I have been on either Vyvanse or dex for over five years.

Tapering will be more comfortable than going cold turkey on it, but if you don't want to taper you can just stop completely and what will happen is you will feel lethargic, tired, lazy for a week or two then you will be back to normal. You say you've skipped doses and felt this already and you don't like it, so tapering is really the best option.

Honestly I have breaks for a week or two fairly frequently since I don't like being on speed all the time. The withdrawals are very mild and I just feel sleepy and less able to concentrate - but I have ADHD anyway, so how much of that is the drug and how much of it is just ADHD coming back? Downers are what really cause you big problems. Stimulants are actually pretty easy to stop using, with the main effects being psychological.

But you are reading about all those articles while you are speeding on dex so you are panicking and getting anxious. Don't worry about it. I do recommend tapering at your dose, like halve it to 25mg for a week, then 10mg for a few days then jump to zero and take 5mg here and there if you feel you need it. But you can just go cold turkey if you really want. Just expect to be lethargic for a few weeks.

Also keep in mind Adderall is mixed amphetamine salts and dex is pure d-amph. This matters because Adderall is harsher on the body due to the levoamphetamine content. Dex does not have this. It's far "cleaner." Because it has less activity in the body, it is easier to stop using.

Ohh and magnesium. Buy some of that if you aren't using it already. It removes most of the side effects of stimulants. Good for if you taper.

Good luck, you will be uncomfortable for a bit but you aren't in a terrible position on this one.

 

[Mycophile]

Hey man. I am scripted basically the dose you are taking. It's not outside the therapeutic dose range. The max prescribed daily dose for dex in adults is 60mg. So it's certainly on the high side but it's not insane, you are actually under the max dose. Plus you have only been on it for just under a year. I have been on either Vyvanse or dex for over five years.

Tapering will be more comfortable than going cold turkey on it, but if you don't want to taper you can just stop completely and what will happen is you will feel lethargic, tired, lazy for a week or two then you will be back to normal. You say you've skipped doses and felt this already and you don't like it, so tapering is really the best option.

Honestly I have breaks for a week or two fairly frequently since I don't like being on speed all the time. The withdrawals are very mild and I just feel sleepy and less able to concentrate - but I have ADHD anyway, so how much of that is the drug and how much of it is just ADHD coming back? Downers are what really cause you big problems. Stimulants are actually pretty easy to stop using, with the main effects being psychological.

But you are reading about all those articles while you are speeding on dex so you are panicking and getting anxious. Don't worry about it. I do recommend tapering at your dose, like halve it to 25mg for a week, then 10mg for a few days then jump to zero and take 5mg here and there if you feel you need it. But you can just go cold turkey if you really want. Just expect to be lethargic for a few weeks.

Also keep in mind Adderall is mixed amphetamine salts and dex is pure d-amph. This matters because Adderall is harsher on the body due to the levoamphetamine content. Dex does not have this. It's far "cleaner." Because it has less activity in the body, it is easier to stop using.

Ohh and magnesium. Buy some of that if you aren't using it already. It removes most of the side effects of stimulants. Good for if you taper.

Good luck, you will be uncomfortable for a bit but you aren't in a terrible position on this one.

Thanks a lot man.

You calmed me down and I hope you are right that it doesn't take more than a few weeks.

Yeah, I'm crashing and knowing I'm gonna quit tomorrow so my nerves are bad.

My doctor did mess up just last month only so for 1 month in may up till early June I was on Adderall, but now I'm on dex and was on dex the months before May.

I'm gonna attempt to stop cold turkey and see but I'll keep in mind tapering as an idea.

Hopefully it doesn't take long and then I won't be so worried if I ever mess up in the future, though I don't really think taking dex any more is the best option for me these days....at least not with any frequency.

Peace.

 

[Wilson Wilson]

No problem. You seem to have a stronger reaction than me so tapering is probably a good idea at least a short taper like 1-2 weeks. But yeah it won't be physically severe in either case. Most of the withdrawal is psychological for stimulants, especially the comedowns. Once the comedown passes fully you feel a lot better and that takes hours or a day at most for high doses.

Don't forget the basics too: eat well, drink water. Easy to forget these on speed but it seriously makes a HUGE difference.

 

[CFC]

I know I have talked to people here who say "oh, it's not bad, it doesn't last long", but I was just talking to someone who knows a lot who says it CAN be VERY bad and take months to years for the brain to recover, and on a number of sites they say that for people who really abuse it like I have for over 6 months it can very often take months or even years to feel normal again.....and I don't know who to believe.

So what you have there is a spectrum of different experiences of quitting, because different people recover in different ways. Which gives you some ballpark comparators, but you won't know how you fit within that until after it's happened - so try not to worry about something that may never happen.

Even if your recovery is harder than average, you can still expect things to improve considerably after that first week or two of feeling particularly empty, lethargic and depressed.

IIRC you do a fair bit of exercise? I'd recommend strongly that you maintain that and even increase the amount you do, as that should do a lot to help your mood and motivation (and neurological recovery). A good sleeping pattern should also help.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Try not to analyze to much, especially the first day's it will serve no purpose.

You will feel out of whack, it will differ from person to person depending of it's DOC. But it is bareable and certainly not as bothersome or dangerous as other addiction's.

But it varies from one to another. My greatest beast is MJ, hate stopping that one myself and I concider dex's WD very tolerable. Remind yourself would there be a zombie outbreak and you would become shut off from your dexedrine supply. Would you sit against the wall cripled by WD's and let your self be eaten up?

Or slash their heads of?

Been on 35mg/ day for years, give or take a few.

 

[Derschieber]

I have long runs of 60mg daily. When I stop it's not difficult. When busy with work, I quickly forget all about it.
You'll be alright. Compared to other problems life will throw at us from time to time, it's child play. Insignificant.
Don't worry about it. You can handle this.

 

[Mycophile]

I have long runs of 60mg daily. When I stop it's not difficult. When busy with work, I quickly forget all about it.
You'll be alright. Compared to other problems life will throw at us from time to time, it's child play. Insignificant.
Don't worry about it. You can handle this.

Thanks.

How long do you think WD would last for you if you quit cold turkey till you felt 100% of at least 90%?

 

[Derschieber]

How long do you think WD would last for

Not long. A few days maybe, if I were sitting around focused on the idea of "Am I still in WD ??"
In reality, I don't really think about it like that. Many life-events can and do happen whilst on those meds, which could be described as difficult times, stressful times etc.
On or off the meds is insignificant in comparison. Not important.
Think of it like this: You stop using dex and the following day you sit around thinking about how sluggish you're feeling...focused on how you're no longer motivated to do things etc. But it's all in your head. If there was suddenly a Lion in the street, coming for you...now you have all the motivation in the world, full of energy and running for your life, eyes wide open...sleeping, eating & snoozing is out of the question. What happened to your WD? It was all in your mind. Fortunately you don't need a Lion or emergency to get over your WDs. Any significant responsibility will do it - something that demands of you to get on with it, no matter what. Like a busy job for example. You will forget your WD just as soon as you stop thinking about it. It's all in your head.
In the absence of demanding responsibilities, I would suggest nice long bike-rides, bush walks, climbing, caving, any challenge that frightens you...forcing yourself to overcome something fearful will boost your self esteem and confidence - you'll feel like a million bucks lol...better than you did on the meds.
If you want to, it is possible to turn your WDs into the best time you've had all year. Do something weird...like climbing up a long rope. Can you do that? It's very manly. Forget about WD and do that lol.
It's all in your head. It really is. ?

You'll be ok.

 

[Wilson Wilson]

Remind yourself would there be a zombie outbreak and you would become shut off from your dexedrine supply. Would you sit against the wall cripled by WD's and let your self be eaten up?

Dex would be a helpful thing to have during that situation though ?

I've always said if I was in a zombie apocalypse I'd hold up in the pharmacy.

Think of it like this: You stop using dex and the following day you sit around thinking about how sluggish you're feeling...focused on how you're no longer motivated to do things etc. But it's all in your head.

Absolutely. The vast majority of this is psychosomatic. If you sit around worrying about and reading about withdrawals guess what your brain will do?

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Dex would be a helpful thing to have during that situation though ?

Defenitly, as are opiods and benzo's in that situation. I would rather be in the place that dispenses the drugs that wind up at the pharmacy. Worked in one. They had s-Ketamine vials, obscure benzo's like Clobazam. Clomethiazole, if your Brit or German. And a vault were the good shit was locked up.

But the mere thought of cutting heads during a period of abstinence does have an appeal.

 

[DopeyOpey94]

Dexedrine is hell psychologically to get off of. Physically it's not bad though,except for really bad lack of energy. I was on 60mg/day for 5 years, bouncing between Adderall IR, XR, and Dexedrine IR/XR. Honestly, just go cold turkey dude. You'll thank me later. It sucks but tapering is damn near impossible on that shit, and since it's not technically dangerous to go cold turkey like other drugs it's better to just rip the bandaid off. Otherwise you'll just prolong your suffering.

That being said, full blown withdrawals probably lasted about a week-ish for me. There are lingering effects (defecit in energy, mild depression, small amount of anxiety, harder time focusing) that can last from a month to much longer (so I've heard), but the after effects only lasted a month or 2 for me and were very tolerable once the main wd's were through after the first week. If you have benzos on hand they will definitely help with your wd's, I highly suggest them to soften the blow. Opioids might help too.

As far as supplements, I took an Amino acid complex, Magnesium (forgot which form), L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, Kava Kava, FL-Phenylalanine, Vitamin D & E, And a B-Vitamin Complex for extra energy. The supplements really help in the process of restoring your brain and stopping the wd's from being as bad. I'm sure there are other ones out there too that are beneficial as well, I used to have a guide on supplements to take for Dexedrine abuse & wd's but i lost it.

Anyway, good luck man! I'm sorry you have to go through that, I've been through it many times and it's not fun. You'll be ok though, keep your head up and try to focus on the positives like getting healthy and not being chained to a pill. Keep us updated!

-D

 

[Wilson Wilson]

If you have benzos on hand they will definitely help with your wd's, I highly suggest them to soften the blow. Opioids might help too.

The problem here is the risk of simply replacing one addiction with another, and if OP finds dex hard to kick a benzo or opiate habit is best avoided.

I'd recommend good ol' weed instead. Very good for amphetamine comedowns in my experience. Will also encourage OP to eat which in itself will do a world of good.

 

[DopeyOpey94]

The problem here is the risk of simply replacing one addiction with another, and if OP finds dex hard to kick a benzo or opiate habit is best avoided.

I'd recommend good ol' weed instead. Very good for amphetamine comedowns in my experience. Will also encourage OP to eat which in itself will do a world of good.

It depends on the OP's self control. Some people can just take enough for the worst of the comedowns and then not take them again, and some people don't even enjoy the effects of opiates or benzos. I didn't for a long time. He knows his body best so it could be a good idea or could be a bad idea, I'm glad you brought that up though because it's always good to make sure both possibilities are viewed.

Weed personally gave me such bad panic attacks I thought I was dying whenever I was on Amphetamines or coming down from them, so I recommend OP start really low and maybe even just do CBD if he might have any trouble with weed. I agree though, eating and getting lots of vitamins and nutrients and Amino Acids will help so so much, and get him to recovery a lot quicker. Sometimes you gotta force yourself to do it at first but it has to be done.

 

[Giga IV]

Adderall wd is 99% psychological. I stopped 40-120 mgs of Irs a day.

Expect to sleep for a few days, then you will want to eat everything. You may feel unmotivated and or depressed. But from my experience the rebound anxiety was the worst part, constantly worrying about everything, and nothing at the same time.

I used gabapentin 600-900 to reduce rebound anxiety.

I also took morphine 15s to get some of my dopamine back.

Benzos are helpful also but I personally enjoy gabapentin.

Be cautious though. Many speed users end up more addicted to their come down/we remedies than the speed itself.

Don't swap a psychological addiction, for a physical one.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Very good remark Giga IV, you nailed it.

 

[Mycophile]

Dexedrine is hell psychologically to get off of. Physically it's not bad though,except for really bad lack of energy. I was on 60mg/day for 5 years, bouncing between Adderall IR, XR, and Dexedrine IR/XR. Honestly, just go cold turkey dude. You'll thank me later. It sucks but tapering is damn near impossible on that shit, and since it's not technically dangerous to go cold turkey like other drugs it's better to just rip the bandaid off. Otherwise you'll just prolong your suffering.

That being said, full blown withdrawals probably lasted about a week-ish for me. There are lingering effects (defecit in energy, mild depression, small amount of anxiety, harder time focusing) that can last from a month to much longer (so I've heard), but the after effects only lasted a month or 2 for me and were very tolerable once the main wd's were through after the first week. If you have benzos on hand they will definitely help with your wd's, I highly suggest them to soften the blow. Opioids might help too.

As far as supplements, I took an Amino acid complex, Magnesium (forgot which form), L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, Kava Kava, FL-Phenylalanine, Vitamin D & E, And a B-Vitamin Complex for extra energy. The supplements really help in the process of restoring your brain and stopping the wd's from being as bad. I'm sure there are other ones out there too that are beneficial as well, I used to have a guide on supplements to take for Dexedrine abuse & wd's but i lost it.

Anyway, good luck man! I'm sorry you have to go through that, I've been through it many times and it's not fun. You'll be ok though, keep your head up and try to focus on the positives like getting healthy and not being chained to a pill. Keep us updated!

-D

Well I'm already dependent on Klonopin and have been for years so we don't have to worry about replacing one with the other cause I already have both LOL.

Honestly, I'm wanting to speak to a doctor about weaning me to a smaller amount of Klonopin and maybe replacing or partially replacing with something like Gabapentin as I have anxiety and the Klonopin makes me tired and I've spoken to some people who say that they were able to switch from one to the other and that gabapentin had less side effects for them than Klonopin.

I have most of those supplements and can use them.

But why do you say it was "hell psychologically" if you feel it wasn't that hard over all??

Cause my problem is I HATE HATE fatigue, and I'm already constantly tired and have been for years which I think is a lot of it a side effect of the Klonopin and why I'm wanting to lower that or switch to gabpentin.

I'm someone who has had trouble quitting COFFEE cause I hate the WD, and also hate the lethargy from Kratom WD, so unfortunately if by "psychologically hard" you mean fatigue and depression (which I'm experiencing now...) then yeah, I know what you mean.

So as far as THAT is concerned, the fatigue and depression, especially THE FATIGUE, with it being too bad to even make myself work out, how long do you think that will last for me having been taking about 50mgs a day for the past 2 months, but less than that up until that point for the past year? (I can't really quantify, it escalated)

You're saying "it's hell" is not comforting lol...but you have to be honest about what you experienced, and the rest here seem to be saying it wasn't that big a deal for them...

Also, you are on more than me for longer.

I only a couple times took 60mgs a day, it was generally varying between, I guess on average (though as you know tolerance goes up and we don't keep track...) but on average escalating first from about 15mgs a day for the first few months maybe, to then like 20, 25, 30, up to 50mgs the past couple months, but sometimes I'd only dose once a day at 25mgs....it would dependend BUT ONLY FOR 1 YEAR...NOT 5 LIKE YOU.

After the first week, would you say you had enough energy to motivate yourself to workout?

How do you think I'll be able to gauge how long it may last for me?

And would you suggest i DON'T try to ask me doctor to very slowly taper me to a lower amount of Klonopin while I'm also withdrawing from the Dex?

Cause I don't have long...only a couple months off work till September, and i want to get as clean as possible off BOTH...(though I don't think I'm gonna be able to TOTALLY get off the Klonopin).

Thanks.

 

[Mycophile]

Adderall wd is 99% psychological. I stopped 40-120 mgs of Irs a day.

Expect to sleep for a few days, then you will want to eat everything. You may feel unmotivated and or depressed. But from my experience the rebound anxiety was the worst part, constantly worrying about everything, and nothing at the same time.

I used gabapentin 600-900 to reduce rebound anxiety.

I also took morphine 15s to get some of my dopamine back.

Benzos are helpful also but I personally enjoy gabapentin.

Be cautious though. Many speed users end up more addicted to their come down/we remedies than the speed itself.

Don't swap a psychological addiction, for a physical one.

Ok you took a lot more than me.

In general my worst days were about 55mgs a day and it took a long time to get there, and I've only been on it 1 year and started off first at 10mgs a day but that was a year ago and it escalated quickly.

How long did you take that much for?

And how long did it take before you didn't feel so tired and depressed?

 

[Mycophile]

And also, this is a psychological question: but my doctor prescribes this to me, and I'm afraid of NOT having ANY access to it, ESPECIALLY while in WD, but really I don't ever want to get dependent on it again, so do you guys think I should tell my doctor I don't want it anymore?

I mean, the alternative is picking up my prescriptions and giving them to a friend, but then I'd still have them each month BEFORE giving them to him and I don't know how that would work out...