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Help me get off Stimulants?

MusicGuy

MusicGuy

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
81
I'll keep this short and to the point because I simply don't have the energy to go into detail.

I've always had terrible ADHD, still do. Been on Stimulants since 2nd grade. For the past year or so it's mostly been Adderall. A rare occasion of something like coke, nothing serious. But without stimulants I just... don't feel like me. I feel like the worst piece of shit on earth. I keep my tolerence nill to none so I rarely go through w/d due to tolerance.

I don't know how to get off them at all. Any ideas people?
 
What I believe is ,at least partly, happening here is you're so use to being on stims from such a young age. You never had the change to grow up and develop a personality in a sober state of mind and with out drugs. Consequently, when you're not on them, you end up feel like someone totally different and alien. One thing that helped a few of my friends was when you are quitting and they felt especially blue was to have a cup of coffee. They found it took the edge off. I also advised you to taper down rather then give it up cold turkey. You can become stim free though! I have fait in you MusicGuy. We here at BL will have no problem giving you any support you may need.
 
Thanks for the support. I have a very non-addictive personality, I can do any drug and not crave it.. ever. But stimulants and amphetamines are another story. I'm not chasing the high, trying to get a rush, simply be who I am. I've gotten to the point were 15mg of Adderall works fine for keeping me were I'd like to be. Tweaking is of course a long time favorite but I can do without. I'm considering weather just going on a very low dose long term is a good idea. I take extra steps to always make sure I keep a low tolerance and to make sure I keep to the point were I can avoid w/d or at least go through it mildly. Being on stimulants for so many years has taught me a thing or two about drug use and abuse. Coffee is great but it doesn't last long enough and it's simply.. not the same. For me it feels like playing with toy soldiers after coming back from live combat.

I'm a big fan of healthy eating and working out. So it's not that I'm tweaking non-stop. It's just that it plays such a huge role in my life. It's a difficult, long, and complex relationship that I try to avoid talking about to much. I like to live my life independently without ever needing outside help. It took me until recently that all the great things I was doing in my life were due to the use of stimulants. I've reached a crossroads were I can't decide if the negatives outweigh the positives and weather my life would be better if I quit all together or if I went low-dose for a long period of time. Like I said, I'm not a drug abuser and I don't have an addictive personality. I've stopped many times before without craving it, but my issue is is that I'm just not me. No energy, no will to do anything, little happiness. When I wake up if I have something to do then my immediate thought process is "I'll do it once I take my meds".

I'd like to have the option open of being able to opt-out without any negative consequences, I just don't know how. I lead an active and busy life, stimulants practically run it. Stopping for even 3 days just isn't exactly an option at the moment.
 
This is probably horrible advice, but I had a very long term complicated relationship with downers. Started with painkillers for legitimate chronic pain and ended with heroin become I love the high. I too felt like a different person without them, and was literally afraid of imagining a life without them. I maintained a job (two jobs actually), a household, money, a boyfriend and life, stayed in shape and ate very well, but I was a slave. I do have an addictive personality, but decided that if I'm just going to pass my addiction onto something else it shouldn't be another drug.

So.

I started playing World of Warcraft instead of getting high. It was cheaper ($14.99 a month compared to $500 a month and possible imprisonment is a pretty good trade off), and it was different than just playing a video game - I was with real people I could talk to and have fun with. I had a lot of people recommend trying to distract myself with friends or school or exercise, but your friends aren't around 24/7, its hard to exercise when you feel like hell and school actually matters & that brings stress - this had no actual baring on my real life, but was rewarding and fun. I made friends all over the world, and before I knew it, it had been months since I even wanted an opiate. Since I am also very busy it wasn't like I became a slave to the game like so many people do, but when I did have time alone and I was bored and really wanted to nod out, it was there to keep my mind busy. I'm just saying this worked for me. It might not work for you, but the idea of trying to switch your constant thoughts about speed to something else is the only way to get over it. Its like forgetting an ex-lover, only distraction with work. You will feel like shit for weeks after stopping, but as long as there is something there to take your mind off it, it will soften the blow.
 
You have a few options IMO, get off stims completely (healthiest option) or for the most part, switch to another stim or stim-like drug, keep on stims. Amphetamines and drugs like cocaine and methylphenidate are toxic. No doubts about it. My advice would be to get off stims "for the most part" or completely. With stims I would advise cold turkey discontinuation, and I would employ natural supplements such as l-tyrosine and magnesium, and possibly benzodiazepines for a short period of time to deal with the more acute "wd" esp. for sleep. I would suggest using caffeine tablets as needed, starting with a dose of 100 - 200 mg as needed, and going up a little if you had to. If you smoke, continue to smoke, if not I would go to the pharmacy and buy a 7 mg/24 hr nicotine patch. This will help with mood and other symptoms greatly.
 
Being on stimulants since 2nd grade is a long time. I would really recommend speaking to a doctor about some sort of tapering-down program or something like that.

I've never heard of somebody being prescribed stimulants at that young of an age.
 
Alex000 said:
You have a few options IMO, get off stims completely (healthiest option) or for the most part, switch to another stim or stim-like drug, keep on stims. Amphetamines and drugs like cocaine and methylphenidate are toxic. No doubts about it. My advice would be to get off stims "for the most part" or completely. With stims I would advise cold turkey discontinuation, and I would employ natural supplements such as l-tyrosine and magnesium, and possibly benzodiazepines for a short period of time to deal with the more acute "wd" esp. for sleep. I would suggest using caffeine tablets as needed, starting with a dose of 100 - 200 mg as needed, and going up a little if you had to. If you smoke, continue to smoke, if not I would go to the pharmacy and buy a 7 mg/24 hr nicotine patch. This will help with mood and other symptoms greatly.
Click to expand...

W/d isn't an issue what-so-ever. I've been threw it a hundred times before, but after it I'm still "not me". I honestly wish this was just your run of the mill addiction.. but it's not. I'm not chasing a high at all. I'll keep the caffine in mind though.

Cyborg said:
This is probably horrible advice, but I had a very long term complicated relationship with downers. Started with painkillers for legitimate chronic pain and ended with heroin become I love the high. I too felt like a different person without them, and was literally afraid of imagining a life without them. I maintained a job (two jobs actually), a household, money, a boyfriend and life, stayed in shape and ate very well, but I was a slave. I do have an addictive personality, but decided that if I'm just going to pass my addiction onto something else it shouldn't be another drug.

So.

I started playing World of Warcraft instead of getting high. It was cheaper ($14.99 a month compared to $500 a month and possible imprisonment is a pretty good trade off), and it was different than just playing a video game - I was with real people I could talk to and have fun with. I had a lot of people recommend trying to distract myself with friends or school or exercise, but your friends aren't around 24/7, its hard to exercise when you feel like hell and school actually matters & that brings stress - this had no actual baring on my real life, but was rewarding and fun. I made friends all over the world, and before I knew it, it had been months since I even wanted an opiate. Since I am also very busy it wasn't like I became a slave to the game like so many people do, but when I did have time alone and I was bored and really wanted to nod out, it was there to keep my mind busy. I'm just saying this worked for me. It might not work for you, but the idea of trying to switch your constant thoughts about speed to something else is the only way to get over it. Its like forgetting an ex-lover, only distraction with work. You will feel like shit for weeks after stopping, but as long as there is something there to take your mind off it, it will soften the blow.
Click to expand...

Again, I'm not really "addicted" so much as I'm not me, I am but life is just.. slow. No motivation, little happiness, I'm not "me". As much as I love tweaking it's not an issue for me, the issue is that without the stimulants in my system I'm just... not me. Not how I should be. I'm a big fan of working your problems away but I have no motivation to work without stimulants. Distraction doesn't really work because well... I'm constantly distracted without them! I'm suck at such a crossroads here

NeighborhoodThreat said:
Being on stimulants since 2nd grade is a long time. I would really recommend speaking to a doctor about some sort of tapering-down program or something like that.

I've never heard of somebody being prescribed stimulants at that young of an age.
Click to expand...

In this day and age I've heard of Kindergardeners on Ritalin... for me it started out with different forms of Ritalin. Seems to be the drug of choice for ADHD now a days. Tapering down isn't a problem... I keep my tolerance nill to none. Re-read my above posts... but thanks for the concern.
 
Have you tried antidepressants? might be worth a shot -- and if effective, they're less harmful to use long term. It'd be like a step between stimulants and nothing.
 
johnx3 said:
Have you tried antidepressants? might be worth a shot -- and if effective, they're less harmful to use long term. It'd be like a step between stimulants and nothing.
Click to expand...

Traditional SSRIs would probably worsen the symptoms you're having, and it sounds like you're trying to live your life without needing some exogenous substance to keep you going.
However, as an intermediate step you could try bupropion (Wellbutrin). It's an antidepressant, but acts on the same chemical systems that Adderall does (however in a less powerful, non-toxic way). It wouldn't be hard to get prescribed, since it does sound like you have some form of depression. My guess is that after a while of being off Adderall, your brain will adjust and you'll be able to function without it.
 
johnx3 said:
atrollappears said:
Traditional SSRIs would probably worsen the symptoms you're having, and it sounds like you're trying to live your life without needing some exogenous substance to keep you going.
Click to expand...

I disagree -- it sounds like you're depressed and not motivated when you're not on stimulants, and traditional SSRIs could be helpful with lack of drive and low mood. Something like Lexapro, acting more on serotonin, could actually be more effective in this case since so many years of using stimulants that act on other neurotransmitters primarily (dopamine and norepi), may make antidepressants that work on those systems (like Wellbutrin) less effective. (i.e after having tolerance to high doses of stimulants, the relative benefit of wellbutrin might not be as great as it would be for lexapro).
However wellbutrin could certainly be useful also and it might be just what is needed to taper off.

I would really not get stuck on the idea of not needing an exogenous substance -- if an antidepressants can be helpful then it's worth trying. Everyone uses exogenous substances to survive, and to our advantage -- coffee is an exogenous substance, vitamins, etc. The point is stimulants can be harmful and antidepressants in general are not (some evidence suggests they may be neuroprotective).
Click to expand...
 
NeighborhoodThreat said:
Being on stimulants since 2nd grade is a long time. I would really recommend speaking to a doctor about some sort of tapering-down program or something like that.

I've never heard of somebody being prescribed stimulants at that young of an age.
Click to expand...

It happens. I have babysat children as young as 5-6 years old, taking methylphenidate.
 
I was on Methylphenidate Brand Name Ritalin at that age 2nd grade till grade 5 sooo like a total of 3 years I was using Clonidine for sleep too. I must admit I think it really fucked my mind up I have no proof other than my personal opinion which I am not sure how much it even matters which in itself should just explain how it has fucked up my brain to some extent lol. Oh they took me off of it because I was loosing to much weight and I remember I was not eating very healthily at the time.
 
johnx3 said:
johnx3 said:
I disagree -- it sounds like you're depressed and not motivated when you're not on stimulants, and traditional SSRIs could be helpful with lack of drive and low mood. Something like Lexapro, acting more on serotonin, could actually be more effective in this case since so many years of using stimulants that act on other neurotransmitters primarily (dopamine and norepi), may make antidepressants that work on those systems (like Wellbutrin) less effective. (i.e after having tolerance to high doses of stimulants, the relative benefit of wellbutrin might not be as great as it would be for lexapro).
However wellbutrin could certainly be useful also and it might be just what is needed to taper off.

I would really not get stuck on the idea of not needing an exogenous substance -- if an antidepressants can be helpful then it's worth trying. Everyone uses exogenous substances to survive, and to our advantage -- coffee is an exogenous substance, vitamins, etc. The point is stimulants can be harmful and antidepressants in general are not (some evidence suggests they may be neuroprotective).
Click to expand...

SSRIs are known to inhibit the dopaminergic system, contributing to, or perhaps causing, their famous sex-drive killing, mood-blunting, inattention-causing side effects.
Click to expand...
 
yeah i took my homie's ritalyn on accident thinking it was a mint when i was like 7. It's ridiculous.
 
NeighborhoodThreat said:
Being on stimulants since 2nd grade is a long time. I would really recommend speaking to a doctor about some sort of tapering-down program or something like that.

I've never heard of somebody being prescribed stimulants at that young of an age.
Click to expand...

Really? I work in a grade school and have for years. This has become unbelievably common. And IMO sickening.
 
I have family members with "adhd and add" which in some of their cases I feel was wrongly diagnosed. I'm no expert on child psychology and psychiatry but it seems to be the booming trade to prescribe pills for ill behavior caused by poor parenting (not saying its always the case). Sorry a little off topic. But I agree with the taper method, chronic pain patients, suboxone patients, methadone patients, benzo patients, we all taper down to hopefully successfully jump off as this is considered medically to be the most comfortable and reliable way to stop the usage of physically dependant forming substance. Definitely talk to your Dr about how you feel about this. Don't suffer in silence. Much love to ya.

~sero
 
what kind of dose of addies are you takin per day man? I know how that shit can be. It's mostly the physical discomfort feeding your mental lust for the way your personality is altered by the shit. I take 2-3 week breaks from the stuff from time to time beecause addiction runs in my family like a motherfucker. (Also when I'm back on them I can take more XD I'm no saint) The first few days are shit..I got nothing to say, my own ideas feel lame and not worth saying out loud..other peoples ideas seem even lamer. And if I'm stoned I pretty much just focus on my body buzz but I'm not giggly or anything. Well Once you stick with being off it, your brain will adjust itself..like for real man, I know it seems impossible to you right now, but something happens in that sweet ass organ

What I'm saying is a life without painful, physically dependancy is better than a life of constant highs and lows. And you know you just may be able to keep it purely recreational, and still enjoy your occasional binge, but you'd be a rarity...I say just take MDMA at the SWEETEST parties of the year. (not too much now) Or just take breaks like I do..Idk how bad it is to go a month on addies, a month off, and keep it like that, but thats what I try to do.
 
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