Mental Health Prescription Stimulants and Come Down

[RichardMooner]

Quitting Prescription Stims

I've been prescribed stimulants for ADD and severe OCD since January of this year, and now I'm trying to decide whether I want to get off of them because the come down is so horrific.

The med I was first prescribed was Adderall, everything was going smoothly for 5-6 months; it did it's job well when it was active, and just made me a bit tired/foggy when it wore off. Unfortunately, there was a complication with my stomach that I had tolerated well at first, but eventually, the pain became unbearable.

The second med was Ritalin XR, which didn't fuck with my stomach, but didn't work for concentration and made me jittery.

The third med was Concerta (Ritalin XR+). The idea was that a lower dose of Concerta would curb the negative side effects, but it didn't. Just lasted way too long

Then we were back to Ritalin because it was the best out of the three. However, when I started taking it again, I started having terrible come downs. Back ache, dry mouth, anxiety, jitters, restlessness, racing thoughts, increased OC thoughts, paranoia, and vasoconstriction. So now I'm back on Adderall IR (doesn't fuck up my stomach), but, the same come down symptoms I had on Ritalin were present again--just milder.

I guess I'm trying to decide whether to drop stims altogether, but I'm hesitant. Stimulants have been the only medication that actually helps with the OCD, and I've tried so many medications at this point, I don't know that any others out there will work.

If I could find a prescription that doesn't have any come down symptoms (or intense symptoms); it would be preferable. Unfortunately, I don't think one exists.

Do you mind giving me opinions on dropping them or not?

 

[aq.]

If stimulants actually help your OCD - stay on them in my opinion. But just 1 type and you'd obviously want to discuss that with your doctor just to make sure.

Just my opinion though.

 

[Risk1999]

OK everyone swim.. Had focalin, adderall, Vyvance they were unable to sleep last night and have ingested 60 mg of adderall in the last 2 hr it doesn't seem to be helping what does anyone suggest to be productive at work this afternoon, no real tolerance to stem. Also ingested 90mg Roxy (high tolerance)

 

[a dream]

Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) should have less side effects than Adderall (mix of levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine) and possibly a better comedown. I like Vyvanse for this reason; its extended release mechanism is very smooth.

Also - is stomach irritation caused by the drug itself, or could it be something else in the pill/capsule? if the latter case trying different manufacturers might make a difference. i dunno

 

[Brody5150]

Have you tried anything that isn't a stimulant like Strattera? They make other non stimulants for add/adhd.

Some SSRI antidepressants are used for OCD. Here's a web md link with more info.

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/antidepressant-medications-used-to-treat-ocd

Here is a link for info on atypical antidepressants used to treat OCD.

https://mywiserhealth.com/mind/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/compare/prescription-atypical-antidepressant-example-wellbutrin/?return_url=/mind/obsessive-compulsive-disorder//learn/

You might know all this since u said you've tried tons of meds. Hope it's not old news to you. Good luck, I wish u the best.

 

[RichardMooner]

Thank you for the replies. I have a Dr. appointment today, and I think I'm going to give Vyvanse a shot. After reading about it, it appears that the comedown is much smoother than other stimulant medications. Once again, thank you all.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Yes it can help. Others, such as I, found that after trying adderall it didn't provide enough energy or focus.