So today I am 6 months and 11 days clean from abusing adderall. I originally started using the Sober Time app for alcohol, but about 9 months ago I started using adderall because I liked the high that it gave me, and the energy. But after 3 months of frequent use I realized it was becoming an addiction so I stopped and haven’t used it in 6 months, nor have I had the desire to. Anyone else here have a similar experience with adderall or other uppers?
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Not personally, but my adult daughter had a wicked adderall addiction that she overcame. It is a combination of two stimulant drugs, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. It can be very addictive, especially if taken recreationally or abused. You are lucky to be rid of it.
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Adderall is not, nor does it contain, methamphetamine. It contains amphetamine salts, which commonly leads to confusion with methamphetamine, and they are related but different substances. The effect at recreational vs. therapeutic dosages is typically quite different, and Adderall is not usually addictive when taken only at prescribed therapeutic doses.* However, anyone with a susceptibility to addiction or substance abuse should still exercise caution if prescribed Adderall. It can still easily be abused, and anything other than prescribed use is bad news.
*For more information on this, articles on stimulant use and its relationship with DeltaFosB transcription factor and gene expression are informative. The DeltaFosB component is especially relevant for methamphetamine addictions.
Sorry, my auto correct changed my amphetamine to meth. I do know that. As with any prescribed drug, it can be abused.
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I kicked a nasty adderrall habit. I have adhd, and it did really help that, but I began taking absurd amounts, 3-4x the prescribed dosage. The old addict thinking, “if one is good, more is better”. Its a hard drug to quit, makes you feel so clear and like you can do anything. Like seeing the world in color, after a lifetime of black and white. The withdrawal stage is really tough. I felt so foggy and stupid for a few weeks after quitting, it was really hard to produce at work etc. It was actually more difficult to rid myself of that than alcohol.
Thankfully I am nearly 2 years free of both.
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I didn’t mean to be pedantic. As someone who has received pharmaceutical treatment for ADHD, there is a lot of “you just take legal meth to get a boost” implication, stigma and misinformation that flies around, and I have less patience for potentially misleading information these days. I have spent years unnecessarily struggling, leaving my ADHD untreated due to society/stigma pressure, and now I’m learning to listen to my healthcare provider’s recommendations and stand my ground.
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Understood and sorry if it felt like I was stepping on your toes. It was a terrible experience for my daughter with her prescribed adderall that she abused.
I do understand your frustration, as I get the same thing from some people with my medically prescribed marijuana.
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All good, I didn’t feel offended or toes stepped on or anything personal. Just wanted to dot i’s and cross t’s to prevent unintentional spread of common misconceptions.
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I’m sorry, didn’t mean to veer off topic. Congratulations on your clean time!
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I used to abuse it in my early 20s. Bluhh, I hated it.
Adderall sucks. It was the first drug I did when i used to steal it from my brother in the summer when he didnt take it. Recently this past year I was taking it again. Just one a day(20mg) for quite some time. But then 2 and 3 until I was taking 100mg every day. It wasnt doing anything for me anymore except making my angry, paranoid, and crazy. When I ran out the comedown was horrendous. Lowest feelings of depression I’ve ever felt besides that from alcohol. Never doing that again. Not worth the misery.
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