Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahsweets
i think its important to mention the difference between addiction and dependence. Addiction involves obsession about the substance, the need to take more and more of it even against guidelines, scheming to get it and having it make your life unmanageable. I believe dependence means you need the substance to raise your abnormal or..or non-Neurotypical behavior into the "normal" range enabling you to live your life with your best possible self leading the way. I am equally dependent on my bipolar meds as I am on my adderall. I have been on adderall for 13 years- never abused it and no problem stopping it when Ive had to ( pregancy, surgeries, forgetting to get a new script in time).
This may be your experience but would you say the same thing about antidepressants or other mental health meds? If you have adhd and another disorder(I do) or its treatment resistant depression, what is wrong with not feeling dread getting up in the morning. I very much think that adderall restores balance. You have some sort of deficit to be on it and it is meant to correct that and level the playing field. If you abuse it for euphoria or as a performance enhancer that is very different than being dependent on it to keep you at a reasonable baseline.
Then FOR YOU, you need to stop taking it, and maybe it does mean you are addicted and you need to stop it. But that is not how it works for everyone.
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I never said that's how it works for everyone. I think you are triggered by what I said because of your own addiction issues (with alcohol), so you don't like that I characterize my experience as addiction. However, you can follow all the rules and still become addicted. I know my reality. And I really don't need you to tell me how my addiction has affected me. Just because I'm not out prostituting myself to buy adderall off the street doesn't mean my life isn't severely disrupted and dictated by my adderall needs. And my psychiatrist is aware of this issue, so I'll let her be the judge of what meds I take, not you. I'm not sure why you take exception to me sharing my experience with the stuff. For many, many people stopping adderall is very difficult. I have been taking it constantly for 13 years. You have, by your own admission, had at least one 9 month plus break for pregnancy.
I still got some benefit from adderall until maybe 1-2 years ago. I was also prescribed a much higher dose than many people - 60 MG. I successfully reduced that to 40 MG a year ago, but it was painful.
And no, I do not think adderall is comparable to an antidepressant. An antidepressant doesn't immediately make you feel better. It's much harder to stop using a substance when you know you can get immediate effects from it. There's a reason adderall and certain other drugs are considered addictive. In any case, I would actually say I am dependent on my antidepressants and other meds, and my body is physically addicted. But this thread is about adderall.
People should be aware of the possible drawbacks, that's all. I still wish I'd never started on it.
Edit: The FOR YOU was rather hostile and unnecessary. I shouldn't have to post a disclaimer when sharing my experiences informing readers that my experiences are my own. That should be obvious.