I'm 44 years old and started taking Adderall today for A/ADHD. I suffered from alcohol abuse for many years but stopped drinking about 6 years ago. I used drugs also when I was young and starting the Adderall has me very nervous. It felt so good today that I didn't want the effects to stop. I was prescribed 20 mg twice a day, but took an extra one in the evening. I'm afraid that I'll get hooked on the drug and will exceed what is a tolerable amount for me. Again, I haven't felt this good in a long time and hope that I just got caught up in the moment. I have a wife and kids and decided to start taking the meds to be a better husband and father, not to become addicted. Any thoughts?

I'm 44 years old and started taking Adderall today for A/ADHD. I suffered from alcohol abuse for many years but stopped drinking about 6 years ago. I used drugs also when I was young and starting the Adderall has me very nervous. It felt so good today that I didn't want the effects to stop. I was prescribed 20 mg twice a day, but took an extra one in the evening. I'm afraid that I'll get hooked on the drug and will exceed what is a tolerable amount for me. Again, I haven't felt this good in a long time and hope that I just got caught up in the moment. I have a wife and kids and decided to start taking the meds to be a better husband and father, not to become addicted. Any thoughts?
I am very new to all of this as well. But I will say based on what you said about previous addictions I don't think its good you took more than what your doctor said on the first day. Does your doctor know about your previous addictions? If not call him tomorrow and let him know. From what I've read adderall can be pretty addicting. I'm guessing your taking the IR version and not the XR?

People with untreated ADHD are MUCH more likely to abuse recreational drugs later in life - the reason for this is we naturally try to "treat" outselves.

I completely disagree with the person above me, you shouldn't call your doctor and tell him that you're a previous drug addict, what the hell would that solve? This is a clean slate for you - it felt 'so good' because you weren't suffering your ADHD symptoms, that's what the drug is SUPPOSED to do, it's supposed to RELIEVE your symptoms. However, you need to take them as prescribed - keep telling yourself that. If you feel the amount prescribed doesn't cover your entire day, you can tell your doctor the next visit that you need more coverage. There's nothing wrong with that.

Just take as prescribed, and gradually work your way up.. it will be hard but you need to put out some discipline - if not for yourself, then for your wife/child(ren). Don't be alarmed that the drug is helping you, lol, that's what it's supposed to do. Why else would you take it?

Again, take it AS PRESCRIBED, and all will be well. :)

I have an addiction history too, and I know the feelings you are dealing with. It is *exciting* when you are a "retired" alcoholic/addict with a few years sober and then you get your first bottle of amphetamine, totally legal, with your name on it!

It worried me too, but I did not go crazy with my meds. I don't have an instant release version though, and I would probably be more tempted if I did. My doc gave me Vyvanse, which is meant for once a day use (although it doesn't last long enough and I do split the dose up throughout the day for better coverage, but still no quick "rush" like IR can give in the beginning). It takes about an hour to take effect and it is much smoother on the ups and downs than adderall (for many people, including me).

The only "easy" way to abuse Vyvanse is to stockpile the stuff so that you can intentionally take too much, but that would mean running out early. I found that the effects of this drug were so beneficial for me--it totally turned my life around--that there's just no way I'm going to screw this up by abusing it.

So: it's definitely not a "great" sign that you took more than prescribed on your first day, but I can certainly realate to why you did it. Amphetamine produces euphoria for many people when you first start taking it, even at prescribed doses, and it totally sucks when it starts wearing off. After a few days, that euphoric feeling will probably be just about gone. This will be annoying, and you may be even more tempted to take more. But if you can hang on and avoid that for a few days, some of this risk will diminish, because the meds well no longer give you that irresistable "rush" at prescribed doses.

It's probably to early to say "you will not be able to use this responsibly," even if you historically had trouble controlling your use of other classes of drugs such as alcohol. In my case it was alcohol, and later opiates. But you do need to really watch yourself. If you can't control your use then you won't be able to take this stuff without consequences. If you really have ADD, this kind of medicine can have amazing, positive impacts on your life. It's not a cure for all of your ills, but it can make a huge difference. It certainly did for me anyway.

So: party's over. :( Learn from it and move on. If you find that you are having to "white knuckle it" to keep from taking more than prescribed but you are still able to actually avoid eating them like skittltes, then it may be that you would do better on a slow release, longer acting med like Vyvanse or possibly Adderall XR. If that doesn't fix the "white knuckle" problem, then maybe the risks of stims outweigh the benefits for you.

I don't know if you are in any support groups, but 12 step programs really help bring me back down to earth.

Another possiblity would be to stop taking whole tabets at a time. Take half, or even 1/4 of a tablet every couple of hours rather than a big fat 20mg twice a day. That may well smooth out the peaks and valleys, make it less annoying when the effects start to wear off. I've taken my wife's Adderall IR before (with my doctor's knowledge) and 20mg. at one time would be fun for me--I know it. She has the 10mg. tablets, and I would only take half (5mg.) at a time.

Hope it works out for you. Be careful, but don't panic--yet. It may be a lot easier to avoid abuse after a few days to a week, when the euphoria is less and the "new toy" syndrome starts to wear off.

-Tom

Tom, thanks for the detailed explanation. Everything you said is happening. I do feel like the party is over and I'm glad. Take care.

You've gotten some good advice.

One thing to remember is that this drug still makes you feel better even once the "high" of the first few days has gone away. If you focus on the high ("chase" it) as some say, then eventually you will become addicted, and somehow, one way or another, that is going to lead to your doctor cutting you off, which is not what you want, obviously.

I have admitted more than once on here that I absolutely loved the way the Adderall made me feel at first. But the fact is that now that the "high" has faded, I still feel great when I take them. They still take the fog away. They still allow me to focus, calm the constant background chatter in my head, and still even in some very subtle way lift my mood. Yes, the high was great, but having something I can take every day that improves my quality of life is so much better.

great post chartruse,I always enjoy your stuff:) Good luck to blaisers99 for getting help/ but try to remember the pills are not going to make you a better husband or father/ what they will do is give you a clearer focus on how you can change yourself.
Im sure all of us on meds for adhd arent candidates for sainthood:rolleyes:
I sincerely hope you succeed:) these are just my opinions and I mean no offence

I think you have already recieved some excellent advice. The only thing I can add is that you MIGHT consider, assuming your relationship allows for it, to make sure your wife is aware of the situation and to enlist her aid to help monitor you. That way if you do start to abuse the medication you are more likely to be made aware of it and to get help. This of course assumes she is the type of person not to over react and who understand what you are doing. I only mention this to you as some I have known do not think to involve their loved ones either out of embarassment, or because they don't want to burden the other person so they try to handle it themselves.

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