My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

My medication doesn't work until I take a drag from a cigarette. I noticed it today when I was at work. It's very frustrating because I'm trying to quit. Is this possible, or am I just being weird? Why does it seem it does?

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

Very interesting. What meds are you taking? How long? And how long have you been smoking? Maybe the nicotine gives the brain a little kick start?

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I take Adderall.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

When my meds don't work I do a little mental arithmetic to kick them off. And I usually hate doing mental arithmetic. Or I read.
Eating a big healthy meal helps too.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I've also noticed some days I need some kind of extra "stimulation" to get the medication working, but it doesn't have to be the same thing every time.

It can be:

Coffee
Energy drink
Running
Solving a complex problem
Starting some form of organizing or planning, even if I'm too tired/unfocused when I start

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I found these articles and they look promising although smoking of course(which I do) is bad for your health.

http://www.addadhdblog.com/adhd-medi...ne-next/#8365f

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2446482/
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00573248


so while smoking it is bad it is promising.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

Haha you must want me to die from cancer and heart diseases. Lol.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I would suggest e-cigarettes, nicotine gum, or patches. A friend of mine has been using the e-cigarettes to quit and it's been highly effective. In your case I would say it would be a useful investment if you're going to keep using nicotine to self medicate adhd.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

How long have you been on the Adderall?

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

IMO the nicotine isn't triggering the medication, but is giving its own concentration boost separate from the medication.

Nicotine has been found to have a helpful stimulant effect for those with ADD. There is a Russell Barkley lecture somewhere that discusses this; unfortunately, the chemical properties that make nicotine addictive are the same properties that assist those of us with ADD.

Before I was diagnosed, I self medicated through college and law school by chain smoking. Now with medication I don't need nicotine to concentrate unless I'm under a tough deadline. When I do need additional help concentrating, I chew nicotine gum to get the same stimulant effect with less health risk.

Hope that helps.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I can't quit smoking. Adderall and Cigarettes go together like Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy; a little tabboo and forbidden but oh so bloody delicious. I quit with an expensive e-cigarette but had to keep going back to the same place to get the cartridges and gave up.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

Agreed. Adderall and cigarettes are my vice. I was a very casual/social smoker before starting adderall. But with the adderall it's like a jolt from a battery when I smoke a cigarette. Unfortunately this makes me smoke a lot more. 6-10 cigarettes a day. :/

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

Nicotine is a very potent drug that acts centrally in the body.

If you have been a consistent smoker in the past, a lack of nicotine can precipitate withdrawals. Amphetamines, and any other drug for that matter, will not produce a noticeable effect (relatively speaking) if your body is devoid of its normal drugs.

Think of it like this. Your body is used to a certain amount of drugs to act "normal". Only in this state will amphetamines work to its best degree. If you continue to void nicotine from your body, eventually you will experience more potent effects of amphetamine.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

oh geez....I thought I was the only one. Sadly the compulsive me looks forward to the adderall to kick in so I can enjoy a cigarette. I hate the smell on me but I love the feeling of a cigarette and more-so when the adderall is kicking in. Or any stim for that matter.

Re: My medication doesn't work unless.....
 

I found this thread by worrying about the same thing. This sucks. My Adderall kicks right in if I have a cigarette, otherwise I'm sitting around for about 2 hours for it to work. Days when I really need a cigarette and can't get one, I'm tired, apathetic, depressed, and listless. I don't get why a little cigarette would make such a difference. Frustrating too cause I wanna quit but it's not happening if it's gonna be like this. Caffeine helps a bit as long as I drink it calmly and don't chug it. I wish I could get through this better. I need my Adderall for school and smoking isn't cheap or always convenient.