Stopping your meds? NOT A GOOD IDEA!

[FullMetalOtaku]

OK, here is a little some-some I learned from my mother and my doctor about the meds and why you want to stop them.

People who want to get off their meds claim they feel fine and they feel better about everything in their life. They can focus better, and not move as much and stuff, but do you know WHY they feel better? It's because they are on their meds! As odd as this sounds it's true. You feel BETTER because you are on your medication and your mood is sable and everything. The reason you feel fine is that your medication is working! Yes, Medication WORKS. It is suppost to make you feel better and feel like a normal person! That's why you notice tht when you go off your meds you feel like crud all over agian! You don't want that to happen. Going from extra happy and normal to ultra emo and sad is one of the most horrible things you can have happen to you due to your drop in your level.

Don't deny it, you all have the urge to drop your meds! Think twice before you do it! What is the reason you feel so good and normal, like you don't need them anymore? The meds are! It means the meds are working right and you're on the fast track to having a lower dose!

So next time you think you want to drop your meds, think about WHY you feel you wanna drop them, because you feel cured and normal-THe meds are working my friend

Your meds are working!

((Yeah, had to get that off my chest XD ))

[thebvp]

I think of it this way:

If you were a diabetic, would you stop taking insulin simply because "it's a crutch" and "it's not you?"

[Hyperion]

trust me, one look at my non-medicated family members is enough to keep me from stopping. Well, that and the fact that the last time I was off medication for more than a day, when I accidentally ran out while on vacation, I wound up spending ten minutes searching for my sunglasses...when they were in my hand.

Actually, one of the interesting things I've noticed is that most ADDers tend to be pretty accepting of their meds, even thankful for them...actually, it's sort of like how teenagers feel when they get their driver's license and a car. This is in marked contrast to how some people with other psych conditions feel about their meds. I think a lot of it is that we really do view these meds as giving us freedom, whereas I think some people with other psych conditions might see their meds as being "mental straightjackets."

besides, when ADDers do stop their meds, it only takes a couple of days of disorganization before they go right back on them.

[Shielded]

So true...when I wake up in the morning and take the adderall, it doesn't kick in for about an hour and I feel the difference. I can't speak for other ADD/ADHD medications, but adderall is just a 6-hour-long stimulant (which I take twice a day).

That being said, I don't see myself being on adderall for the rest of my life or forming a dependance on it. Adderall is just a low dose of speed and seems to be as addictive as the real thing....I'd rather use it to build up a proper mentality over time and learn how to focus the way a non-ADD person does when I am not taking it.

As Hyperion suggested, the average ADD patient is thankful for the medication and appreciative of it. But as a former speed abuser, I have a bit of guilt every time I drop the pill into my mouth.

[adhdxyz]

I am adhd and I didn't start Adderall until I was 43 and have been on it for 1 year. My husband is add and started Adderall last June at the age of 45.

My son is 13, has a diagnosis of adhd/ocd/mood disorder and learning disabilities and has been properly medicated since Kindergarten. He takes Metadate, Respirdal, Zoloft and Clonidine.

If my son was not hyper off the chart when he was a toddler, he may have fallen through the add/adhd cracks like my husband did when he was younger. My husband is one of eight boys in his family. All show signs of add. None of them did well in school.

My husband flunked 2nd grade and ended up going to special ed school on the "short yellow bus". Back then they called ADD "minimal brain disfunction". He was on dilatin (sp?) for mini seizures that he had when sleeping but was not medicated for add. He hated school, hung around with the wrong crowd and eventually ended up quitting high school when he only needed to go to summer school for one credit.

I wonder what would have happened if he had been medicated for add when he was younger? He works in construction and is very smart and talented when it comes to cars and motorcycles. I wonder if he would have been encouraged to use his creativeness back then, whether he could have opened his own shop like American Chopper or Pimp my Ride. He has that kind of brain.

My son is the same way. Luckily, he is encouraged on a daily basis to think outside the box and use the creativity that God gave him.

I wouldn't stop taking my meds for anything. It has helped me with dealing with stress at home and work. My moods are much more even. I am much more organized.

Since starting meds, our family has gotten along much better. Prior to my husband starting Adderall, I felt like I had twins when my husband and son clashed or got under one anothers skin. Its so much nicer to be around them now.

Prior to taking meds, I self medicated with vivarine cafffine pills, which I no longer take. My husband self medicated with pot which he has "almost" stopped. (He has cut down a lot.)

After taking medication, I can see how someone may think they no longer need it because they are "cured" or "outgrew the issue", but like you said, it's because the medication is working. If they quit taking it, the symptoms will most likely come back.

Shielded,
I wouldn't keep kicking yourself in the butt for self medicating with speed. Be thankful that you are now properly medicated and no longer need to abuse speed. Too bad everyone is not able to get properly diagnosed and medicated instead of abusing all the other self medicating drugs that are out there.

[chloe516]

I like how I function better with medication. If I didn't feel it helped, or I needed it, I wouldn't take it.

I like the diabetic comparison, I often compare it to using glasses to see.

[Saluki]

Well, I suppose stopping meds would be a bad idea if they worked for me - unfortunately, I haven't found a medication that works for me yet.

Amantadine didn't work at all, even after I waited several months and really upped the dose. I took Ritalin for a while and increased the dose over time but the only affect it seemed to have on me was it helped me sleep. I stopped taking the Ritalin and I don't feel any different because I never felt any difference while I was on it - I mean, I didn't even have the side effects a lot of people talk about. It was like taking a sugar pill.

I'm starting to worry that I'm one of the 20% that doesn't get symptom relief from meds. Ugh...

[Saluki]

Originally Posted by Saluki

I'm starting to worry that I'm one of the 20% that doesn't get symptom relief from meds. Ugh...

I thought about it some more and I'm probably getting discouraged way too quickly. It looks like from the posts that a lot of folks here have tried umpteen different medications in different combinations before they found something that worked.

It's just frustrating for me because I can't afford to go to a psychiatrist because my insurance will not pay for ADD treatment and my family doctor won't try any other meds because she doesn't know enough about ADD.

Well, I've been working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs for the past several months trying to make some extra money to cover the bills so maybe I'll be able to come up with the $300 or so I need to get an initial visit with the psychiatrist...

[steven d]

I got very good reason not to stop the meds I use. It's not feeling better or being better with meds. The real reason I don't want to stop meds yet is because my life is a total mess. I'm just 22 years old and I want to have a good life. So I try to study and graduate. Maybe find some work that I like. But every time I try to concentrate my mind just wanders. So, I feel very bad about myself. People nagging that I should try harder or that I'm lazy. I want to have good grades too, like my friends. I don't want to be drifty all the time. Even with meds I'm drifty, but I believe I'm making progress while if I wouldn't take meds I would stay the old "dreamy" steven, failing throught life.

If I was happy with my life I wouldn't take meds. The opposite is true unfortunately. I seem to stumble everywhere. Everytime I try to concentrate I drift away.

[Scattered]

Good post and good reminder FullMetal! Thank you!

Scattered

[Moody Blonde]

Originally Posted by thebvp

I think of it this way:

If you were a diabetic, would you stop taking insulin simply because "it's a crutch" and "it's not you?"

Or if you wore glasses or contact lenses....afterall, glasses/contacts are a prescription, too.

[Shelle0812]

Im so thankful for my meds. People can bash all they want for the "street names" and such, but when used correctly they can be sooo helpful to sooo many people. I can't imagine trying to live life like I did before, and everytime I don't take it, I am reminded I need to.

I felt bad at first for having to take the meds, but then I realized that it wasn't just me in the picture, it was my fam, my boyfriend and my co-workers. They are all affected by me. Although it is important to think of yourself in this situation, remember that there are others who are around you all day that you should think about as well!

[Hyperion]

Hell, if you want to talk about "street names," all of the major painkillers that are used in serious pain cases like postoperative pain or cancer, etc. are heroin derivatives.

I find the whole issue of whether it's a "weakness" ridiculous. Am I weak because I have to drive a car to travel to work instead of walking? Am I weak because I purchase beef in a store and cook it, rather than killing a cow and eating it raw?

pffft. The re-emergence of know-nothing-ism in this country leads me to conclude that natural selection is failing to do its job. So much for the Flynn effect.

[Shielded]

Originally Posted by adhdxyz

Shielded,
I wouldn't keep kicking yourself in the butt for self medicating with speed. Be thankful that you are now properly medicated and no longer need to abuse speed. Too bad everyone is not able to get properly diagnosed and medicated instead of abusing all the other self medicating drugs that are out there.

Thanks for the advice. I completely agree with you, nothing is wrong with adderall for people who have ADHD. It's just that there's nothing really stopping me from potentially popping 100mg one evening instead of the 25mg I'm supposed to take....just takes a whole lot of discipline to keep it that way.

[tristan k]

Originally Posted by Hyperion

Actually, one of the interesting things I've noticed is that most ADDers tend to be pretty accepting of their meds, even thankful for them...actually, .............

This is in marked contrast to how some people with other psych conditions feel about their meds. I think a lot of it is that we really do view these meds as giving us freedom, whereas I think some people with other psych conditions might see their meds as being "mental straightjackets."

I find this to be true for me. I was on psych meds. for quite a while before concerta. I have a history of being very resistant to taking antidepressants and have just stopped taking them on several occasions. NOT ONCE have I felt this way about my ADD med.
Possibly, because I see a direct benefit from the concerta. With antidepressants, it takes soooooo long to get the full benefit and I've have had problems with side effects. Recently, I have been very compliant with all of my meds, so it's much better than it used to be.