snorting adderall????

[LD1140]

my husband was recently diagnosed as ADD/ADHD and was prescribed Adderall. He has a bad history as a drug addict (mostly coke, among other things) and alcoholic tendencies. The drug and alcohol problems have been minimal lately. He has now been taking adderall for a short period of time (few weeks)...he claims they help him immensely, he finally feels normal, he was acting different (in a good way). It was quite amazing to see such a positive change in him. He then told the doctor that the pills seemed to wear off by around 5pm, so he was also given the XR ones (I think that's what they're called....little orange pills)

he claims he has not done any drugs, and has no urge to, but i have just found evidence that he is crushing up these pills and snorting them like coke. is the medication not working properly and he's trying to get high off them? In my opinion, if these pills were really making him feel so great and wonderful, why would he resort to this? how dangerous is this? quite a scary and upsetting thing to find on my table

[StoicNate]

It's a very bad sign that he's abusing the Adderall.
There are some people out there that can't stave off addictions and really need the medical help(rehab) for that reason.

[oddjobace]

Originally Posted by LD1140

my husband was recently diagnosed as ADD/ADHD and was prescribed Adderall. He has a bad history as a drug addict (mostly coke, among other things) and alcoholic tendencies. The drug and alcohol problems have been minimal lately. He has now been taking adderall for a short period of time (few weeks)...he claims they help him immensely, he finally feels normal, he was acting different (in a good way). It was quite amazing to see such a positive change in him. He then told the doctor that the pills seemed to wear off by around 5pm, so he was also given the XR ones (I think that's what they're called....little orange pills)

he claims he has not done any drugs, and has no urge to, but i have just found evidence that he is crushing up these pills and snorting them like coke. is the medication not working properly and he's trying to get high off them? In my opinion, if these pills were really making him feel so great and wonderful, why would he resort to this? how dangerous is this? quite a scary and upsetting thing to find on my table

Is this for real?

for one, I hate to be suspicious but, are you sure it is not coke?

This sounds very strange to me, also a very painful way to take Adderall.

Could it work by snorting it? It might, but why the heck would you take it that way when it is not intended to be taken that way?

[FinallyAnswered]

Originally Posted by LD1140

he claims he has not done any drugs, and has no urge to, but i have just found evidence that he is crushing up these pills and snorting them like coke. is the medication not working properly and he's trying to get high off them? In my opinion, if these pills were really making him feel so great and wonderful, why would he resort to this? how dangerous is this? quite a scary and upsetting thing to find on my table

He would resort to it if he was chasing a high and if it is happening, you have a right to be concerned because it is dangerous. Studies have shown that a lot of addicts became such because of undiagnosed ADD....they would self-medicate to feel "normal". Once properly treated, they are less likely to resort back to self-medicating.

That is not a rule however......some addicts are just addicts and can't ever be on any type of narcotic if they want to remain sober. If he is abusing his medication by snorting it, he is likely one of those people because he is only chasing a high. They aren't satisfied with feeling "normal", they always want to "feel great" and that is impossible. No one feels great all of the time and we're not supposed to either.

I assume you've been together a while and you're up on his deceptions. After going though it a few times, when you assume something's up then you are probably right. Addicts with a history of relapse don't deserve the benefit of doubt....they have to earn it.

Time to confront him. If he is snorting his pills he will be far short on his prescription, which means he will run out early. If the count is correct and he denies it, back off and put your fears on the back burner until something else happens.

I know it's tough dealing with addicts because I'm one in recovery.

Good luck.

[QueensU_girl]

Obviously he is trying to use the ADDERALL like Cocaine.

He's not trying to treat his ADD, he is trying to get high.

Time for Strattera !

[Annwn]

Adderrall and Ritalin are not supposed to be as addictive because they are taken orally and the release is gradual.

Addicts want a "hit" and the only way to get it is to sniff it which gets it right into your brain immediately.

I have to say that the cynic in me read your post as a sort of "uh, I have this friend... and my, uh, "friend" is doing this thing... and I am wondering if it's dangerous..." Don't mind me though, I am a bit over sensitive sometimes.

Your husband needs serious intervention, I hope you can help him.

[LD1140]

Thank you for your responses....

to the question - am I sure it is not coke? I guess I'm not 100% sure, but I've never seen bright orange coke. All I found were 2 business cards with orange residue on them, and a little bit of the pill that wasn't crushed.

He has told me that this medication does not give him a buzz like others have (for years he was being incorrectly prescribed meds for social anxiety, which never helped him with his problems, and just got him high). So I was happy to hear it wasn't getting him high.

To those that are suspicious and cynical...believe me, I thought it was a weird situation...a bit unbelievable actually, but when I saw what I saw, I came to no other conclusion.

Yes we have been together for a long time, and I know what he is capable of. As posted below, he has done too many things to deserve the benefit of the doubt - so I automatically assumed the worst when I found this

For those of you who are not drug addicts, have never been drug addicts, or have never had in depth experience of dealing with someone you love being an addict, you really have no idea what these people are capable of doing just to get a high. so sure, some things may sound a bit off the wall, but not necessarily to someone who wants the high so bad they'll do anything to get it.

I have confronted him about it, and he has said that he was only breaking the pill up into fourths, because thats all he needs. If that is true, then great, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I guess that makes more sense than snorting it, but anyone in my position that has gone thru what I've gone thru with him, would have thought the same thing. I pray his drug addiction stays at bay, as rehab doesn't work, nothing has ever worked. He may just have been "self-medicating", and now no longer feels the need to if this medication is really truly helping him. guess we'll see...

[oddjobace]

If he is just breaking it up, and that is reasonable, and he is not showing any other signs of relapse then you (or he) are probably in the clear.

I'd be cautiously optimistic. Addiction is a relentless thing, I've seen it and have given the tough love thing and have taken them to the meetings and you feel personally betrayed when they relapse. It is a hard situation, the only thing I felt I could do was to not enable it and, unfortuneatly, denial is a form of enabling.

Anyway, love him and watch him.

[FinallyAnswered]

I have confronted him about it, and he has said that he was only breaking the pill up into fourths, because thats all he needs. If that is true, then great, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I know how tough it is.....in your heart you so want to believe him.....but that line he gave you is BS. I don't usually come right out and accuse anyone of lying, but that makes no sense. If the IRs weren't enough, I can't understand how he is happy with 1/4th a XR. I know you know the tricks, but I know the lies because I invented them. When I was using, I could spin a tale that the Pope would believe just to keep people off balance.

Please understand that I am not calling him a bad guy by any stretch....he's probably a really good guy who hates what he does, but the urge of using can make us do things we can't even begin to imagine ourselves doing for any other reason.

Stay on guard because your suspicions are probably right on target. Ask him to count his pills in front of you. If 1/4 of a pill is enough, then he should have MORE than his script would account for.....if he has less than what his script calls for, he's abusing.

Good luck.

[novagal]

Ugh. My BS meter is going off loud and clear. I've been on both sides of the addiction thing, I'm a recovering addict and my husband is as well.

I'm sorry but it just does not make sense to use a credit card to break up a pill into fourths. I'm not even sure the thick edge of a credit card would cut through a pill very well (if at all), unless it's a really soft pill, let alone be able to create fourths out of it. Why not use a knife? That is sharper and would make more even doses out of it. (this feels creepy even talking about it).
I just don't buy it.

I really feel for you. It's like living with a time bomb, wondering when it will go off, or when you'll discover that next thing that doesn't quite make sense. Then you get an explanation that could possibly make sense, and you want it to so badly. It's exhausting having your antenna up all the time. Maybe he needs to try another med that's not so abusable.

Trust your gut here. You know what it's telling you.

[pADDyjay]

Originally Posted by LD1140

my husband was recently diagnosed as ADD/ADHD and was prescribed Adderall. He has a bad history as a drug addict (mostly coke, among other things) and alcoholic tendencies. The drug and alcohol problems have been minimal lately. He has now been taking adderall for a short period of time (few weeks)...he claims they help him immensely, he finally feels normal, he was acting different (in a good way). It was quite amazing to see such a positive change in him. He then told the doctor that the pills seemed to wear off by around 5pm, so he was also given the XR ones (I think that's what they're called....little orange pills)

he claims he has not done any drugs, and has no urge to, but i have just found evidence that he is crushing up these pills and snorting them like coke. is the medication not working properly and he's trying to get high off them? In my opinion, if these pills were really making him feel so great and wonderful, why would he resort to this? how dangerous is this? quite a scary and upsetting thing to find on my table

please take care of yourself...as a recovering alcoholic, and an adder,just reading this post sounds to me like your husband is off and running...snorting grade A pure...and probably cheaper than on the street...then lying to his doc to get more... sounds like trouble

[FinallyAnswered]

Originally Posted by pADDyjay

please take care of yourself...as a recovering alcoholic, and an adder,just reading this post sounds to me like your husband is off and running...snorting grade A pure...and probably cheaper than on the street...

Agreed.....and if the abuse continues unimpeded and the doctor wises up and cuts off the supply of "legal" junk, it's on to the meth....that's just a natural progression for an addict. We never go down, we only move up.

[Ruby85]

Seems suspicious to me, too. I'm sure you know, but snorting Adderall is very dangerous and it doesn't lead anywhere good. It's a common practice for addicts, though.

I don't really know what to suggest, since I know that addicts can lie, sweet talk, manipulate, and get defensive when confronted. Wishing you the best, though. <3

[daveddd]

for one he is on 15 miligram xr a day and that is 7.5 and 7.5 so when doctor gives you 20 miligra m IR for the last 3 or 4 hours of the day that seems like a bit even 10 has him more level so takin a business card not credit card and placing over said 20 mg IR and giving a firm wack with your fist (the business card prevent s pill from shootins across room ) gives you for 5 miligram IR s
I doub t husband wants a burning nose or orange snot


and I dont see any mention of this persons wife taking one of his adderrals a day to assist in shedding a few pounds

[daveddd]

and drug addicts do not leave evidence laying on the computer desk