I have been taking adderall for almost 5 years now, and I got perscribed to it by pretending I had add. I was persrcibed to take two 20 mg a day, which I did at frist. But then after awhile it felt like it wasn't working so I would take more and more I think the most I have ever taken was 8 or 9 pills in one day.(which made my heart start beating so fast I thought I was seriously going to die) it helped me in school but then I started using it just to party, so I could drink and not get tired. Me and some of my freinds would go to partys and we would go in the bathroom and take halves of pills to give us more energy to party longer. This whole partying thing went on for about 4 years, my friends would say I was always moody and when I didnt have anymore, so I would end up buying off other people. That was all when was living in kansas. But about 4 months ago I moved to california and I didn't have a psychiatrist out here plus I dont have health insurance so I just stopped cold turkey because I couldnt afford it. It actually wasnt' hard for me but after awhile I was extremely depressed, I would sleep all the time and I didn't feel like I had the energy to do anything and I gained alot of weight. So I decided to go to a psychiatrist out here about 2 weeks ago and got another bottle of it. Now basically im back to my old habbits. When I moved out here I didnt drink at all but once I started taking adderall again the drinking started back up I still cant take just 2 pills I end up taking like 4. It is one of the most addictive drugs on the market. I know that it works for some people really well but if it makes you feel like your all cracked out and you dont have add like you say your best bet is to get away from it while you still can. I wish I never had taken it, after this bottle is gone im going to try my hardest to stop. I really hope you choose to stop before you get addicted like me. I havent really shared this info with anyone before so if someone else has advice please drop me a line also.Best wishes and luck.

I found this forum while searching for information about adderall dependency. I read your other post (on general q&a) and our situations are very similar.

I, too, am in a college student who doesn't have add, but was prescribed adderall to help me get through my last year. I go to a top 25 private college and have always done well in school, but recently, mostly due to burn out, i've been unable to meet deadlines, I get distracted easily, am unable to focus, etc.

I've only been on adderall for about a month. My psychiatrist prescribed 15 mg a day, but recently upped it to 25 mg because 15 wasn't getting me through the whole day. I knew it was habit-forming, but figured if I didn't 'abuse' it, i'd be fine. One week after taking it, I decided to not take it on the weekend. I slept the entire weekend! I wasn't depressed, I just felt lathargic, and physically drained, even though I had gotten 8 hours of sleep every night that week. Fast forward to last weekend when I ran out of pills, and again I slept the weekend away. I wanted to get up and be productive, but I physically couldn't. That's when I knew I was physically dependent on adderall, after only a month.

I'm not saying this is normal. But it goes to show how addictive this drug can be.

I can relate to wanting to take more even when don't need it/aren't studying. I don't believe I am psychologically dependent adderall; I do, however, I crave the feeling when it kicks in (ahhh!) and I love how I feel when I am focused and productive. It feels good to be on adderall - it's my happy pill.

I wish I could be more help, but I think your concerns are common among adderall users. It's a great drug, but there are severe consequences and side effects. It scares me that I have become physically dependent on the drug after such a short period of time. I'm hoping more people will respond because i'm always interested in hearing about other people's experiences with the drug, especially those who don't have add.

That stopping when the bottle is gone routine doesnt work lol. Your going to need to step it up a few ;)

Well, I am 31 and I was diagnosed with add about 3 years ago. It was a relief when I finally realized what I had to deal with through my life up until then. I knew I dealt with issues other people didn't have - especially when it came to reading, classes, attention... Etc. On the opposite side of that, I was very creative, started my own business... And had a lot of fun using my creative potential and wild-drifting mind.

At first I was put in concerta... And while it seemed to give me a short time to focus, maybe a few hours worth and I just seemed to use it when I needed it for some reason. So, I rarely took it. Then I was notified my doc was moving and so I limped along my 30 day prescption a full year. Finally, I decided to visit a different doc because I was out of the med and still dealing with normal add issues. He put me on adderall xr. It worked. I started on 20mg and that worked for awhile and all was well in the world. For the first time in my life, I was taking my meds daily and focus was easy. I felt more relaxed.

Then... I go in for a regular visit to the doc and I said 20mg just wasn't cutting it. I didn't feel like it was doing anything. So, I went to 30mg and then that introduced me to higher blood pressure and physical signs like racing heart, even in the evening after I ate for a few hours, or after lunch for a few hours. In the last few months, it seems like my heart is not beating steadily during those racing times and honestly, im scared to death this stuff is going to kill me, while at the same time... The 30mg isn't helping me so much and I want more.

I went to my health-care doc and asked about bp. That day, for some odd reason, I had normal bp and he said he had no issue with me going to 40mg. So, I went back to the other doc and said it was okay and he up'd it to 40mg, 20mg twice per day. That was only a few weeks ago. The twice daily is nice... Because I am able to take one in the morning and one before I got to work around 1-2pm... Since I work until midnight.

that is all introduction and now to the reason of my post. once I started to realize I may have heart issues and bp issues because of this med, I would do "testing" to see what was the source. I'd stop for a day or two, cold-turkey and my bp would drop to almost normal levels and depending on what I hate, i'd not notice any after meal issues with a racing heart. But, I was really tired and when I was off it for 3 days (i went a week once) I was irritable. Little things could set me off. A pile of laundry here, or something out of place there.

The reason i'd always go back on it, is cause I knew I was having withdrawl symptoms and I hated feeling those. I could pretty much count myself worthless those days I didn't take my pills at work. Thankfully, I don't need a ton of concentration there. The key to going cold-turkey is realize what you are up against. Bring back your old coping mechanisms... Ipod in the ears... Write down a list of things to get done for the day... (or at least attempt) to provide some direction and feeling of accomplishment.

Realize you might visit a lot more websites than what you did in the recent history of taking adderall.

I have taken my last adderall pill. I have a family and girls to watch after. My grandfather passed away a month ago, possible related to heart issues, my grandma, just last night had a heart attack (wife of my grandpa that died) and while still alive, more testing is to be done on why tomorrow.

Anyhow... My genetics obviously are not well in the heart area. I want to live to see my daughters grow up.

I told my wife what to expect and she is cool with it. She says a little crazyiness from me is fine, considering I deal with her crazyiness since we got married. (she is bipolar).

Im also going to start eating better and limit my daily diet coke intake, although I will probably need some good caffeine to suppliment my cold-turkey phase.

I'll keep everyone posted. And yes, I am going to the doc in a month or so for a physical to investigate my heart issues and hopefully I can say... "when I was taking adderall, I had heart issues... But since going off those, they have subsided."

i am looking forward to getting my creativity back. I haven't thought of an idea for a business in a long time, and I used to have a few each day. :)

Hi posters, I am student journalist doing research for an investigative report about the dangers of ADHD/ADD medication and addiction(specifically students). I was wondering if any of you would be willing to talk about your experience in depth. I think it would be really beneficial and helpful to others that read the report, and could expose a potentially debilitating addiction. Your immediate reponse is appriciated.