Adderall?

[calijen]

I am a recovering alcoholic and opiate abuser. My doctor thinks I would benefit from Adderall for a variety of reasons. Am I setting myself up for another addiction?

[ShawMac]

Hey Calljn, Of course I dont know your personal situation as assesed dy your doctor but I feel compelled to tell you of a friend trying to overcome addiction(alcohol,pot) .
He takes adirol(doctor prescribed) but always ends up abusing it--He tells me it is a legal amphetamine.He takes more than the prescribed dosage for 2-3 weeks(essentially speeding during this time) and then "crashing" for about a week until his next supply comes in and then of course repeating the cycle(this has been going on for abt. two years!).He tells me he knows he has to stop this repetitive cycle but just cant seem to do it! Id hate for you to fall into something similar with this! Im not trying to influence what you should do vis a vis medication, but I thought Id pass this along---God Bless You.

[calijen]

I really appreciate the reply. That's exactly what I don't want to happen - to develop yet another addiction. I have dealt with more addictions in my life than I care to count so I think that is a road I would probably end up taking. I took some of my husband's when he was first prescribed it and the energy is unreal. It would probably end up not being so good I think.

[parentrecovers]

just wanted to welcome you, calijen. keep posting, k

[GlassPrisoner]

Welcome !

I don't have a problem with prescribed meds, taken as directed.

However, I do have to wonder about one ingesting something to solve a problem with ingesting something.

[Misscat]

I started taking Focalin, which is similar. Its good because it allows me to slow down and focus, I have a restless personality, which often led me to do things that werent healthy. I dont feel the urge to abuse it because if I take even a little too much, I might get anxious, and that isnt good.But I could DEFINITELY see a potential for abuse of drugs of this type. One thing that is also good about Focalin is that it cant be crushed, its not in a pill form, so I cant crush and snort it. Sounds bad, but I used to like coke a lot. Because it is a capsule and time-released, I cant abuse it like I would coke. So I would be really careful and fully discuss your concerns with your doc. I know that often we dont talk to our docs about our bad habits because we are ashamed. But, this is important.
He may be thinking thaat adderall may help you to have energy and to concentrate, but energy problems and lack of concentration can be symptoms of anxiety, depression, and alcohol and drug abuse. YOu may find that tackling those problems first may be the better direction to take.