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Prescription meds: relapse?

Old 05-16-2013, 03:38 PM
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Prescription meds: relapse?

TL;DR version — I am sober and considering taking Adderall, which I was legitimately prescribed for years (but am currently without, for reasons outlined below). Would it count as a relapse if I took it? What would you do in my situation?

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I haven't had a drink in almost three months, have been going to AA, have a sponsor, am feeling pretty good about life and confident in my recovery.

For two years I was prescribed Adderall for ADD, but my primary care physician stopped prescribing it in late 2011 because she wanted me to see a psychiatrist to get "official" ADD neuropsych testing. Until then, she had been trusting my self-reported diagnosis, which was diagnosed by a doctor in another state in November 2007, but she had no access to those records to confirm it.

I am currently in the process of neuropsych testing after a long waiting period. Although I don't have the final word from my doctor about whether or not they think I have ADD, I very strongly believe that I do, and my previous doctor thought so too, enough so that he felt comfortable prescribing Adderall.

So, I haven't been taking it for quite some time, and the difference is noticeable. I can still function, but I definitely think I function better with Adderall.

Yesterday my friend offered to repay me for a favor with a couple Adderall. I am extremely tempted to accept the offer. In my mind, my addiction to alcohol and taking Adderall are very different things. Here's how I'm justifying this:
  1. I was legitimately prescribed Adderall for years with no ill effects.
  2. I have no source to get more Adderall from, so it couldn't turn into an addiction. I would be unable to support a habit even if I wanted one. (I wasn't addicted to it when I took it with a prescription.) Alcohol is different because you have the choice to buy or not buy it every single day. You can get your fix at the corner liquor store.
There's the conundrum. Adderall has legitimate therapeutic properties for me, but let's be honest, amphetamine is indeed a mood-altering substance. I'm basically waiting for this new doctor to give me the prescription I've taken for years that greatly helps me. Now that there is the opportunity to take it, I want to. I'm having a hard time seeing how this would affect my sobriety from alcohol.

Have any of you been in a similar situation and have experience you can share with me? All thoughts would be appreciated.
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Old 05-16-2013, 05:45 PM
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I would ask your sponsor. If you don't want to ask your sponsor I think you have your answer. I can't tell you if it would count as a relapse or not, you would have to decide that for yourself. If it were me I would wait until I was legally prescribed the Addreall. Since you haven't been taking it for some time why not wait and do things the legal way?
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Old 05-16-2013, 08:41 PM
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I think it is very very risky... I have seen fail here on SR and I have my own personal experience with stimulants.

Did you get addicted to alcohol while taking Adderall?
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Old 05-16-2013, 08:49 PM
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Welcome starlessnight

In the end, all we have is opinions - only you can decide whether you relapsed or not.

What I will say is it's never a good idea to take non prescribed meds.

Sounds a little to me like you're already sure that adderal is the answer to everything and self medicating....and thats never a good road for people like us to go down.

D
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Old 05-16-2013, 08:53 PM
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Sounds to me like nothing more then a lot of rationalizing and justification to use. That's nothing more then AV coming at you and I believe you know that or you wouldn't have posted here.

You need to shut down that conversation you're having in your head pronto.
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