When most of us think about drug addiction, we may think of heroin, cocaine or crystal meth—the big guns. But the truth is that prescription medications have even surpassed alcohol and marijuana in terms of how many people are using and abusing them.
The prescription opioid painkiller epidemic is becoming well known. What you may not know unless it’s happened to you is that seemingly innocent drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can create an equally bad nightmare.
Life on Adderall can consume you but there is a way out. Here’s what you need to know.
How Adderall Takes Over
When you get a prescription for Adderall or other stimulant medications to manage your ADHD, you may be amazed by how great you feel at first. The early days of taking Adderall can make you feel energetic, focused and motivated. But most people discover that the good side of stimulants doesn’t last long.
Within the first month or two of taking stimulant medication, most people start to realize that they just don’t feel right when they don’t take it. That’s where the problems come in for most people. You know that the side effects are getting unbearable but you don’t know how to quit.
Sleep Problems
Adderall use can lead to sleep problems and increased anxiety.
One of the earliest side effects that you may notice from taking Adderall or other stimulants is that you don’t need as much sleep. At first, not needing as much sleep may make you feel like you’re benefitting from having extra hours in your day. You may initially enjoy the increased productivity.
Eventually the lack of sleep catches up with you, but you’re so wired from the steady dose of stimulants that you’ll find that you actually can’t sleep when you try. Many people resort to a cycle of using Adderall to stay awake, then using highly sedating anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax to get to sleep.
Increased Anxiety
Because Adderall and other similar medications are stimulants, they make you feel revved up and energetic. Anyone who has ever drank a little too much coffee knows that what starts out as a pleasant burst of energy can quickly turn to a state of massive anxiety. Regular use of Adderall and similar medications can have this kind of effect, too. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, anxiety and depression are normal effects of Adderall withdrawal. But anxiety is also a listed potential side effect from normal use of stimulant medications, too. You may find yourself in a position where you feel like you need the Adderall to function, but you also feel miserable while you’re taking it.
Obtaining the Medications
What starts out as a normal childhood medication spirals out of control when you remain dependent on the drug as you get older. Even if you can find doctors to prescribe the stimulant drugs to you as an adult, you may now need more medication than you’re legitimately prescribed. You also may not be able to get prescriptions for the medications that will help you to sleep.
Sadly, many people who become addicted to stimulants like Adderall end up turning to illegal sources of the medications on the streets. The cost per pill is much higher on the streets than it is from legitimate sources. You also can’t rely on the safety or purity of the drugs you’re getting when you buy them from illegal sources. The recent epidemic of drug overdoses in the country has shown that even drugs labeled as Xanax on the street can actually contain fentanyl, a drug associated with fatal overdoses.
You don’t have to be trapped in the misery and anxiety that is so common to life on Adderall. Get help today at 800-816-1059(Who Answers?) and learn about how you can have a happy, drug-free life.
