I'm off Adderall and now I'm tired all the time. Help!

July 2, 2008 3:22 PM

I've stopped taking Adderall and have been tired, tired, tired. How long will this last?

I was taking 30MG XR every day for 24 months. I've stopped and have had no cravings (the addictive aspect concerned me) with otherwise no adverse side effects sans increase appetite and being tired all the time. I stopped taking it on Saturday and today is Tuesday. I'm dead tired by 4PM and usually in bed around 9PM. I am in my mid-20s so this is sort of way off. Sunday I slept in until 1PM! Usually I'm up around 8AM.

My doctor told me not to worry and that this isn't a serious issue, but that withdrawal might awhile and everyone reacts differently.

I'm assuming this will last for a couple more days, right? Any suggestions? Is it best to hunker down, take the week off work and sleep, sleep, sleep or should I try to maintain a normal schedule?

posted by anonymous to health (5 comments total)

I would try to keep as normal as a schedule as possible. My boyfriend stopped taking his for a week when we accidently dropped some in the sink and couldn't get it refilled. I swear he slept for almost the whole week. If you are going to stay off of it, you need to get used to not feeling so "on" and dealing with it.

I am not sure whether the tired feeling is true fatigue or just a resumption of feeling like a normal tired that you aren't used to anymore, it is probably a combination if you have been keeping a less than ideal sleep schedule over the past couple of years and have racked up some sleep debt.
posted by stormygrey at 3:31 PM on July 2

I'm assuming this will last for a couple more days, right?

I'm not sure you should assume this. Your doctor already told you that withdrawal might take a while and everyone reacts differently.

You've been taking 30 mg of amphetamine salts every day for 2 years. That's a pretty serious dependency to get over in 3 days. I'm not even sure the craving would necessarily kick in after 3 days.

I would try to maintain as normal a schedule as possible and talk to your doctor if you don't feel better fairly rapidly, but I don't think you can necessarily count on not still being fatigued so quickly. Adderall is serious stuff.
posted by Justinian at 4:08 PM on July 2

I remember the feeling you describe very well. It took me about two weeks for the brutal fatigue to ease off. I was really dead tired for that long. Try to maintain a normal schedule if possible, but be kind to yourself if you find it difficult.

I still feel (seven months later) less wakeful and more sluggish than I ever did on Adderall though. I'm sure this is the way I always felt before, but I enjoyed feeling "normal" for the period I was on the drug and it's a contrast to be back to my usual fog.

I never had "cravings". If you have ADD you really don't need to think of your use of the drug as addicting. It's not like you're gonna jones for it. It's just a new reality to get used to.
posted by loiseau at 4:53 PM on July 2 [1 favorite]

I was on the same daily dose of Adderall as you (although I took immediate-release, not XR) and I agree with everything loiseau said. It has been about 8 months for me and I still am not really "on" most of the time. You get used to it, though.

For right now, while you are still having really butt-kicking fatigue, I would suggest pushing through it as much as you can and maintaining a normal schedule. Just accept that you're not going to be doing much besides work and sleep for a little while. That extreme fatigue passed after a week or so for me.
posted by feathermeat at 5:05 PM on July 2

I'm surprised to hear that you've gone from 30mg daily to zero. Given then length of time you have taken this medication, I'm not sure why you wouldn't start by lowering your dosage.
posted by Orrorin at 8:40 PM on July 2 [1 favorite]