Anyone have any luck changing medications while dependent on Adderall? If so, how did you do it and what if any supplements did you use? Even if it was just quitting altogether, that can be helpful too.
I am not addicted, but I am definitely dependent on Adderall. Like many others. The chance to stop taking the medication and let my brain normalize is not an option since i need to work, and my job requires high levels of concentration. (I say Adderall but really any other Amphetamine based medication too)
No luck trying to find a psychiatrist who might know anything about this and/or might be willing to assist. I assume someone trained in addiction psychiatry may have some insights into normalizing brain function and neuroprotective measures from Adderall. But I pretty much get ignored or told they can't help without much explanation. Even sent a flyer for an addiction center. Even then, I assume they are trained with the idea of stopping medication and abstinence. Not transitioning. And don't know if they really have much understanding of the neurological aspects and research on the subject. I want to try to move to Modafinil with atomoxetine. I'll spare you the explanation why. But don't want to try to take high doses of those to make up for the Adderall Crash.
There is some evidence of supplements such as amino acids, B vitamins, and other stuff that help with neuroprotection, clearing oxidative something arathers, increasing receptor density or bringing back turned off receptors etc. Hard to tell for sure what helps and what is wishful thinking at times. If anything has worked for you, and if it should be taken with or after Adderall wears off or before bed would be helpful. Meditation is a good idea for others, but I can't do it. Makes me anxious since it bores me to death.
Somethings I am looking at:
Ashwagandha, N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC), Uridine monophosphate UMP or it's variant Triacetyluridine TAU, Choline, DHA, B vitamins and others, Magnesium
For people going off meds all together Wellbutrin (prescription) may help.
These may help improve Adderall if on low doses, but may exacerbate issues if you are dependent due to increase of neurotransmitters causing increased desensitization. But may help if you quit and need to boost crashed neurotransmitters. But actual evidence is mixed. (L-Phenylalanine or L-Tyrosine or L-Dopa ), L-Tryptophan or 5-HTP, L-Theanine
I can say personally that DHT and EPT Omega-3 i.e. found in fish oil does help improve effects of ADHD meds in general. The medication Lovaza is a mix of the 2 and is literally just highly concentrated and purified fish oil. I've taken it for years and found if I didn't take it the night before like I usually do, I would be less energetic and focused the next day. Good for Brain health in general.
, Have seen laundry lists of other supplements but haven't started looking into any of them yet.
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I did change directly from Adderall XR to atomoxetine. And for my, it was a smooth transition. However, I wasn't on Adderall long enough to develop a dependency on it (I only took it for a few months).
I take Adderall for narcolepsy so am quite dependent on it. I’m not familiar with the medication you’re wanting to combine with Modafinil. I take Nuvigil with Adderall, which is armodafinil. For neurological support I would agree with the fish oil in particular; supplement with this regularly. I’ve never had any problems stopping Adderall completely other than the return of symptoms.
What dose of Adderall were you on when you stopped and was it in combination with something at that time? Even 30mg of Adderall XR started to have effects on my endocrine system and what not. I may be more sensitive than average for Adderall side effects. But they do happen to others as well. Atomoxetine is Strattera. It is a reuptake inhibitor while Adderall and Modafinil are stimulants. Strattera isn't a controlled substance. It is taken once a day and it builds up in your body. So 24 hour therapeutic. Doesn't wear off. It targets norepinephrine reuptake but has a secondary effect of increasing dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex, where executive function is often lacking from ADHD.
I should mention that chronic sleep deprivation is a big part of the dependence on Adderall. But I avoid sleep aids not wanting to get into an upper and downer reliance cycle. But might be a good idea to get back into a routine.
I was on 60mg of Adderall IR. I’ve gone back and forth between Adderall IR and XR, and been up to as much as 90mg IR. I’ve alternated Adderall with dextroamphetamine. I have extreme sleep deprivation all the time, regardless of stimulant use, due to narcolepsy. However, for those without a sleep disorder, routine sleep cycles are incredibly important.
You mentioned armodafinil with Adderall. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but your armodafinil is protecting part of your brain from Adderall. Excitotoxicity of the NMDA receptor by amphetamines and resulting cascade of damage is thought to be the primary lead in building tolerance of amphetamine by many researchers. modafinil/armodafinil are NMDA receptor weak antagonists and are therefore neuroprotective of it from amphetamine. The other med I mentioned before Strattera is also a weak NMDA receptor antagonist and I used that to repotentiate my Adderall in the past. Memantine is actually made to allow the NMDA receptor to function normally and only block when it gets over excited. Some people get prescribed that and it helps prevent tolerance buildup of Amphetamine and for many can also repotentiate Adderall to an effective lower dose. It's a mediocre Alzheimer's drug, but great CNS stimulant add on with some of its own minor therapeutic functions as well. Nitromemantine is an up and coming derivative of it that works much better but may be years before market.
I had to stop taking Adderall in June and therefore stopped working since I increased my mounjaro medication and that blocks amphetamine absorptions. Was taking 120mg IR a day and was less effective than 40mg a year before because of that. Which is obviously not sustainable when only prescribed 60mg a day. Taking leftover Strattera I had from years ago for 4 months and ran out. Was supposed to start modaffinil/ strattera combo saturday but my meds never got delivered. a year to find a therapist who would help me and my meds issues. Insurance company screwed u some stuff so no active insurance at the moment. Paid extra to start the meds anyway, then courier never delivered them to my home and marked them as such. Nightmare all around.
Vyvanse is much weaker than Adderall so for me it would take way more than anyone would prescribe of Vyvanse to be therapeutic for me. But Vyvanse is a good idea for people who don't need a lot of Adderall. Less likely to escalate the therapeutic dose. And may be smoother for people. Especially if Adderall is too strong.
I started on Strattera but quickly went up to the max dose. Due to sleeping issues and what not. And being told I just need to find the right dosage instead of if you don't sleep enough you will increase how much you need each day to compensate....
Switched to Concerta (extended release methylphenidate aka Ritalin) without any problem. Had to switch to Ritalin due to financial situation. No problem there. Think I may have gone back to Concerta when i started working again. Which quickly escalated to the max dose. Then switched to Adderall XR without any problem. Didn't get the dependency issues on the other meds.
Went up to the max dose of Adderall XR then switched to IR since XR lasted too long. Went up to the max dose of Adderall IR and got Wellbutrin added on which didn't do much more than make me feel icky. Managed to back off a bit somehow on dosage. Then went up to max dose again and it wasn't enough. Added on Strattera. (Note, Strattera has the opposite side effects for me from Adderall, which were mostly positive). Strangely enough, after about 1.25 years the Strattera would actually decrease the Adderall effects when I took it. But when I stopped taking the Strattera I was on a lower dose of Adderall (40mg in morning 0, 10, or 20 in afternoon depending on how I felt) and was stable for years till last year a series of issues outside my control escalated what I need. But was still dependent and had steady decline of other things due to adderall at the stable dose too.
Had also switched back and forth between Dexedrine and Adderall every few years. Easy to switch since they are very similar in effect.
I forget if My 7 month break was before or after the Wellbutrin. But it was after being on Adderall for only 1 to 1.5 years. 6 months to normalize while taking periodically for job interviews and testing. Only took a few days to feel the decline that originally took a few months so you know it played with my brain. That was about 14 years ago and not nearly as bad off as I am now. I used to take breaks on weekends. But had too much to do that I needed meds for. Plus they were getting harder to function on. Reduced dosage on weekends for a long time but hard to get stuff done that I needed to. Then I wasted much of my vacation time being useless without Adderall for 1, 2, or 3 weeks at a time. Gave up on that since it didn't give enough benefit to justify wasting the vacation time and being useless. And having to listen to my wife complain about how useless I was and that we didn't get to go on vacations.
Once a psychiatrist switched me to Vyvanse which was stupid. It is way weaker than Adderall and not possible to reach a therapeutic level of higher doses of Adderall. Also tried Evekeo which was also a bad idea. Only about 15% of people respond better to it and I already responded well to Dexedrine and Adderall. More so to Dexedrine which is the opposite direction from Adderall that Evekeo is.
Stimulants don't cause addiction or withdrawal. I have been on Dexedrine since 84 and haven't skipped a day in 5 years, and my medication works fine. Initial euphoria isn't uncommon, but it fades within 6 moths, never to return. I have severe ADHD and the mediation is life or death. I have no sympathy for addicts, especially when they cause medication shortages from over prescribing. Proper evaluation can take months and includes your parents coming in, as long as they aren't scumbags. That's why it's so important to be properly diagnosed. I don't know how people are in their 40s before diagnoses. If you have severe ADHD, you could very well never see your 40s due to things like accidents. That's why it's life or death. This is why I get so disturbed by people getting medicine others have to depend on to not end up dead.
These online diagnoses are ridicules. What doctor would see you online for the first time and prescribe you morphine, it's the same difference with ADHD meds.
Much of the telehealth mental health stuff has gone the way of a quick buck So I agree on that aspect. But, the telehealth issue is not what is the main cause of the shortage. Teva who is by far the largest supplier of generic Adderall, has been having manufacturing trouble due to "labor shortages". Others have had their own issues. The DEA is not upping quotas to make up for the shortage or transfering quotas from those who can't to those who can produce. 10% increase year over year for the past 2 years vs. 5% in the previous 3 years. A 10% increase does not even come close to accounting for a near 100% failure to fill a prescription in my area for this last December through February. My regular pharmacy hasn't had a shipment in at least 6 months.
Shortage list by voluntary disclosure of some Adderall/generic Adderall manufacturers.
"Stimulants don't cause addiction or withdrawal. I have been on Dexedrine since 84 ..." I don't see how you can project your experience onto millions of other people. So you are saying if you stop taking it tomorrow you wouldn't feel more tired or less focussed, or more hyperactive than you would be if never taken the drug? If so, great for you. But you are not everyone else. You talk of initial euphoria. I have never felt euphoria from or high from stimulants. But I am dependent on them and crash out severely if I stop taking them. Anyone who takes stimulants needs a higher blood concentration in the afternoon to maintain the therapeutic level of the morning. Due to the brain trying to normalize itself by reducing the signal that was increased by stimulants. Basically turns off some of the receptors. The break over night allows them to reset to normal for the most part. But some people get a cumulative effect and don't get back to baseline, requiring more meds. Or they stay at the same dosage and through neuroplasticity, their brain gets modified. For me my initial dose of Adderall was too high. 30mg of XR, extended release. Which is the equivalent of taking 15mg IR and another 15mg 4 hours later. Within a few months my brain started to compensate for the stimulation. And, by being too strong, those receptors I mentioned didn't have time to reset overnight. Would have happened anyway. I had already been on Strattera, Concerta, Ritalin but kept escalating my dosage due to lack of sleep and having to make up for that the next day. I am hypersensitive to stimulants at night and had pre-exiting sleep troubles. Even on a steady dose for years, Adderall continued to affect my brain and endocrine system with a constant and slow decline. Used to take weekends off or just reduced dosage, or take 1, 2, even 3 week vacations and just sit at home off adderall. With the opponent process, far worse symptoms than before being medicated. i.e. withdrawal. I am dependent, not addicted to Adderall. I never got high off it or had euphorica, I take less than what is optimal therapeutic and take naps and what not to make up the difference. I have no craving for Adderall. I know the difference because twice in my life I got addicted to caffeine. That I craved. Never craved stimulants. But, Adderall regulates my dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin since my brain can't anymore. So many receptors are turned off and other things that if I stop taking it, I will be useless for a year or so by my best guess. Took 6 months for my brain to come back to normal the last time. Now, there has been much more effects from long term Adderall use. 1.5 years vs 14 years now. Others on low or moderate doses get withdrawal too. Not everyone is the same.
BTW, what dosage are you on?
" I don't know how people are in their 40s before diagnosis." Sounds like your understanding of ADHD is still from '84 when diagnosed. Back then you only got diagnosed if you had very strong hyperactivity. People with Inattentive type often got overlooked. Instead they were called daydreamers or lazy etc. As understanding of ADHD through tons of research came about as well as public awareness, people finally started to realize their issues might be clinical. Plus many found ways to cope or hide symptoms. So someone who isn't hyperactive and drawing a lot of attention to themselves is not so easy to identify. And most people wouldn't know what to look for or recognize ADHD outside of hyperactivity. I was diagnosed at 32. Most people didn't believe I was due to coping skills and what they did see they just labeled as shy, lazy, etc. Then when I started explaining the symptoms and how I was affected all my life, it finally made sense to them. Like saying to my mother and father "You remember how you always used to yell at me for not paying attention?" And then I start quoting them. "You need to learn to pay attention". When I accidentally would break something "God damn it, when are gonna learn to pay attention?" When I accidentally bump into them when they stop walking . "Would you pay attention!" When they would lean down and grab my face "Pay attention when I'm talking to you!", "How many times do I have to tell you....!". Then there's the low energy that sometimes comes with Inattentive type. "You need to get off your ass and ..." "You need to stop being lazy and..." "You need to turn off the TV and..." Then the procrastination that comes with it. "Why do you always have to wait till the last minute?" "Do your homework now so you don't have to do it last minute!" The forgetfulness "You'd loose your head if it wasn't attached to you!" When I can't find something "well, where did you leave it?" Went to do something but forgot to do it "Well then go back and do it!" "Pay attention! I'm not going to tell you again!" "Why don't you ever listen?!" Organizational skills "Stay in your room till you clean up this mess!" "You are always making a mess!" "Put your ... away!" There were some hyperactivity and impulsiveness symptoms but not enough to be recognized as clinically hyperactive. "Stop moving around". "Sit in your sea!" "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to you!" "Do you ever stop to think before you act?!" "Wait your turn!""It's not your turn yet!" Basically you were labelled a "problem child" or "difficult". Then they finally believe me...
Thank you for your thorough feedback.I'm one of those people whose Inattentive ADHD went undiagnosed until my mid 40s.
My childhood struggles with inattentiveness were much like what you described, but thankfully my parents were very tolerant and usually very kind in their choice of words. (They both had overbearing fathers, so they both consciously choose to be the opposite... They are very understanding parents, like I would wish for everyone. Although, I wish they'd pushed me a little more, and encouraged me to be more competitive.)
My parents both seem to have mild Inattentive traits, and my dad some Hyperactive-Impulsive traits, but they grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, when much, much less was known of ADHD (and that name for the disorder hadn't been thought of yet). But much like the deep dimple in my chin is a combination of both their own shallower ones, my Inattentive traits are much more severe.
I got by in K-12 school alright because I was deeply interested in school... But when I was away from school, I couldn't remember to do my homework. My ADHD was much more evident in college, when the self-accomodation coping mechanisms I'd developed in high school no longer worked. ADHD issues in my career have impaired my career progress, and thus my earning potential.
It was only after struggling for decades and not understanding why, despite my best efforts to improve, that I finally got evaluated for ADHD.
Atomoxetine has changed my life! (It's been twice as effective as Adderall XR was for me.)
My parents got married at 20yrs old after they found out my mother was pregnant. Father had joined the Coast Guard in the Vietnam era. They had my brother just after he got out. Young adults, a little immature themselves. Father working 60+ hours a week by his mid 20s in a high stress job (family business). Mother with 2 kids and issues of her own she never got addressed. Mother's father was old school spoil the rod spoil the child WWII type. Basically thrown into a situation they weren't ready or prepared for. Especially with 2 ADHD kids 2.5 years apart.
They tried to be supportive but was hard given they were already physically and/or emotionally taxed. But, I was my own worst enemy. Fear of failure, insecure, low self esteem, learned helplessness, etc. Basically afraid to put forth effort and try because on top of hard to stay focused or start something, was afraid to fail and find out my insecurities were right and I was stupid and worthless. Until the last half of the last semester in high school. Then, last chance to try for this tier 4 student. Brought all my grades up to As Except 1 B+, which was brought up from a D. Which cause increased depression realizing I wasted all of my life up to that point. Still didn't get over the other issues yet.
Had my midlife crisis at 23. Was more afraid to never try than to fail. Would settle for financial ruin paying things off working minimum wage if I just gave my self a chance. Associates in Data Processing with high honors, secretary of math science club, Jr. VP of student gov. Was asked to run for president but was too busy with overloaded classes and other activities. Student senator, president of computer club (before I had ever owned one) member of honors society (asked to be president of our chapter but turned it down due to time constraints. BA in Computer Science and BA in Psychology graduated with simultaneous degrees Cume Laude (dropped down form Magna Cume Laude last semester, ) from a top 50 US college. MA in Economics with a concentration in Finance part time. Didn't get diagnosed till the last semester of my MA degree. Lots of coping mechanisms, plus stuff I learned in Psychology. And after my midlife crisis, I loved succeeding.
Then a mixture of bad luck and bad timing held me back at different points. The main thing holding me back now? My amphetamine dependency. Slowly taken away my motivation, energy, etc. by changing my brain and endocrine system. I'm behind the current tech stack as a software engineer. I can concentrate better for work, don't have that 3 steps forward 2 steps back feeling trying to write code. But it sapped everything else from me. Anhedonia "reduced ability to experience pleasure" on top of it. Medicine doesn't know enough about how Adderall can effect the endocrine system. Just some researched tidbits. Psychology doesn't know enough about how it effects the brain. A lot more research on that, but don't have any solutions aside from stop taking it. There are a bunch of supplements that are supposed to help neuroprotectively and do some other things. But herbs and amino acids will not win the battle with Amphetamines,
in reply to
I agree with most of what you said. When my medication is now on shortage, it really grinds my gears. I let loose on you and you aren't the problem. When the brand name Dexedrine was discontinued in 2006 I failed out of college with one semester left. I crashed and burned that quick without my medication. I apologize, I was in the wrong. So many of us with authentic ADHD are suffering because of all the over prescribing. The DEA does what it wants, and their mind can never be changed, they are the DEA, but what they're doing is wrong and hurting us as well. In sucks to be completely powerless in this.
No worries, I've written many of my own follow ups after going off on something or someone.
You didn't get the generic dexedrine back in 2006? Or switch to Adderall? Did you get the chance to make up the semester and finish? 2006 so I assume not right after high school. I did college later my self and would be devastated after turning my own life around if I didn't finish with 1 semester left.
I had been on Dexedrine twice before, maybe 3 times. Traded back and forth with adderall every few years. Didn't even realize the immediate release was discontinued till I guess a month ago. When I was trying to figure out how Zenzedi could possibly be a name brand dextroamphetamine drug when Dexedrine already was.
Raises hand - 45 was my initial diagnoses. I had it all my life, but I was bright and could compensate. No trouble holding down a job. Good career success. It wasn't until I was in my late 30s and life was piling on too much that it overwhelmed my coping skills. Wife, 2 kids, house, switching careers (so full time school and 30 hours/week work). It led to my marriage getting pretty rocky. My wife kept saying "You weren't like this when I met you 7 years ago. You have changed". My son had 100% classic ADHD symptoms and we finally learned about it all through him when he was 7-8 years old. Then we put 2+2 together, realizing how much I answered those same questions about symptoms. If it weren't for him, who know how much longer it would have gone before I got diagnosed. There are people on this site getting diagnosed in their 50s and 60s. I think I even saw someone post in their 70s.
When I was a kid, there was no diagnoses to be had. ADHD wasn't a thing that was known. I hope that sheds a little light on your confusion about going so long without knowing about it.
Glad you were able to figure it out. I was in denial for a long time even though I knew I was not able to perform as everyone else around me.
At least now you know what you are trying to protect your child from. They may not have the same exact profile as you, but you can see the benefits yourself which I am guessing many parents who aren't also ADHD may not grasp as well. Most people our age and older who were ADHD never got diagnosed. Many of whom may have had a much better life had there been more understanding earlier. Right now, people with Sluggish Cognitive Tempo are being let down. It is not even in the DSM-V. Was left out last minute. 30 to 60% of people who are ADHD-I type are comorbid with SCT. THen there are those who are SCT without ADHD. Good luck finding a therapist who has even heard of it, nevertheless able or willing to treat it.
Update June 2023. I have a plan to get off Adderall. But can't find a therapist to prescribe it. Using my insurance list of providers, Many are not at their role listed any more. Others bail when I explain things to them saying they can't help or I need someone with more ADHD experience. After months found an online therapist that was on board but after consulting a shrink and neurologist, said she couldn't prescribe modafinil, adderall, and strattera at the same time due to possible blood pressure issues. Thing is, I expect my blood pressure would actually go down. No attempt to ease into the transition stating with low does etc. Thought I was going to finally get off Adderall, and rug was pulled out a week later.
High tolerance plus monjaro diabetes med interfering with absorption. Prescribed 60mg, take 80 to a 100 which is not really therapeutic for me to do my job anymore. About to lose my job.
Modafinil covers sleepiness during the day from Sluggish Cognitive Tempo. Strattera should cover ADHD symptoms.
Modafinil -
Milder stimulant than amphetamine
doesn't have as much peripheral stimulation i.e. cardiovascular as adderall
neuroprotective vs neurotoxic of amphetamine.
found out modafinil is prescribed to methamphetamine and amphetamine addicts in rehab to help mitigate withdrawal effects. Figure it should help with the transition away from Adderall which has a primary effect in different part of the brain.
Better for daytime sleepiness, biggest issue during the day, since that is what it is actually for primarily.
But, can't get modafinil prescribed. Therapists just don't seem to have enough medical training on the deeper aspects of these medications.
So, going to have to do it myself with nootropics in the experimental drug category and from Russia (they have done more research and development in the areas I need) etc. Stimulants, meds to fix and upregulate or potentiate stimulants, etc.
When I was at the max dose in the past and not working, 1 therapist didn't know what to do, another 2 shrinks tried 3 other medications that were stupid ideas and they did not seem to understand how they worked themselves since their explanations were wrong. Seemed like BS at the time but trusted them, they are doctors, and then failed miserably. Adding Strattera 3 different times helped me. Changing it up between Adderall and Dexedrine helped. Both of which were my ideas and the ones that worked. I believe in the field of psychology, but I just have been let down over and over again due to not having enough understanding of medications for my situations. And more.
So, we'll see how things go. Along with the 35 to 40 vitamin, mineral, amino acid, etc. neuroprotective and supportive supplements I am currently taking. Looking into other stimulant options good for wakefulness, drugs to upregulate or fix dysregulation in brain from adderall
Looking into: things related to modafinil like adrafinil and fladrafinil etc. Also Memantine, Sunifiram, 9-methyl-beta-carboline aka 9-Me-BC, Bromantane, various racetams, IDRA 21 , noopept, Dihexa, Amantadine, BPC-157, MEXIDOL, AFOBAZOLE, Cerebrolysin , Cortexin , cellex, Phenibut, Selank, Semax, and a bunch of others.
Ironically I still recommend utilizing the knowledge of a therapist for medications and recommend against the list of Russian drugs, experimental drugs, off label drugs above. But, I don't deny being a hypocrite. I think man of the supplements I've added have helped in some ways. NAC and ALCAR together have made it easier to keep working when I get tired. Something/s have helped my eyesight get a little better. Hopefully things are protecting what I was hoping they would. Might be working too well LOL. Only took 60mg today and I am more functional than I was last week on 80mg. But there is some up and down so might just be an "up" point and not stay consistent. And not shaky like I was at 60mg for quite a few months. Did realize that I was getting too much choline which was making me more tired for a little while. Was sleeping much better for a few weeks but seemed to get used to new supplements that were helping with that.
I did realize that Adderall XR worked better than IR for me, even though my XR was left over from 2007. I think it held up better in the stomach acid. Mounjaro delays the emptying of your stomach. Adderall gets ionized in your stomach acid and reduces absorption. My theory is it is getting held up in the stomach and getting ionized. One day I did eat a lot of food and took Adderall. It kicked in an hour sooner and was much stronger than it had been in a long time. Think enough food absorbed stomach acid and may have caused food to pass sooner into intestines. Having snacks with Adderall didn't seem to help. Takes at least 2 hours to be somewhat therapeutic. One night I was on 80mg, took another 20mg, 200mg of caffeine, another 35mg caffeine from soda plus all that yummy sugar. And Mucinex D which has the stimulant pseudoephedrine. Half hour later, I laid down and took a nap for an hour and a half. I should have been having a heart attack at that point. But i wasn't stimulated enough for work. Just enough to read some more about supplements.
Also note that I am on the antacid prescription Omeprazole which should increase ph and increase Adderall absorption. Take Adderal with Currcumin which is supposed to block the enzyme that breaks down Adderall and potentiate it for longer, and it includes Polysorbate 80 which supposed to potentiate greater absorption. Plus other supplements that increase acetylcholine etc. 80mg IR in bed, get out of bed 2 hours later. Can do some stuff that doesn't take too much brain power, 1.5 to 2 hours later I'm ready for a nap.
Update. When I increased my Mounjaro to 5 mg, it blocked my Adderall even more and even taking 120 to 140mg a day, couldn't even get in 4 hours of work so I had to stop working. Was about to run out of Adderall anyway. Started back on Strattera 2 months before that.
4 months later got an ultimatum and had to return to work. Stopped Mounjaro and was taking 400mg modafinil, 300mg armodafinil, 100mg strattera, 60mg Adderall, 200mg caffeine and a bunch of supplements and some eastern European milder medications in the end. But didn't go over 60mg Adderall for the next 4 months till that wasn't working anymore. Then quit working again. And, as I predicted, my blood pressure was lower on all that than on Adderall alone and more therapeutic.
Now just fed up and working on getting off Adderall altogether before worrying about work.
In the meantime. learned a lot about supplements and taking a bunch for neuroprotection and to support healing my brain from 15 or so years of amphetamine (adderall, dexedrine)
But, also came up with a theory as to why Mounjaro can have a positive or negative effect on psychoactive medications and related disorders. And added to the theory that guanfacine may block negative side effects with my other psychoactive meds. Tried guanfacine and instead of having a neutral effect, was very positive. Mounjaro alone made it impossible to work and the triple dose of Adderall damaged my brain the same it would without Mounjaro, but without the therapeutic benefit in the mean time. Even after stopping Mounjaro my tolerance and side effects remained. Guanfacine without Mounjaro just made me more sleepy than usual, even after 3 and a half weeks on it and taking it at night. Also increased my heart rate and minor palpitations. No cognitive benefit noticed. But, guanfacine with Mounjaro is great. Mounjaro countered the increased heart rate and palpitations from guanfacine, and the sleepiness. But, had a very positive cognitive effect. So I am much closer to functional on low doses of meds than I would have been this early while allowing my brain to heal. 2 months off Adderall and further ahead than I was at 4 months off last year. Thanks to guanfacine and Mounjaro together. But the balance is tricky. If I get time I'll do a whole topic on that in the future. Still expecting a year or so to get off meds alltogether and be to or close to my natural baseline again. Then take lower dose of strattera, modafinil or armodafinil, guanfacine with my mounjaro. And if absolutely necessary, low dose ritalin or concerta. But no Adderall.
Almost forgot, after a year and a half of finding therapist that can't help, and one that was willing but entirely incompetent, I finally found a neuropsychiatrist that I am working with. Doesn't take insurance and costs $900 an hour. And ironically all the meds he currently prescribes me are ones I picked out. (shoulda been a neurologist). But also actually knows of SCT and has been enlightening on my sleep disruption disorder and possible mild narcolepsy.
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