What Happens When You Stop Your ADHD Meds?

When Dana Rayburn learned she had ADHD successful her 40s, her expert prescribed Adderall. She did good connected nan supplier for a fewer years, but past her insurance stopped covering it. Rather than struggle to salary $200 a period for nan medication, she decided to effort going disconnected it.

For different adults pinch ADHD, broadside effects for illustration appetite suppression aliases sleeplessness are what punctual them to extremity their medication. Some opportunity nan narcotics make them little nosy and spontaneous. Others dislike nan stigma that often goes on pinch medication aliases simply relish nan thought of handling their information much naturally, without nan thief of pharmaceuticals.

Whatever your motivation, earlier you effort going disconnected your meds, it’s wise to talk to your expert first and get a bully thought of what to expect.

Anytime you want to make a alteration to your medicine regimen, it’s champion to loop your expert in. If your supplier agrees that it’s OK to stop, you should talk whether it’s safe to spell acold turkey aliases if you request to taper off.

The reply depends connected nan medications you take, says L. Eugene Arnold, MD, resident master for CHADD (Children and Adults pinch Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). You don’t request to taper stimulant medications for illustration Adderall and Ritalin, he explains, and you shouldn’t acquisition immoderate withdrawal effects.

Nonstimulant medications, connected nan different hand, do usually require tapering. “Atomoxetine (Strattera) has a agelong half-life, truthful it benignant of tapers itself,” Arnold says. But if you’ve been taking an alpha 2 antagonist specified arsenic clonidine aliases guanfacine -- galore group pinch ADHD return a stimulant successful nan greeting and 1 of these different narcotics astatine nighttime -- you request to spell slow to debar a perchance vulnerable spike successful your blood pressure, he warns.
 

Whether you’ll consciousness immoderate different physically depends connected your medication, nan dose, and your assemblage chemistry, Arnold says. He says that immoderate patients who extremity stimulant narcotics study a small much fatigue during nan daytime. That said, they mightiness slumber much soundly astatine night. Some abruptly consciousness ravenously hungry.

Shifts successful power and attraction thin to moreover retired aft a time aliases two. But, it mightiness return a fewer weeks for your appetite to spell backmost to normal. Of course, “If you had an excessive appetite earlier [starting ADHD narcotics that were suppressing it], it’s going to beryllium permanent,” Arnold says.

Unless your test was wrong, you sewage ADHD medication for a reason. Will you beryllium capable to enactment connected task and decorativeness projects without nan thief of these drugs?

Luckily for Rayburn, nondrug approaches -- including organizational strategies, fish oil supplements (which immoderate studies propose whitethorn thief pinch ADHD), and staying hydrated -- did nan trick. She hasn’t needed ADHD narcotics successful 16 years. But Rayburn, who coaches different adults pinch ADHD, is hardly anti-medication. In fact, she says that astir adults pinch ADHD do champion pinch medication, astatine slightest during definite periods of their lives.

Rayburn advises anyone who is considering going disconnected medicine to first deliberation astir why they were connected nan narcotics successful nan first spot and what mightiness person changed since then. Have you adopted circumstantial organizational strategies, importantly overhauled your manner habits (like exercise and diet), aliases made different changes that are apt to thief support you connected task?

“If you’re going disconnected medication, you’ve sewage to beryllium very self-aware and announcement erstwhile your brain isn’t moving and beryllium capable to adjust,” Rayburn says. She says that immoderate group tin drawback themselves losing attraction but do good erstwhile they recommit to strategies that person helped support them enactment connected task successful nan past. Others recognize that they now request other thief from a coach aliases a therapist who specializes successful cognitive behavioral therapy for ADHD, Arnold says. Some find that taking a food lipid supplement helps. “It’s a subtle effect, but it benignant of takes nan separator off,” he says.

Of course, immoderate adults pinch ADHD who extremity their medicine recognize that they request to spell backmost connected it to usability good -- and that’s OK, too. “It’s a bully thought to enlist different perceiver -- a spouse, roommate, aliases coach -- who tin springiness you nonsubjective feedback astir what’s happening,” Arnold says. And if you do spell backmost connected medication, don’t presume you tin ditch nan nondrug therapies you’ve been using.

“Medication for ADHD is not a cure; it’s a tool,” Arnold says. “It makes things imaginable but not needfully easy. You still person to activity astatine it.”