My Top 4 Worst Adderall Withdrawal Symptoms

Quitting Adderall is one of the biggest achievements of my life, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with its own set of unique hurdles. With any type of addiction, the withdrawal symptoms can be one of a struggle, so I wanted to share what I experienced in hopes of helping those out there going through the same thing. You are not alone!

1. ACNE - I am someone who has struggled with acne most of my life, but when I quit Adderall it was like puberty all over again. My entire face and neck was splotchy and soooo bumpy and I grew large cystic pimples as well. This went on for 5 months until I decided to do something about it because it wasn’t going away like I hoped it would. Originally, I believed the acne was due to stress, so I tried to reduce stressors like lower my caffeine intake and meditate more. I then tried over the counter salicylic acid face washes, but none of that worked. I decided to order the good ‘ol Proactiv because that is what really helped my cystic acne growing up. Voila! I was so thankful it cleared up a lot. It took a full year since quitting Adderall for all of the bumpiness to vanish, but it did and now I feel like I could use a different face wash if I wanted to and the acne would not return. Yay!

2. INSOMNIA - This was another symptom that I thought was due to stress and it took me a while to realize it was because I quit Adderall. In my opinion, I believe the insomnia was something that needed to run its course in order for it to fully go away. This course was a full year. It was tough and I tried many remedies, you can check out my other post on INSOMNIA POST ADDICTION and my INSOMNIA YouTube video to see what I tried. In my opinion, meditation and prayer is the best cure for insomnia.

3. PHLEGM - Weird, right? This is a symptom that still plagues me to this day! The Adderall created an abundance of phlegm while I was on it and the sad news is that it hasn’t gone away, even after I quit (22 months clean at the time of this post). I watched lots of YT videos on how to reduce phlegm and tried incorporating drinking more water and eating healthier, but the only thing that has really helped reduce the amount of PHANTOM phlegm (because I try and try to get it out of my throat, but nothing is there) has been to stay away from caffeine and spicy spicy foods, which seem to trigger it to go into overdrive. Another helpful remedy is allergy medication and/or nasal spray- those seems to help a bit, but I really do not like using over the counter medications or anything that makes you dependent. The amount of phlegm can affect how I sleep and so it is important to really stay away from my triggers, otherwise you’ll pay the consequences by hearing me attempt to clear my throat 30,000 times an hour.

4. WEIGHT GAIN - Just two months after I was no longer bulimic, I decided to quit Adderall. Previous stints at quitting Adderall left me with at least 10 extra pounds and I was nervous that quitting may trigger the bulimia for good. Thankfully, at this stage in my recovery, I had finally learned to accept the extra weight and now feel great! The key for me was not getting too caught up in a number (pounds or fat grams) and instead, intuitively eating and exercising. This has been a lifestyle change that I am proud to say truly works! Before, it was all about controlling my exercise and food intake/outtake, that now, the less I interfere with what I consume, the better I am mentally. I now enjoy the food I eat and can relax, knowing it nourishes me.

These four withdrawal symptoms were difficult to overcome, but I am MUCH happier having quit Adderall. Adderall was the worst. Who knows where I would be if I never quit - it’s a scary thought that I don’t want to think about. Check out my video below, where I go more in depth on my the other Adderall withdrawal symptoms I experienced.