Have ADD, trying to quit, failing miserably. Help!

[ADDicted]

Hi everyone! I’m Tara, and I’m very grateful to have found this community, which I’m really hoping to make my dream of quitting a reality. I think I really need a support group and accountability; right now I’m the only smoker I know in my immediate family/friend group. 
 
I’m 31 and work from home most of the time (I’m a college instructor). I started smoking cigarettes about 14 years ago, in college. I’ve vaguely flirted with the idea of quitting in the past, but never really committed. A year ago, I tried the Patch for a week and didn’t notice any improvement. Last month, I purchased a newer model of e-cig (Joy eTech AIO, 12mg) and have been trying to transition to it, with little success. I’ve read a lot of cessation self-help guides and tried the basic behavioral stuff: switching the space where I work, drinking water/chewing gum, telling friends/family I’m quitting, etc., but it just hasn’t helped. At this point I’d be overjoyed if I could just switch to the e-cig full time and then wean myself off that. 
 
I feel that the main obstacle to quitting for me is my ADD. Getting diagnosed and on Adderall (currently instant release, 20MG, 2-3 times a day) in 2008 completely changed my life for the better; but it has made my attachment to cigarettes 1000x worse. If I try to ignore the cravings (or am in somewhere like an airplane or meeting), I start getting horribly twitchy, to the point that I can no longer concentrate on anything except getting to smoke. Sometimes it’s so bad that when I finally do get to smoke, I’ll smoke 2. Even thinking about the prospect of not smoking can trigger enough anxiety to make me feel the need to have one!
 
The strange thing is that when I don’t take my medication, I don’t feel the urge to smoke. Currently, I take Adderall about 4-5 times a week, with 2 days off to let my body and mind relax – I can’t and don’t try to get any work done on those days. I have tried various ADD medications (Vyvanse, XR Adderall) that have not been as effective and have not curbed smoking urges, and I’ve also tried Wellbutrin, which interacted very poorly with the amphetamines and turned me into a non-smoking, unmotivated, miserable slug for a few months before I stopped. Right now I smoke 7-9 Camel Turkish Silvers a day.
 
I’ve been trying my best for a couple months now, but am feeling really discouraged and almost ready to give up. I’m not at a point where I want to stop taking ADD medication — that would be a truly last resort.  Any advice, encouragement, or commiseration you all can offer would be a huge help to me!

[Boo]

Welcome aboard Tara.  Behavioral changes are good, but I suggest that you really dive into the psychological aspects of nicotine addiction.  When you demystify the cigarette and begin to understand that it offers nothing positive in life and is simply a delivery system for nicotine, it becomes easier and easier over time to resist the urge.  The only thing that the cigarette offers is another temporary fix that keeps the addiction alive and demands that you feed it again and again.  Break the cycle.

 

I can't offer any advice about the adderall, but it is my understanding that stimulants and nicotine have a symbiotic relationship in regards to the release of dopamine.  We have a diverse array of members here, so I imagine that someone else here has dealt with quitting while on ADD prescriptions.

 

You can quit and you may, like many of us, find it much easier than you imagined.  Set yourself free from nicotine, you will not regret it.

[Sazerac]

Welcome Tara.

I am so glad you want to quit smoking.

It will give you a quality of life you never dreamed possible

and reveal to yourself your inner power, an indomitable power that you can use in all aspects of your life.

 

First, you must want to quit more than you want to smoke.

Educate yourself about Nicotine addiction.

 

I do not know much about ADD and nothing about your medications

but, I want to separate quitting smoking from all of that.

Your quit must be considered precious and held separate from anything else in your life.

 

Please post a lot.  We will support you all the way in any way we can.

[IndigoChilde]

I have ADD on top of my bipolar disorder, that's currently untreated. I don't know how bad yours is, but I know ritalin helped me with mine, and didn't get me smoking. I would highly suggest talking to your doctor or psychiatrist about the interaction you're having with smoking and Adderall. Mention you're trying to quit and I'm sure they'll come up with all sorts of solutions for you. How soon in the morning do you want to smoke? How often? It's possible you can try to wean yourself off of nicotine, but it won't be easy. I'll admit, I got suicidal on wellbutrin. Twice. Once when I was taking it for depression, and once when I was trying to quit smoking five months ago. But without the wellbutrin, I got severely depressed as well, and lost my 3-month quit. The first thing to know is you have to take it easy on yourself however possible. Try making your quit date on your "weekend," whenever your days off are. See if you can take an anxiety medication along with your Adderall and experiment with your doctor on dosages. Definitely get into therapy if you can afford it (my insurance covers my therapy). And I'd strongly recommend Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I think he's got a video on youtube or something you can watch as well. And the brilliant part is you don't have to quit smoking while you're reading/watching it. It actually says not to try to quit until you've finished.

 

Most important, education, education, education. Read as much as you can about quitting, and watch Joel's videos. They're posted by MarylandQuitter.

 

After 8 hours, most of the nicotine is out of your system. After 72 hours, nearly all, if not all, of the nicotine is out of your system. The first week is the toughest. But working with the people here, posting SOS, getting in chat and seeing if someone pops in, those are all viable options on this site.

 

Distract! You want something to keep you occupied, even as the cravings are telling you you need to smoke. Color, walk, do anything you can to get the energy out of your system, especially with ADD.

 

Welcome to the Quit Train!

[MarylandQuitter]

A lot of it is simply because you're addicted to nicotine and whether you use the patch, gum, an e-cig or anything or NRT, you're still administering nicotine.  If you quit nicotine your cravings for it will go away, usually sooner than later.  The thought of running out of cigarettes always caused me anxiety, the thought of quitting, how my day would be without smoking, how long would the cravings last and the list can go on and on and you can even add a few yourself.  However, as with most things we worry about, they're rarely as bad as we make them out to be and quitting smoking is no exception.  Quitting wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and in fact, I focused on the benefits of quitting; withing minutes your body is responding in a positive, healthy way.  When my carbon dioxide levels dropped to normal levels, I thought that was more important than any craving for nicotine which was only going to last for around 3 minutes anyway.  The longer you stay quit, the more you benefit from it and you WILL feel better.

 

How To Quit Smoking

Video lays out simple tips for people wanting to quit smoking.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27zWo7hbcY

 

Why Did I Ever Start Smoking?

Video discussing how the reasons a person first starts smoking usually has little bearing on why they are smoking today.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erv9SbC876k

[Doreensfree]

Welcome aboard ADD...this is the one best thing you can ever do for your health...

You have has some really good advice already....

There are others here who struggle with anxiety and depression...

I suggest.. You link up with these good folks and have quit buddies...who understand each other ...and help each other through the changes you will feel...

Congratulations on making that very important first leap x

[El Bandito]

Hey ADD, Welcome!

 

...I really can't advise on ADD. The symptoms you describe are very similar to what I felt at 'the thought' of quitting.

 

For me, it turned out to be a lot like a sticky plaster. Gently trying to pull it off bit by bit was hard, scary and horrible. The thought of ripping it off was terrifying. Then - I read and understood about nicotine - and when I wasn't watching - I ripped it off. :D

 

To my great surprise, the world continued to turn. I got richer day be day. I smelt better. My teeth and gums improved. I got more sex drive and more sex. I felt liberated, free. 

 

It was just such a nightmare... B)

 

As I say - I know nothing of ADD and it would be foolish of me to give advice on that area. Quitting smoking is 99.9% mental. You don't believe me - but its a hell of a lot easier than you imagine.

 

Don't put things in your mouth and set fire to them. That's the only behavourial change that you need to make.

 

ADD - I believe that you can absolutely do this.

[joe]

Welcome to the QT...ADD

 

You have made a great decision to quit smoking.

 

Read and educate yourself on nicotine addiction and it will become a little clearer on what is needed to conquer it.

 

Post often and let us know how your doing...

[Evelyn]

Tara, lately I wasn't able to quit either as my QT friends can tell you... I've got a medication change and since then I'm doing way better. I quiting still a tough nut to crack sometimes but if you have a disorder you might wanna consider chage of meds?

[Petra]

I don't know about ADD or the meds earlier, but I love the book, "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr.  It really just helped me get my brain into a positive way of looking at quitting - no dread about it.  I tried many different times to quit, using many different methods, the Patch, Wellbutrin, gum, ecigs.  I would always go back after a few days, or weeks and once even after 4 years.  

 

Longing for smokes, or thoughts like, "I wish I could just smoke sometimes" or "I wish I could just have this one" always lead back to smoking.  

 

Once I got it into my head to chose not smoking over smoking, that is when I became successful. Thinking, "I never want to put that disgusting garbage in my body ever again" is what got me through my toughest moments.  

 

And the Quit Train was the most awesome and fun distraction.  I was here a lot early in my quit - getting support if I needed it or just getting in on the conversations for fun.

 

Welcome!  

[ADDicted]

Thank you all for this great advice! I will definitely watch those videos and also re-read the Carr (it's been a long time since I checked it out). 

[Cristóbal]

Hello ADDicted,

 

***VERY IMPORTANT*** !!!

 

Realize that quitting smoking very commonly can also affect dosages of  medications !!!

 

See your doctor - before you quit again - and tell him/her that you are going to be quitting smoking, and that you would like to know if this may affect your medication. If quitting smoking will affect your medication, ask your doctor to make the adjustment before you quit.

 

 

 

Cristóbal