Emotionally numb symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed adderall a few years ago for mild ADD, 10 mg once a day, and it was great at the time. My grades went up and everything else was good for about a year. I decided, though, that I wanted to go off of it, as I was sick of feeling like I relied on a pill.
Well, I went off of it, for the next couple of months I started getting panic attacks and depression more and more frequently until I reached my worst point-- for 5 days I couldn't eat, sleep, or even get off the couch. I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror and felt no joy at all whatsoever.

After that for about a year things were okay, but I wasn't quite myself. I didn't enjoy things like I once did, and I was plagued by constant worrying about things that I didn't need to worry about.
Soon I started taking it again, and became addicted again for a few months. Once again, went off of it, had a bad few months, things got a little better.
Then I started again. Now, for the past few months I go through weeks at a time when I take it and weeks I don't. I'm trying to quit once and for all.

My point is that this drug really had an enormous impact on my life. It changed me in a lot of ways I didn't like, made me sort of emotionally numb-- in fact, the only time I felt pleasure and joy was practically when I took the drug.
I am not the kind of person who gets addicted to things easily, and I'm not sneaky or secretive, but let me just tell you:
The other day (since I don't fill my perscription anymore), I wanted some adderall and I actually picked the lock on my mom's drawer to get to hers.

That's extremely out of character for me, and it freaked me out.

Nobody ever warned me about this drug, and people act like it's no big deal, but it almost made me kill myself.

Other than that, I have always been an honest, happy, motivated person.

11/7/07: My side effects include: headache, nervousness inside, back pain, chest pain (not related to heart), constipation, stomach pain

I'm sorry so many of you have bad experiences with Adderall. My side effects went away in about two weeks.

The amphetamines in Adderall have been used for 70 years, so if they were that dangerous, they would not be around today and one of the top 10 most prescribed pediatric drugs in America.

To Spoiled Rotten,
Apparently you can't read all that well or don't know how to do research, maybe you should have been on Adderall as a kid. RITALIN, CONCERTA, FOCALIN, DAYTRANA are all Methylphenidate, which IS NOT AN AMPHETAMINE.

Be a Big BOY/GIRL and do your own research about these drugs. Real research, not a side-effects website where people who know nothing about the drugs themselves hear something from someone, who knows someone's sisters friend who ABUSED their medication.

ALL DRUGS can be bad. You can die of an aspirin overdose. It's how they are used. Adderall and Ritalin are "very safe" when used properly" (Driven To Distraction).

I'm sure 99 percent of you don't even know what ADDICTION really is. This is a huge health problem in America. Yes, the addictions, but MORE so the ignorance and stereotypes of people with them.

African American 47,
You DON'T just get addicted to a drug. You can BE DEPENDENT on a drug, and not an addict. Cancer patients take very large amounts of NARCOTIC pain killers and THEY ARE DEPENDENT on them. For pain relief and physical dependence. They DON'T crave the drugs though.

So with SPOILED rotten's philosophy, the 20,000,000 people on Adderall or Ritalin (NOT AN AMPHETAMINE, similar, but not the same thing) who's quality of life has been improved 100 fold just like mine. I would have benefited GREATLY from medication but did not get diagnosed until 3 months ago at the age of 24.

Medication IS NOT for everyone, as "it doesn't work very well for about 80% of people who take it." (Driven To Distraction, Dr Edward Hallowell).

IF anyone has questions about ADD read "Driven To Distraction". The Author(s) both have ADD themselves and are psychiatrists.

Too many people with ADD refuse medication because they think "oh no, I will get addicted", which is 99 percent of the time not the case for ADD. They miss out on at least an option that could help them immensely.

I am so irritated with the ignorance and lack of knowledge from people who bad mouth things they know really nothing about. It didn't work for me so I am going to demonize the drugs and spread lies that they turn kids into zombies and cause them to shoot up schools..........C'mon, you're how old? I'm probably 1/2 your age and I have twice the common sense.
I'm not saying your a bad parent Spoiled, but your NAME IS Spoiled....you seem to be on a high and mighty chair, and you seemingly have a very self centered mind. Doesn't work for you then it must be the work of the devil.

Learn how to do research, form educated opinions, maybe read a book. Use your rights as a patient to see a different doctor if you don't agree with one. Do something productive.

Has anyone ever suffered a loss of feelings after stopping Yasmin?

Like three weeks ago everything was so perfect... wonderful boyfriend of two years and relationship and just everything was going so great and then my boyfriend came to visit me during the Christmas week and at first everything was going perfect and then later on before he left (he lives in Ohio, I live in Illinois) I just didn't want to be 'intimate' with him or anything. I figured it was just the pill causing me to lose my libido but then I started to worry that maybe that wasn't the case and I was just losing feelings for him. I stopped taking the pill a few days later (there were other reasons; constant migraines and my contacts were almost unbearable to wear) but then I just started to become.... numb. I couldn't get out of bed or go to work and I didn't know how I felt about anything anymore. But yeah... I've read some articles about how birth control effects the chemical Serotonin in your brain and if you have a low level you can become emotionally numb. I just wanted to know if I was the only one... if it's really birth control, or if I'm just losing my friggin mind here.

It's horrible.. I'm supposed to be moving in with him in less than 4 months and I know I love him, he means the world to me. I just...can't feel it right now.

The pill is the devil.

Has anyone experienced any emotional side effects? I am 22 and I feel as if I am emotionally numb. It's as if I just don't feel anything anymore. Anybody?

I took Effexor a little over a year ago due to my psychiatrists strong urge for me to do so. I don't remember the dosage, but I only stayed on the stuff for 4 weeks before discontinuing the drug. I remember feeling the side effects right away. I remember an intense feeling of nausia (like you feel when you're drunk and you can't tell if you're going to vomit all the sudden or you'll be all right). This was only really bad within the first week of taking it. I remember being really irratable, when before I was really indifferent about anything, then all the sudden I had a terrible temper with just about anything. I had increase anxiety. I remembered not feeling depressed anymore, but I also remember not ever feeling happy; it was as if the Effexor had made me emotionally numb. After about 4 weeks of not being able to sleep, of constant anxiety, of feeling ichy, weak, tired, suffering from insomnia, not being able to concentrate; I just straight out stopped taking it. BIG MISTAKE. I did so because I really really had to get a research paper done that I handn't been able to work on due to the side effects of Effexor. Well, I basically went into a panic phase for about 2 days where I paced around the house, tossed and turned in bed (not being able to sleep), my roommates couldn't understand a word I was saying, I felt I needed to smoke a cigarette every 10 minutes. This is where my experience gets really wierd. I went to the local IHOP and started drinking coffee, pitcher after pitcher, and it started mellowing me out. I needed desperately to get my paper done, so I went to the gas station and bought a bottle of those yellow-jacket (those ephedra energy pills). Yeah, I took those for a couple days and it really mellowed me out, when before I thought I was just going to snuf it, then everything from that point on was smooth sailing. Does that make sense to anybody? I'm still trying to figure out why after the mammoth dose of caffeine and moderate doses of ephedra, everything was all right; again, does this make sense to anybody?

My sex drive is GONE! I blame Yasmin.....I have been taking Yasmin now for 4 months and not only has my sex drive dissapeared, but I have become emotionally NUMB.
I dont know what to do about this because the Ortho was worse, and Triphasil didnt do anything for my moods.....Im stuck.