I don't want to take my medication for ADHD anymore please help?!

Hi Casey,

Ultimately, the decision to take medication or not should be yours. It's your body and your brain.

If you want a trial off medication to see how that feels, don't just stop cold-turkey. Instead, work closely with your doctor to taper off. This will help prevent side effects from stopping the medication too quickly.

Also, the doctor can help you monitor the effects of stopping the meds, and weigh the pros and cons of staying off them vs. taking them. You should set some benchmarks for how you feel, how you function with friends and at home and at school, and make sure you see how all of those things are affected by the medication vs. no meds after a couple of months before you make a final decision.

Another thing to consider is driving. Depending on where you live, you may be getting behind the wheel soon. People with ADHD are prone to getting into accidents and getting tickets due to impulsive behavior, distractibility, and poor judgment. This is a safety issue not only for you, but also for everyone else on the road. Please take it seriously. If you are going to drive unmedicated (and even if you drive medicated!), make sure you NEVER use a mobile phone and NEVER text while driving. Also, don't drive with friends in the car who might distract you. And it goes without saying that you should never drive drunk. It only takes a fraction of a second to get into a crash or hit a pedestrian or cyclist, and the consequences can be life-altering. Just a friendly safety tip from someone who has seen the effects of untreated ADHD on driving.

You also need to set up structure for yourself -- systems that can help you with the things meds used to. You might need a calendar, smartphone/PDA or some other system for keeping track of time, assignments, appointments, activities, etc. if you're not using one already.

Consider therapy, tutoring, or coaching to help you stay on track if you find you need something to help you focus and stay motivated and organized.

And get as much vigorous exercise as possible. This can help boost the same neurotransmitters that meds do.

I wouldn't recommend hiding this from your parents. They may not take too kindly to it -- it sounds like they prefer your behavior when you're taking meds -- but they do need to give you some space to test out what's best for you.

Finally, don't be afraid to reconsider stopping or starting meds at a later point, depending on your situation (college? work? summer break?). Keep an open mind, and figure out what's best for you in your situation.

Best wishes!

.
Scientist with interest in ADHD.

xx

my parents are the same way lol unfortunately. i wanted to stop taking them, but my mom encouraged me to continue to take them because im so different, (in a good way), with them. But, its up to your personal decision, and it should be up to you, not your parents. if youd like, slowly get off them, having your doctor decrease your dosage every couple of weeks. see how that goes. and if you feel good about it, go off of it completely. just see how it feels without them; but give it a couple of weeks, it takes your body to re-adjust to not taking them. it never hurts to try something different, you HAVE been on them for a long time; try to see how you can deal with your ADHD without them. if at any time during when you decrease your dosage that you dont feel like you, talk to your doctor. but again, youve been so used to taking them for 4 years, itll take some time to adjust mentally, physically, and emotionally. also, to help with how you feel, and being nervous about having you not feel like you, maybe go to a therapist/life coach to still manage your ADHD and your emotional state. goodluck! hoped this helped:)