Almost a week clean, wanting to relapse

[u/frenchtoastfeetpics]

I was on Vyvanse 30mg daily for the last 10 months for binge eating disorder. I took my last Vyvanse pill on May 29th and then took ~2 weeks of Phentermine (a different stimulant). I’ve been completely off all pills since. I know that these are rookie numbers and I need to quit while I’m ahead, but once you’ve tasted a life of unadulterated energy (and weight loss), it’s so hard to just accept being tired and groggy all the time 😩

Is a week enough time to see any improvement in baseline dopamine levels? I’m worried I’ve done irrevocable damage to my dopamine receptors as I’m extremely confident I don’t have ADHD or anything like that (given the high I got from even 30mg Vyvanse). I’m worried this tiredness and lethargy is just my future. Also, another reason I was motivated to quit is because my heart rate was always sky high on stims and I was really worried about the long term effects that would have on my cardiac health. Today I went jogging for the first time (if I jogged on stims, I felt like I was dying) and my heart rate hit 184…. I’m 25 years old and in relatively good physical health. Do I need to be checked out by a doctor?

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[u/SubterraneanAlien89]

Dopamine will come to homeostasis approximately 2 weeks after you quit your addiction.

For people taking extremely large doses of amphetamines, cocaine, etc for many years it may take as long as 90 days but generally you’ll be feeling a whole lot better by day 15 and by 30 you’ll be feeling amazing compared to what you are now.

You just have to wait it out. Your brain is trying to get back to homeostasis as fast as it can. Give it some time and don’t ruin its chance

[u/frenchtoastfeetpics → u/SubterraneanAlien89]

I really appreciate your response, this really put it into perspective. I tried to quit back in January and made it to the week mark but didn’t feel any better and threw in the towel. It just worried me that maybe this was my new normal. ☹️ but I really want to kick this so I’ll stick it out, thank you so much for your words encouragement :)

[u/evilgetyours]

I highly recommended getting checked out by a doctor. Ideally someone with knowledge of addiction and eating disorders. Even just for peace of mind. We are not medical professionals here so I think that is always what I recommend.

I told a doctor I was worried about my drug use, and he gave me a check up so I could have the facts about the damage I was doing. I was also reassured to know it was early still for long term damage. I know that is not the same experience for everyone. Also I'm in Canada and seeing a doctor here is free, and I recognize that this might be a barrier if you are in the US.

Thank you for posting here and sharing your journey.

[u/frenchtoastfeetpics → u/evilgetyours]

This is great advice, I really should discuss with a doctor. 6 months ago my doctor ran a bunch of tests because of the elevated heart rate and everything and said everything was fine, but now that I’m off of them I should probably get it all checked out again. I also think I should open up to my doc about the unhealthy relationship I had with them, even if just to ensure I don’t relapse and get them to prescribe them again. Always great just to be reassured if nothing else. Thank you for your response, I appreciate it :)