My friend's sleep hygiene is poor after quitting Adderall for ADHD. Please help.

Question

Hello doctor,

I am asking on behalf of my friend. She is 23 years old. She is 5'11 and somewhere around 130-140 lbs. Lately, she developed thyroid issues, such as a slowed heart rate. She used to take Adderall for her ADHD but has not in months. She drinks coffee nearly every day.

Her sleep schedule is very spotty, often going to bed at midnight and waking up at around nine in the morning, or not sleeping at all. She has begun to take Wal-Sleep Z on Fridays and Saturdays to help suppress her anxiety so that she can wake up for her early morning job on the weekend.

What I am worried about is how her poor sleep hygiene will affect her health and how she can prevent it from getting worse.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. According to your statement, your friend has had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and given up to take Adderall one month back as she had taken that for her ADHD. Now your friend has insomnia. She has recently started to take Wal-Sleep Z, but that medication cannot combat her insomnia and anxiety.

Well, your friend has been suffering from clinical features such as insomnia, abnormal heart rhythm, tiredness, fatigue, insomnia or trouble sleeping, etc., may result from the sudden withdrawal of her medication named Adderall. As she had taken that for her ADHD for a long time, it has some long term side effects on her body too.

Your friend might need to use this drug for a long time. From time to time during her treatment, her doctor may check whether she needs to keep taking it or not. He will do this by tapering off the medication. If symptoms do return, your friend may need to keep taking it.