Coming Off Qelbree
Hi everyone! I recently tapered off Qelbree per my doctor’s orders, and I wanted to share my overall experience.
Firstly, I’ll begin by saying Qelbree did not work for me. I started on 200 mg the first week, then 400mg the second week, staying at this dosage. (I took two 200 mg capsules at night). I was on it about 11.5 weeks, giving it as much time as possible to kick in from what I’ve read of other’s experiences. At 11.5 weeks, I still felt no change in my focus, motivation, executive dysfunction, or any other ADHD symptom. On top of that, I had bad food aversions and felt very emotional as a result of the medication, both of which I was done dealing with when the medication was not helping me. My doctor agreed it was time to come off of the medication. Before I dive into that, I can share some other side effects of the medication:
-Amplified the effects of alcohol: I drank 2 cocktails and felt like I drank 6. The most hungover I’ve felt in years.
-The first 3 weeks of the med I did have an upset stomach and even worse food aversions.
My doctor suggested the following tapering off method for me: Go down to 300 mg for 1-2 weeks, down to 200 mg for 1-2 weeks, finally 100 mg for 1-2 weeks, and then stop taking the medication. I had a limited supply left of the 200 mg capsules, so I had to get a bit creative. I did a week of each of the doses. Each time I went down a 100, I had a bad headache the next day, but it was manageable. (Granted, I get headaches frequently, and I think those headaches might not be so manageable for someone who doesn’t frequently get them). This past Friday, 5/15, was my first night without taking any Qelbree, completing my tapering off. Saturday, 5/16, I got the worst migraine of my life. We were at a friends wedding, and we actually had to leave early (just as dinner started at the reception) because I felt so unwell. I hate being that person, but that’s how unwell I felt. I ended up throwing up back at our AirBnb, which is VERY unusual for me to do. We drove back home after that, and I slept for 12 hours. I spent Sunday with a headache and being exhausted. Today, Monday, the headache still lingers with brain fog.
I will admit I probably should have asked my doctor for one more month’s supply of the medication, taken each dosgae for 2 full weeks instead of 1 week, and possibly even gone done in 50 mg increments instead. Although, going down in 50 mg would have been a bit harder to determine with the capsules.
I’m glad I read other’s experiences on here to know the migraine (especially bad enough to throw up, considering I have emetophobia) was a possibility, or else I would have been a complete mess anxiety-wise, which is why I’m sharing my experience to let others know of this possibility. This won’t be everyone’s experience, and I know others have successfully tapered off with minimal issues. I also know others have success with the medication overall, which is wonderful! :)