Adderall & severe menstrual cramps?? | ADHD Information

you pro curus? I need a best friend...
you need to stop spamming the threads.

I’ve been on Addreall XR for about 6 months and I too have noticed an increase in menstrual cramps.  Thankfully they’ve always been mild, thus the increase in pain is tolerable.  I’m not taking any contraceptives (haven’t for years—smoker & too old—scared of blood clots). 
I think your plan is the best solution-no break from the hormones.   
BTW—I thought women who stay on hormones for >90 days straight should ‘take a break’ after 3 months.  If you choose to ‘take a break,’ I suggest adding a glass or 2 of red wine (at night when you’re done with your day of course!) along with the Advil and heat!!

I've been taking adderall xr for about 2 months and recently my doctor added an additional IR dose.  Last month was my first period since i've been on adderall and I experienced SEVERE cramps.  I've always had an issue in this area, pre-meds, but nothing to this degree.  The cramps start days before they did in the past, last longer, and are more severe.  Does anyone else experience this?  What have you done to help alleviate the pain?  I've taken as many advil as I think my body can handle and it doesn't even seem to put a dent in them.  Any help is greatly appreciated. 

thank you for your reply.  i've been doing the calcium thing and i also already wear the ortho-evra patch.  the only thing i need to improve on the exercise part!!!

I can't say that I experience the same problem, sorry! However, it has been said that exercise, zinc, b-vitamins, calcium, a heating pad on the lower back/abdomen, avoiding caffeine, etc. help reduce cramps. If it's too troublesome, see a dr. to make sure "everything is up to par" and perhaps they will offer other tips. Some people also take birth control pills to help reduce cramping. I hope you feel better soon!

thanks for your responses everyone.  i have been on ortho-evra for a few years and never experienced these issues, so i'm pretty confident the patch isn't contributing.  after i posted my initial question, i actually made an executive decision,   which means on my own, to skip my week without the patch,i.e. period, and just put another one on.  i have read enough on this subject to feel pretty confident in the safety of skipping cycles this way on occassion.  i had already begun to feel the cramps creeping on during the last day i was supposed to wear my last patch.  i re-filled my prescription for the next week and just went ahead and put on another patch without a break.  guess what????  no cramps. 

the increase in severity of my cramps is obviously related to the adderall and is something that i'm going to discuss with my doctor.  the adderall is working so well for me i don't want to stop taking it because of 1 week a month, but as many of you ladies know, that can be the worst 1 week ever!!!  not to mention the fact that it seems to increase my pms and my husband had just begin to tolerate and know how to deal with that aspect of me.    if anyone else has any suggestions or have experienced similar things, i would appreciate any advice. thank you.

Are the cramps, in any way, related to the ortho evra?....If you've been on it for a long time, did you change the location of the patch which lead to more severe cramps perhaps?....hmmm....or are you more stressed than usual? Just trying to figure out why, exactly, the cramps got more severe.

I've had similar issues.  But the cramps still only last the first 3 days for me.  But can be more painful. If I'm taking my calcium supplements, B-12, and B-6, and women's one a day vitamins, it doesn't seem as bad. Oh and my heating pad is my best friend.

thanks everyone for your replies.  i had an appointment with my doctor today and i was once again happy that i found the right doctor.  he said he's never had this symptom reported by a patient, but was very interested in finding out more about it and helping me with it.  he expressed how interested he was in women's hormonal issues and the way they interacted with our moods and other issues.  he told me that he didn't understand how this area of medicine has been ignored and unstudied for so long.     

 

anyway, after trying to talk me through the different medcation options, he ended up giving me flexeril(generic).  has anyone else ever taken this medication? it is a muscle relaxer and i know nothing about muscle relaxers.