add...meds and high blood pressure | ADHD Information

I have been on Hydroclorathiazide and Attenalol for about a year for high BP.

I've been taking AdderallXR for approx 3months.  The Adderall didn't seemed to raise my BP, it actually went down a little.  However, the past couple weeks I have had a tingling sensation in my fingers, face and top of my head.  It freaked me out because I thought I might be having a stroke or something, (I am 33yrs old by the way). I spoke with the Dr. that prescribed the Adderall about this, and she thinks it might either be a reaction from the Attenalol or a Potassium deficiency.

I am going in on Monday to have bloodwork done to see what is going on, I am hoping I will not have to discontinue the AdderallXR because it has helped me quite a bit.

I too have high blood pressure and are on Benazipril HCT. I took Strattera for 4 months with mostly positive results except that one day it just stopped working. My appetite had been supressed somewhat while taking Strattera and I found myself living in the pantry looking for snacks and would benge from salty to sweet all day long. I began having tendencies similar to that of pre-medication. I knew I was sprialing out of control again.

My doctor changed me to this new drug Provigil that is used to treat narcolepsy (daytime sleepiness)and will be marketing as such in 6 months. The first day was wonderful!!! I cleaned every closet in my house and was quite productive in completing the tasks which was always a problems before! I am on my fourth day now and it just quit working also.

I am completely frustrated because I have been told that it is very dangerous for me to be put on Adderall or Ritalin because of my blood pressure issues....so what now? Anyone had this experience?   

Guess what else yorkiegirl?  I looked at your profile, and we were both born in the same month and year!  Wierd huh?  oh, duh, nevermind I am a dork.  of course we were born in the same year.  

 

pumpkin38772.6358333333

I even took my Adderall today.  The above post is a typical example of the type of dippy things I say sometimes.

too funny "pumpkin". I too and 33 years old --seems we have things in common!

In the last couple of days I had to quit taking Provigil because I couldn't recall things that had been told to me or things that I did--I was like spaced out. I was increasingly become aggitated and was having like "out of body" experiences yelling at my family.

For now I am swearing off ADHD drugs until I go and see a therapist again. My RX doc called to check on me about the Provigil and he agreed that with the risk of BP there isn't many other options. I am going to see what the therapist recommends when I see her in a couple of weeks and go from there.

From what I've been informed adderall or ANY of our meds can't increase blood pressure - but do increase heart rate to some extent so can make high blood pressure worse.  So if you already have HBP then it's time to be cautious.  Blood pressure is volume not rate so things like fluids, stress (which constricts the blood vessels and increases heart rate together) can cause HBP. 

From the info here and in webpages concerning our meds it sounds like the most common thing (after checking with MD) is having to increase BP meds while taking our ADHD meds.  So during times when the med increases heart rate the BP meds must be adjusted so they work more efficiently.

 

Does anyone know if you be treated for ADD with stimulant meds and also be treated for high blood pressure?

I have HBP and if I can never be on ADD meds then why go through all the testing?

Dee

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My 12-year-old son has been taking stimulants for 3 years.  For 2 of those years he was on a low dose of Inderal (BP med) for migraine prevention.  He is now on Clonidine (BP med) for sleep/anxiety.  I do know that high doses of stimulants and high doses of BP meds can cause cardiac problems.  Your doc is the best person to ask about all of this.

BTW, Strattera is a non-stimulant med for ADHD.

 

ADD meds can increase your BP. It is a side-effect cited in Adderall's prescribing information. I started treatment on Ritalin and then move to Adderall. On both my BP increased 10-20 points higher than normal. I monitored my BP very closeley, taking readings every hour while on dose. I was told by my Dr that my body would acclimate and the BP would return to normal -- which it did after 2-3 weeks on Adderall. I'm on a high dose of Adderall and my BP has remained normal.

My guess is that someone with HBP could be treated with stimulants assuming that they would also acclimate to the med. Frequent consultation with your medical team will be really, really important.

dee61 wrote:
Does anyone know if you be treated for ADD with stimulant meds and also be treated for high blood pressure?

My son developed high blood pressure due to another medical condition and also takes stimulant meds in combination with high blood pressure meds. The first thing I did was take my son to a cardiologist to get clearance. I also purchased a blood pressure machine to monitor his pressure to keep a watchful eye and the stimulant meds dont seem to elevate his pressure. I agree that you should check with your doc and pharmacist as they are the best ones to advise you

Kinda funny pumpkin--I do the same kinds of things--say things that don't make sense or things like you mentioned. When were you diagnosed recently as as adult?