high blood pressure | ADHD Information

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i have really small arms so i dont think that big arms would be the problem.
and i do have a blood pressure cuff at home so i think that i will test it in the
morning before i take my meds. Thanks for the advice!but im afraid that another med would skrew me up, because im already
taking very high doses of two meds and an adverage dose of 1 med.

Candy,

I know that it is hard to add another med to the mix when you worked so hard to get your meds at an optimum level, but adding a bp med should not be too big of a deal (there are so many for you doctor to choose from).

you dont think it will mess up what is working for me?i have one for home use but the velcro on the cuff came loose!! crappy stitching! i should get another cuff but i've been procrastinating!!Mine went up on the meds so my doc put me on blood pressure medicine so I could stay on it.  I take benicar.  I hate taking so many meds but it is worth itmy blood pressure is 133/103 right now,i am going to doc on monday,my mum and sister both have high blood pressure and they don't have ADD/ADHD.so it could be also related to genetics for me as well as the meds

Candy,

You should check you BP at several times during the day, before and after meds and take that information into your doctor. Your doctor can work with you and take into account your different meds, to provide apppropriate treatment.

My BP and cholesterol increased after I started taking synthroid for hypothyroidism. I basically treated one issue and gained 2 more. It is frustrating, but things like BP should not be ignored.

ok. thanksAll

The increased blood pressure that comes with stimulants is a temporary side-effect and usually goes away in a few weeks. If your BP is still high after a few weeks of starting meds then get a BP cuff and take your BP at consistent times of the day when you are both "on" and "off" your meds.

After your meds have worn off your BP should drop to pre-treatment levels. If they do not, then you may need to give your system more time to adapt or you may have a side-effect that won't go away.

If you're still early in treatment and find out that your BP drops to normal after your meds wear off, then make sure your doctor knows that before they prescribe a HBH med. The potential problem is that if you're taking a HBH med then that will mask the point when your system has successfully adapted. Plus, you will possibly be taking an un-necessary med with it's own set of side-effects.

MaxDad
I have been taking stimulants for 8+ years now and have always had low blood pressure (like usually 80s over 60s).  And I smoke! So I think genetics has a lot to do with how our bodies react to medication. I am starting to believe that our genetics may be the strongest factor overall in how we are affected by disease and illnesses, like why some people smoke 3 packs a day and never get lung cancer vs. why someone inhales only secondhand smoke and gets lung cancer within a few years. I think we can do things to change the hand we are dealt, but more often than not it seems like we are products of our genetics, good or bad. That is just my opinion from what I have observed in my life, and is obviously, completely unscientific.  I went to the family practitioner today and he said i had extremely high
blood pressure. He said this is probably due to my stimulant medications.
Has anyone else had this problem?my blood pressure was 145/90 when i started adderall(10mgs) in january, now i'm on 40 a day and i've been taking 2 grams of fish oil(omega3 mood) a day since april and my blood pressure is down to 110/65!! i expected my blood pressure to rise because of the adderall but the fish oil has more than compensated for that!!

Do you have a blood pressure cuff for home use? You could check the pressure when you get up, before taking you meds. This would help confirm that it is due to the stimulants. I test my BP regularly and have found that salt greatly affects my BP but caffiene does not. I am on a low dose beta blocker (BP and migraines) and a diuretic for my BP control, so the salt issue makes sense. As a side note, if you have large arms and they are using a normal size BP cuff, they can get slightly higher readings (than you would if using a large size cuff). If your doctor recomends medication for the BP, you may want to discuss the use of one of the beta blockers like guanfacine (Tenex). It is used to help with ADHD symptoms for some folks. Good luck with this important health issue.


Same thing happened to me.....everytime they check my blood pressure they tell me its very high....so Ive tried to do things to lower it...like take Fish Oil supplements and smoke less cigarettes (which is very hard after I take my pills).  I take around 30mg a day of adderall with about one vacation of a week every six months.  You?