Adderall and Heart Flutters | ADHD Information
Hi,
Some of the things you are doing raises concern, and red flags for me, and i'm not even a doctor. First, and foremost, do not mix alcohol and adderall. Adderall is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant. In other words, while adderall is speeding up your central nervous system, and alcohol is slowing it down, the end result is a whole lot of stress upon your heart which may in the long run cause you big problems. Secondly, cigarettes contain nicotine, that is also a stimulant. So if you are smoking on the medication, it has the same effect on your central nervous system as taking a little more of your adderall dosage. Thirdly, coke, is a stimulant, once again, it also speeds up the central nervous system, very bad to take it with your medication. Fourth, I do not think mixing pot with adderall is very good for your health, I would strongly advise you to try and break the habit. Also, please do not snort adderall, it will lose its effectiveness really fast, i'm not surprised why you're at 3x dosage already. Adderall let alone already increases your heart rate, I would not recommend vigorous exercise, your only pushing your blood pressure up so high to where you're going to end up with a heart disorder, try to work out after the meds wore off, or on a day when you're not taking them. These meds should not be used for energy purposes, and if you're depressed, I would bring it to my doctors attention so he could put you on an anti-depressant. You mentioned Wellbutrin, maybe you can ask your doctor whether you can go back on it depending what your experience was while on it. I'm also thinking maybe 20mg 3x a day is a bit much, as far as I know, 20mg 2x is the max alloted dosage per day, however, I could be wrong. That can also be the reason for your high heart rate. For some, stimulants work great while you're on an anti-depressant, and for others it does not. It did not work out as well for me, because I was left paranoid when my medication worked out while I was on anti-depressants. Please do not take my comments personally, it's just a personal opinion from my own personal experience and knowledge.
Hi,
Oh--I know. I mean--I know all those things are terrible ideas--the
mixing. I was saying basically that I used to do those things,
and now I've stopped, so it seems odd that I would have problems now
though i did not have them then. I haven't done coke in over a
year, and when I did do it, it was never while taking adderall (though
I know it's still a problem and not reccomended, since I'm sure there
was still adderall in my system), anyhow, I don't do that anymore, and
it was about a month-long phase which is well good and
over. Also--smoking cigarettes is soemthing I never do,
since i noticed the direct correlation between smoking and heart
palps. I had two the other day with a friend, which I now realize
was a mistake. Previous to that, I couldn't even remember the
last itme I smoked. In any event, I never smoked cigarettes
habitually, it was alway ssocially--but when I was dating a smoker for
a little while, "socially' became more frequent. Now it's not in
my life.
I was just wondering if my current problems are a result of my anxiety,
or if they were perhaps residual effects of former bad habits, all of
which I am cutting out because I don't want to have to cut out the
Adderall?
Hi,
I've been on Adderall since January of 2003. I actually started
on Concerta, in December of 2002, but that didn't do much. She
switched me to Adderall XR, and then in June of 03 to normal
Adderall--it was easier to use for my schedule because I didn't have to
commit to 8 hours of alert-ness when all I needed was like 4 (usually
in the late afternoon/evening). I am prescribed 20 mg three times
a day. Usually I dont' take that much, sometimes I do.
Anyhow. Every now and then I get little heart flutters. It
happened last summer for a while--but I was carrying on quite a few bad
habits then, including occasionally smoking and even doing coke or
smoking pot, and when i stopped that the other symptoms decreased and
then dissapeared (i think--i notice that when i'm not paying
attention to them, i suspect they happen as well, but i ijust only
notice when it's all i'm thinking about) The more often this
happens, the more anxiety I get that I am about to drop dead from a
heart attack, and obviously the more anxiety I get, the worse the heart
flutters become.
Since my original diagnosis I have moved, and now the guy who writes my
RX doesn't really know me, he just sees me for 15 minutes (the original
doctor who prescribed them was a pyschiatrist, now i see a therapist
and just see the pyschiatrist for 15 minutes every month, it's how my
insurance out here works), and so I'm not sure what would happen if i
talked to him--I guess i am worried that because he doesn't really have
that much knowledge about me but doesn't want a lawsuit, he'd jjust
take me off the adderall and tell me to cope.
And life before adderall was..well...UNBEARABLE.
Last fall (fall of 05) I had a barage of heart tests done--basically
everything, blood pressure, EKG, etc. They all came out that I
was in supreme perfect health. I do work out 5 times a week, and
I'm probably one of the "fittest" people I know, so that didn't suprise
me.
Other things that I'm worried might be causing it:
-allergy medicine, e.g. Claritin-D (only take in the fall)
-antacids like Tums, which I take all the time
-stress/obsessing
-too much caffiene
-smoking or drinking---i had two cigarettes like, four days ago. i don't know if that could be affecting me or not.
Anyhow, if anyone has an insight, please let me know. I know that the
frequency is directly related to me thinking about it--when I'm doing
something else, rarely do I think "oh weird, my heart is beating like a
butterfly in a glass cage"--but when i am alone, doing work, etc
(obviously this is also when i need the drugs the most!), i think that
ALL THE TIME.
Why would these problems start so late in the game, when I've been on
it for so long? Also, I used to combine Addies and alchohol a
lot, which I've stopped doing the past few weeks. But for a good
six months I was doing that like, 3-4 times a week, and smoking pot
sometimes too. And when I first went on Adderall, in the summer
of 03, I used to snort it and also snort vicadin and all kinds of
retarded things, because I was going through a bad breakup and I was
retarded. I liked to snort Adderall and then go running for
miles and miles, which obviously is not what the drug was intended for.
So now I'm using it healthily, to focus, cut back on my other bad
habits (though I stil need coffee in the morning and I'll drink once a
week or so), and well, here we are!
Thanks--just anyone let me know how it makes your heart feel. I
know it pounds more, it does that with everyone. BUt anything
else.
Thanks.
oh wait, i Should add this:
I am 24 (almost 25, in a week! which is what my therapist thinks causes me all this anxiety this time of year)
I took Wellbutrin during 2004, then stopped in December of 04.
I have fibromyalgia---I take 20 mg elavil at night to sleep
I have chronic depression and ADHD.
My Mom also has ADHD, she took ritalin and now takes strattera. she also takes wellbutrin.