Side effects

[Anonymous]

I admit I used to be very much anti medication for ADD, but I’m starting to change my mind. However, I am surprised there is no topic on side effects. Can anyone elaborate on side effects with Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, etc., please, Thanks.

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[Anonymous]

Hi Henriette,

Welcome to the forums! Most of what you’re asking can be found amongst the Medications section here but I will say for my part, Ritalin has few side effects while it’s working but I do tend to get headaches, tiredness and irritability when I come down from it. I’m taking 10mg/day of the instant release version. The extended release ones I’ve heard have the same effects only the meds last longer. I’ll be switching to Adderall XR soon though…

I hope you find answers to your questions! Try not to dismiss the meds without first understanding what benefits they impart to people who need them (which is exactly what you’re doing! )

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[Bettyboo]

Hi Henriette, I’m on concerta (72 mls) and I don’t have any side affects. In the beginning I had a belly ache and dry mouth, but not anymore. I love it and it has worked very well for me. I can control when i take it as it is a slow release. I do take Ritalin in the morning or the evening depending on how long my day will be as concerta is a 12 hr slow release and for me it lasts that long if not maybe 13 hours so the Ritalin just supplements what I need.

3 months ago concerta (36 mls) wasn’t working for me so I did change to Ritalin to give it a try and it made me feel gittery, unfocused and I was aggitated more often…couldn’t hold a topic very fwell and I felt I couldn’t stay on track for long. I went off of it immediately and back on concerta on a high dosage (72mls) where I am today and it made a huge difference. I felt and still feel like myself.

I know that generic brands don’t always work the same so be very aware if you are trying something new always ask for the real meds instead of generic until you understand how you are feeling on the “real” stuf.

Hope this helps

E

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[Anonymous]

http://www.caddra.ca/cms4/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=141&lang=en

This will have the answers you seek but we will be having videos on this topic very soon that will explain the issues in video format rather than looking at boring tables.

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[Anonymous]

Hi all. i started medication about two years ago. They have me on Adderall, Prosaic, and Strattera. Side effects for the most part are not there but I seemed to have a bout with dizziness when I first started Strattera. From what I understand some can get dizzy from it and some don’t. Well I did but i have to tell you, when they took me off of it, I noticed the difference in a short time. Remember I went 47 years with out medications and then when i started taking them I noticed how much they helped. So for now I’m going to start taken the Strattera again up to a dose of 80 mg.

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[Patte Rosebank]

I’ve just discovered a very bad side effect for me.

My blood pressure has always been a bit low. After feeling rather “antsy” for the past couple of weeks, I thought that maybe my body had adjusted to the 18 mg of Concerta, so perhaps a higher dose was needed. So, today, I went to my GP, and discovered that, since being on Ritalin, then Concerta, my blood pressure is now so high that we may need to look at medication to control it. My answer was that it would probably be better for me to try a non-stimulant ADHD medication. He said to give it a couple of weeks, since my body may just be adjusting to the stimulant. Though, I’d have thought that 2 months would be plenty of time for it to adjust.

During the next two weeks, I have to go to the drugstore every other day, and check my blood pressure. Then, at the end of the two weeks, I need to see my doctor again and give him the numbers. If, at that time, my blood pressure is still elevated, then I’ll have to switch to a non-stimulant.

Of course, my GP wants me to go to my psychiatrist to change my medication, which is perfectly reasonable. Unfortunately, my psychiatrist is so busy that I only get to see him once every 3 months. Even if I call his office on Monday morning, I probably won’t be able to get in to see him for at least a month.

So, if my blood pressure doesn’t go down in the next 2 weeks, it’ll be down into the abyss, since I’ll have to stop taking the Concerta/Ritalin, and won’t have anything to replace it with for a while.

This sucks.

Does anybody know of a good Toronto psychiatrist, well-versed in adult ADHD, who’s taking new patients, doesn’t have a long waiting list, and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg?

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[Anonymous]

Hi Larynxa,

Ya , I would tend to agree with you that two months should be enough time for your body to adjust. Just a guess but if your blood pressure was high after two months. Would there there not have been a slim chance that it ( if the drugs were doing it) was fairly high shortly after taking them?

Is there any chance that it could something else perhaps bringing up your Pressure. My wife could tell you that it is me, that drives her blood pressure through the room. LOL.. I tend to bring home my work thoughts and when she asks me how my day was I hold off for a minute then I tell her about my day…… then her blood P goes up… LOL

Up in till getting my diagnosis with A.D.H.D. I have never really been on any kind of medication. So I have never been in a position where I’ve had to deal with side effects from any medication. So i had a Damned if i do and Damned if i don’t take the med’s kinda feeling. Take the Strattera and get very dizzy at times or not take it and go back to how I used to feel with out it. …. Sorry I did not mean to blab on. ((( I’ll stop talking now…. LOL)))

I wish you well and hope you can get some help on lowering the pressure and figure out what is causing the sudden rise.

Enjoy your day and all those around you.

Nadroj

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[BAM123]

Hey Karynk – I had the same concern and side effect with Adderal. The situation got a litlle better when I switched to adderal XR. I too went to the pharamacy and had my B P checked on the machine. My reccomendatio is to go out and buy a good home B P nachine, as I found out that the ones at the pharmacy can be very inccurate and all over the lot.

I actually stopped taking the emdication for a week. Then I took my blodd pressure at hime sveral times a day for a few days. Then I went to my doctorts office and had the nurse take my b p and then I took my b p on my machine to compare and get base. I found out that the B P on my machine was 10 to 15 point shigher than the nurse got, so I was bale to factor that in.

I also found out that b p on your left arm could be 10-15% higher than on your right arm. I keep a running log and check my bp several times a day 2 to 4 days a week. I have also gotten into the habit of getting off the med for a couple of ays in a row to give my b p a break and this seems to help. I usually don’t need to focus as much on the weekends, but I find usually after 3 days off meds I start to slip. Hope this is helpful

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[Anonymous]

My only side effects from Concerta (72 mg) were that I noticed a bit of a dry mouth and a bit of a headache when I first started it. That disappeared after about the first two weeks of being on it. It was worth waiting for a bit since our bodies often take a bit of time to adjust to something new.

I’ve had high blood pressure since I was 27 and have been on meds for that since then. Originally, just one BP med and then onto two when it crawled higher and higher. Oddly enough, my BP didn’t change with starting Concerta at age 52! Soooo, I guess stimulant meds don’t ALWAYS make your blood pressure go up. BTW, if that does happen, couldn’t meds be used for that? I’m kind of the opinion that BP meds are fairly benign, useful drugs just like ADD meds! I’m sure I’ll hear all kinds of others declare all/any drugs are poisons. :o)

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[Patte Rosebank]

Unfortunately, we didn’t check my blood pressure when I started the methylphenidate (first Ritalin, then Concerta), so we don’t know what it was back then. All we know is that, for the past week or so, I’ve felt very “wired” and “antsy”, and when my doctor checked my BP, it was up significantly.

I checked my BP today at the drugstore, and it was almost back to where it used to be. This, after not taking any Concerta or Ritalin for 2 days—at the expense of my calmness and focus. I didn’t know about the difference between BP on the left arm and on the right, but if that’s the case, then the fact that the drugstore’s BP device only measures on the left arm (while my doctor always measures on the right) could mean that my BP is back to its usual slightly low level.

There are other factors which could have contributed to my elevated BP. First, I haven’t been able to go for my usual long sessions of walkies because of the heatwaves we’ve had here. I’m extremely sensitive to heat and humidity, so going outside of my air conditioned apartment for even a few minutes leaves me feeling really ill. So not only am I not getting my usual exercise; I’m going stir-crazy!

Second, I’m under a lot of pressure to make costume pieces to sell at a show, on the 24th and 25th, and, though I love designing costumes, I find sewing them to be rather frustrating. In an ideal world, I’d have the resources to hire other people to make what I’ve designed. Since I can’t afford to hire other people to do it, I have to do it myself.

Third, I know my blood sugar has been way up for a long time (not good, since I’m Type-2 diabetic), and I’m finally going to see an endocrinologist about that, in a couple of weeks. (Damn waiting list…)

So there’s a whole bunch of stuff going on right now, which could be causing my BP and stress levels to soar. It may be that the Concerta & Ritalin aren’t the main cause. I hope this is so, because they seem to be effective against my ADHD symptoms, and because, even the non-stimulant Strattera can elevate BP. What’s worse is that the Trillium Drug Benefit Plan doesn’t cover Strattera, so there’s no way I could afford to make the switch to it anyway.

Tomorrow, I’ll take another Concerta (18mg) in the morning, and take my BP in the early evening, just to see if the Concerta does have an effect on it.

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[BAM123]

Do you find that thedrugstore machine is consistent. For about $40 bucks U S you can get a good one and check your B P several times a day and keep a log. I find it helpful and I to will stop taking meds for a couple of days to give my system a break and I find that my B P goes down, Soemtimes I will do meds every other day depending on what I have going on – again to break it up. Usually after 3 days max I feel like I have to get back on. I think that is the beenfit of adderal or concerta because it is more topical and goes out of your system., STraterra yiou have to take consitrently all the time., Get your own B P monitor, money well spent. Good luck.

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[Anonymous]

Make sure you always check for any cardiovascular risk factors. All ADHD medications can have an effect on the heart and there have been known cases of sudden death in at-risk individuals. Blood pressure and pulse are a standard monitoring strategy. Expect some minor changes in BP and heart rate.

Always speak to your doctor before making any changes to medications. Dr. Jain provides advice generically and not for any one person. Advice does not constitute a therapeutic relationship or promise of care. Please consult the privacy policy for more information.

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[Author]

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