I have been on Adderall since Nov and its done wonders in changing my life for the better.

However, lately my upper to mid back has been hurting. I think its my spine, but its right in the area of where my heart is located. The pain increases when I bend down to touch my toes.

I have no anxiety and no other side effects but I am concerned about this. Has anyone had this symptom and should I worry too much about this? I am mostly concerned about my heart. Ive had no past heart conditions or troubles and my blood pressure is average. But this still concernes me.

On the news they had a story of a boy who collapsed on the soccer field at school and died. People were shocked because the boy was healthy, but later on doctors said it was because of a minor heart hardening condition he had. This story is not ADD or meds related, but it kind of scared me.

Anyhow, any replys would be helpful. And Im on 40-50mg of generic Adderall.

Thanks,
Hope

You need to be drinking more water for sure. Also, try some potassium if you start getting muscle cramping.

Although I am not happy to hear about your back pain, I am relieved to see this problem appear in the forum! I have never had back pain but since taking Adderall I have some very real discomfort in my lower back!

I agree that (I think) it has to do with being dehydrated...gotta physical next Friday and will asking about it and I'll share whatever information I get!

Also, make sure you are getting enough magnesium.

Lack of magnesium can cause muscle pain, too. Adderall tends to deplete our bodies of magnesium.

Could be you are more aware of minor aches and pains - especially anything in the chest wall area? There is going to be a certain amount of natural paranoia when taking stimulants, especially if you are a bit older and are actually concerned about heart health. I'm the same way. I had my doctor do a stress EKG because I was concerned about heavy excercise when taking Dexedrine. I didn't have any pains, but reading about some guy who dropped dead during a 1/2 marathon made me think "I'll bet he didn't have any pains either - until those last 5 min". Other than a stress test, there's no way to know if anything is going wrong until you feel chest pain - even then, you can't be 100% sure.
You have to try to shut out worries like the boy on the soccer field, since there is little you can do about a situation like that. Congenital defects and other heart problems often can't be easily detected. Otherwise healthy, fit and well looked after people have died from problems like this with little or no warning, but thankfully this is rare. If you have a family history of heart problems or have other risk factors that might cause you to ligitimately worry - like high cholesterol, obesity, a seditary lifestyle, etc. - it's prudent I think to talk to a doctor and see if it's worth having any tests done just to be safe. That's what I did with the stress test - no problems were found, so now I won't worry about dropping dead on the treadmill for at least another 10 years!

Greg it's a real effect. This is a known side-effect of this medication. I had it quite badly in my neck when I began Adderall. The pain went away after a while. I'm also now supplementing magnesium. I have no idea of magnesium helps but I know it might in theory.

I've been experiencing some mid-back pain since I started taking Ritalin a month ago. I'm trying Adderall this month to see if it's better or worse for ADD. Today, at least, it worked really well as far as focus and motivation; unfortunately, my back still hurts. I've experienced lower back and neck problems for years but this is something new. I might try a magnesium supplement to see if it helps.

On a side note, I've been taking 1-2 grams of flax seed oil daily and my lower back problems are much better. I don't know if they're related, or not.

On a side, side note, I used to have problems with very stiff joints in my jaw, sometimes so bad that my jaw would lock. Since I started Ritalin, this problem has all but disappeared.

Well, the pain went away! I think I maybe eating more, drinking more water and exercising a little more. Or maybe it just went away by itself. Anyhow, everything is fine now. Thanks everyone for your replies.

On a side note, I've been taking 1-2 grams of flax seed oil daily and my lower back problems are much better. I don't know if they're related, or not.


We'll never know. Time usually erases most initial side-effects of stimulant medication. Your body builds up a tolerance to it usually. Magnesium might help, I suggest citrate not oxide.

does anyone get pain, other than in the back, like in the bicept area...today i thought my arm was gonna fall off...guess i didnt drink enough..gonna get some potassium supplements
-heather