I've been taking adderall for about 6 years and within the last year it has really spiked my blood pressure. Not in a risk of stroke way, but higher then it should be for my age and health. My family has a history of high blood pressure and I'm afraid that I'll have to stop taking adderall.

I was hoping that someone might have some ideas or know of any other medications that don't cause kidney or liver problems?
I took ritalin until I was in 10th grade, and I know I can't go back to the stomach pain.

I don't really need a long term solution, just something to get me through two more years of undergrad. I've worked so hard for my 3.4 that I'm willing to take my chances with the blood pressure, rather then try a bunch of new things that might not work and bomb my grades. But my parents and my doctor don't quite see eye to eye with me on that..... (lol, I know my priorities are a little backwards:rolleyes: )

The main medications are amphetamines, which will raise blood pressure; Methylphenidate-related drugs, like Ritalin, which you say give you stomach pain, Strattera, which may cause liver problems, or Wellbutrin, which can cause seizures, and has such a small dosage window between effective dose and dangerous dose that I personally do not understand why it is still used in this country. I'm slightly biased against Wellbutrin because the first doctor I saw for AD/HD medication put me on it because she believes that all college students are drug addicts...yeah, she's not very bright, and I no longer see her...anyways, the stuff nearly killed me, but apparently my side effects were not normal. Still, the limited therapeutic range is troubling, and it can have some wierd side-effects, but it may be the only option for you.

There are diuretic drugs which can help lower blood pressure. I know this because a friend of mine who thankfully does not have AD/HD takes these drugs to control her otherwise high blood pressure. I do not know the name of these drugs offhand, or how they would interact with Adderall, but it might be worth asking your doctor if it would be possible to try to take medication for the blood pressure along with the Adderall.

Incidentally, this is why I check my blood pressure at the machine in Rite-Aid every time I fill my monthly prescription. It's free, easy, and relatively painless, and clearly your post illustrates why all of us who take Adderall should do this regularly.

That's interesting. I though Wellbutrin and Zoloft were for depression or anxiety? I didn't know that they could be used for ADHD... But then I guess since they're often coupled that depression would be a frontal lobe chemical imbalance too.

The trouble with blood pressure meds, in my situation, is that your body tries to adjust to them. So, once you start you can only go up in dosage. My doctor refuses because I'm only 20 and if I start now eventually I'll get to the point where my grandma is and nothing really works.

Do you think it would make a difference if I stopped taking adderall for like 3 months then stated taking it again. Or is that just wishfull thinking?

I just realized that I forgot to specify that I take the rush release original version of Adderall not XR.

That's interesting. I though Wellbutrin and Zoloft were for depression or anxiety? I didn't know that they could be used for ADHD... But then I guess since they're often coupled that depression would be a frontal lobe chemical imbalance too.
As far as I know, Zoloft is not used to treat AD/HD. I do not know why you even bring it up, it is not remotely similar to Wellbutrin or to any other AD/HD drug. I highly doubt that it would be useful in treating AD/HD.

Wellbutrin (bupropion) is sometimes used to treat AD/HD and related disorders because its method of action is similar to that of amphetamines or Strattera. Like amphetamines or Strattera, Wellbutrin inhibits the reuptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Between my personal experience with this drug, and the medical literature regarding its health effects, I would generally consider it to be the last and worst of all possible options, but then again, it may be a good option for you if you cannot take other drugs.

Is there a particular reason why you mentioned liver issues? Do you have a pre-existing liver condition, or are you just concerned about your liver?

Someone in another thread said they were taking zoloft as part of their ADD treatment, and I remember thinking that it was a odd because it's for anxiety and depression. That's why I mentioned it with Wellbutrin.

I don't know why Zoloft would be used for AD/HD. It's an SSRI, and as far as I know has little or no dopaminergic activity. Furthermore, it's sometimes used to treat OCD, which I've always thought of as the exact opposite of AD/HD, so I'd think it'd be the wrong drug to use for AD/HD. But if it helps your friend, then it doesn't matter.

Wellbutrin, on the other hand, is very similar in action to many AD/HD drugs, although many people have pointed out that it's probably most similar to cocaine.

Tricyclic antidepressants are given for ADHD. These are second-line drugs, not as effective as stimulents. They are sedating and probably don't raise BP.

But SSRIs are also frequently prescribed, off-label, for ADHD. Hey, who are we to question the docs, especially when SSRIs seem to be prescribed for everything else.

My doc gave me Paxil after I had a bad reaction to Wellbutrin. Paxil did nothing for ADHD symptoms.

Clonidine (Catapress), which is given to lower blood pressure, is also used to treat ADHD. I thinks its given to really hyper kids. Again, its a second line drug.

Ritalin is known to raise BP less than amphetamines. Your body changes over time, you may not have stomach problems with ritalin, now, that you are older.

Cheers,

Interestingly, methylphenidate (ritalin's generic name) gives me more blood pressure/heart rate effect than dextroamphetamine. But perhaps that's because dextroamphetamine by definition does not contain the levoamphetamine that Adderall does. YMMV.

My doctor gave me a light BP med to take along with my dexedrine - even though my BP was at record high levels the day I first asked for stimulants - the anxiety of my BP being too high to get them made my BP very high - can you say "self fullfilling prophesy"!
Once I was on them, my BP went down and with the weight loss, it has gone down further - from 160/100 to normal levels! I find that the stressors of daily life have far more to do with my BP than the pills - a nasty drive in city traffic and my BP is high - a relaxing day a the beach and it's low - pills or no pills.
Don't worry too much about BP unless your doctor is freaking out - some drs are more prone to this than others. Excersize helps a lot too - physically with the BP and it reduces stress. Keep in mind that BP readings will fluctuate hugely based on who is taking the reading - man or machine - when - heck even the size of the BP cuff is important - if you have big arms, you need a larger cuff or the reading will be abnormally high. The $29.95 drugstore BP machines are in my opinon a waste of plastic and are next to useless - they are hopelessly inaccurate and probably read way high - to be on the safe side of liability problems.
The less you worry about your BP, the lower it will be - at least this was true for me.

Thanks you guys!

I just posted on this in another thread, but I had my Adderall XR dose raised and it works.The problem is that it rasied my bp;even with bp meds.

So today is the first day I've been on an increase in the bp meds and I feel okay.I'm only doing 1/2 days this week. I hope to avoid short- term disability but I'm also processing the paper work just in case.

Good luck to all of you.:)