my pshyciatrist has specifically told me not to sm(t)oke with this medication and i normally dont. but sometimes i feel like i am so anxious that that is the only way to calm me down. im not always like that but i was just curious as to physically and mentally why its so bad to mix the two. hope no one is offended to this. just curious. thanks

kat

Back when I smoked, my doc told me there was no reason not to. But when I smoked when I was on Adderall, I lost weight rapidly, even though I always had a good appetite. I also believe that nicotine interferes with Adderall's effect dramatically.

my psych said not to take dex with any other stimulants- likely due to the strain they put on your heart when combined; tobacco isn't a very powerful stimulant but it is one... I'm not sure exactly what the dangers are but listening to your psych tends to be a good idea (if something goes wrong, at least you did everything you could to prevent it).. that said I've seen many people in another (not so safety-first) forum talking about how they smoke tons while on various amphetamines and noone seems to have had problems

instead of smoking cigarettes you could always try 5-htp for the anxiety. 5-htp turns into serotonin once in your brain (the neurotransmitter that makes you calm and happy) and will help you get to sleep after the dex wears off too (it turns into melatonin around when you'd normally go to bed)- I've been taking a 50mg 5-htp whenever I feel uneasy on dex and its done wonders- you can pick it up at your local health food store

anyway, good luck with things-- hopefully you can avoid getting addicted to cigarettes to fix your problems

Have you ever met a doctor (House doesn't count) who RECOMENDED smoking?

Nicotine is phycoactive and so are these meds. Efficacy has not been studied with nicotine along for the ride. I would think of it more as a suggestion from your doctor... kind of like a disclaimer. Like if it doesn't work as well then you have should followed the instructions and not smoked. Also some meds potentiate each other when combined; mostly drugs of the same type. Nicotine is a stimulant and you may become overstimulated.

Reguardless nicotine itself has shown efficasy in treating some conditions but the delivery method will eventualy kill you even when used as directed.

They probably tell you not to because i know that any first week of a new medication makes me smoke like a fiend and I have been on every stimulant available for it.

I read in a pharmacology book, a reccomendation against smoking weed with dexedrine, for reasons of "severe long-term mental impairment". In less scary terms I think it means if you're a pothead taking dexedrine you'll focus on the wrong things.

Amphetamines seem to amplify my addiction to cigarretes,and nicotine kills the stimulation because even though they increase heart rate and may be considered minor stimulants, they are tranquilizers. The real reason I believe doctors warn about cigarrette smoking is because besides the fact that they're unhealthy to anyone in general, they cause plaque build up in the arteries and stress on the heart, on top of the stress that stimulant use can put on the heart, this can become a problem very early on in life.

Hey kat, I suspect that the reason your psychiatrist told you not to smoke with the medication is perhaps because both nicotine, and amphetamine are both such potent vasoconstrictors. Independent of each other they both have powerful vasoconstricting properties, however when combined with each other I would not be surprised if they exhibit a type of synergistic vasoconstricting effect.

This is just a guess. Perhaps you might ask your psychiatrist next time you see him/her and find out for sure. It would be nice to know for sure.

All I can tell you is that my prescriber advised that starting dex can cause an decrease in smoking (less need nicotine to treat adhd) or an increase (dunno - more focussed breaks?, no idea).

For me, it was an increase. I love smoking. And I love dex. I suppose I'll have to give the smoking away eventually.