I've been on Ritalin since November 28th. I had my blood pressure taken recently and I believe it was 130/100. (I'm guessing on the systolic number, but I do recall that the diastolic number was 100).

It was taken about 20 minutes after having a simple-partial seizure (SPS), which I'm having pretty regularly since being on Ritlalin. That was a risk I knew I was taking when starting the Ritalin again last month, and I'm not complaining about the seizures, per se. They're very short, extremely mild, and only slightly bothersome. I don't lose my faculties or anything like that. I just get a scared feeling (like I'm riding on a roller coaster). I have about 2 a day averaging 10 seconds in length. That in itself is very manageable.

It's the blood pressure that has me concerned right now. Stimulants can raise a person's blood pressure and a seizure will also raise a person's blood pressure. My concern is that if I'm having SPS's daily-- which raise my BP when each occur, (and my BP is also raised from being on a stimulant), that I'm asking for trouble.

My hope is that my BP was only high because I'd had a SPS 20 minutes prior to when it was taken in the doctor's office. I'm going back to the doctor's next week to have it re-taken. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be down to normal again. If not, I'm going to have to re-think whether or not Ritalin (or any stimulant) is a good option-- if my doctor even offers me that option. He might not even ask me my opinion if my BP is too high and simply tell me "no more."

Say a little prayer, if you're so inclined. :)

~Sandy

Already done, Sandy;)

Does your DR know that both your blood pressure and your seizures have increasd since beginning Ritalin? Make sure your DR know this. This is NOT something to play around with.

Ritalin does increase blood pressure in many people and it is unknown what it may do to the heart.


When I started taking stimulants I bought my own blood pressure machine to take my blood pressure at home.

I'm pulling for you!

I've had too many problems with doctors ignoring what I thought was worthy of concern- if your doctor won't attend to this, please make him! I hope it works out!

Be careful - a childhood friend of mine (our mothers were friends when they were in their twenties, and they met up again when we were little) was on Ritalin for a short while as a kid but had to stop because of his blood pressure.

He has always had high blood pressure and unfortunately due to his AD/HD he often neglected his medication, so now he's in his early twenties and he's already got pretty severe kidney damage due to his high blood pressure.

This really is not something to mess about with, I know you mentioned how good you felt on Ritalin but is it really worth risking coronary disease, strokes and kidney damage as well as brain damage from seizures?

I went looking for some data on how much stimulants actually increase BP - since mine is borderline normal and I was worried my Dr won't prescribe a stimulant as a result. The data I found on one stimulant - Ritalin - indicated an average increase in BP of 2 or 3 mm of Hg - which isn't huge. I would think that most stimulants would be similar. 130/100 wouldn't be caused by the stimulant alone. The 130 part is fairly normal, I think, but 100 is high - it should be more like 80mm Hg, I think.

I will keep you in my prayer's and hope you figure this out; but, have you spoken to your doc about non-stimulants? Perhaps one of these meds would benefit you more. and yes anything over 80mm Hg is risk for stroke. That is why my physician is leary of putting me on meds I already run about 100mm without stimulants lol. Your seizures increasing worries me; but, then it is not a medical condition I have ever dealt with so my understanding of it may be off.

Anyways i'm done rambling but will keep you in my prayers
Cherity

I ended up in the E.R. after taking my second dose of Adderall. My blood pressure said 150 over 87 and then there was this little number box that said 101. What does this mean? Is that systolic or dystolic . I know it was way high because the E. R. doctor gave me an EKG and some medicine for high blood pressure. He said my heart beat was very unstable and palpitating. I could not even keep my eyes open I was so dizzy. My hands and feet where tingling - I had goosebumps and I was freezing cold. I felt faint and weak. I thought I was dying and the doctor said that it was an anxiety attack. He said anxiety causes so many problems like: HIGHBLOOD PRESSURE, panic attacks, hyperventalating, blurred vision, slurred speech, stomach and muscle problems even seizure. Well I gues I have another problem to resolve.

101 is likely your heart rate, as it was alone in it's own box. The systolic is the higher number 150 and the dystolic is 87. The dystolic is the more important number - the one doctors are most worried about.
It does sound like anxiety. I haven't ever had an attack, but I have definately had a few of the symptoms in the past.
I was so anxious about getting my blood pressure taken (I was worried that my slightly high blood pressure would prevent me from taking ritalin) that my blood pressure was as high as it's ever been on that day - self fulfilling prophecy.
I hope you are feeling better
Greg

Today mostly peoples are affected by blood pressure from long time.this situation occur from depression ,hypertension , mentel problem. for get rid from this problem , we have need to take some precautions just like control the quantity of sugar and salt in our foods.this type of patient have need to take green vegitables and vitamins.so therefore i want to say that solution of this diseases control byDibenzyline drug. this medicine have many side effects and warnings.

Just curious but don't your doctors check these things regularly. I know mine takes my blood pressure every office visit, makes me get blood work 3 times a year and an EKG once a year. All my results are always perfectly normal so I know he does this just to make sure there is not a problem and not because I am an at risk patient.

I also have high BP and am on Adderall.


I take Monopril to offset it and it works well.