im 23yo and i was recently prescribed adderall xr for ADHD(inatentive I believe) about 2 weeks ago(5mg first week, 10mg second) and about 1 week ago i went to an optometrist and they said i had signs i had glaucoma...large optic nerve, some field test mistakes, but the pressure seemed okay. Im going back to do the tests again to make sure of the result, but in the meantime im still taking Adderall. People who have glaucoma should not be taking adderall...because it increases the blood pressure in the eyes, so im wondering if theres anyway to have the condition glaucoma and still be able to take ADD treatments like Adderall. I do know there are treatments for glaucoma that lower the blood pressure in the eye, such as eye drops or laser therapy, and wonder if using them would make the blood pressure levels safe enough for consumption of Adderall. im checking back tomorow with the optometrist to do more tests and if i do have glaucoma, there might be some difficult decisions to be made...of course ill ask my optometrist and physician their advice, but do any of you have any experience on this subject?

I don't know, but smoking also increases blood pressure. Maybe if you quit smoking then your overall BP may decrease. Given your username, I assume you smoke.

I think this question is way beyond the knowledge of this Forum. :) Talk to your Eye Specialist?

Yes. Smoking can lead to blindness. It restricts bloodflow.

http://www.ojhas.org/issue3/2002-3-1.htm

This is really an issue of how much the medication is elevating your blood pressure and that risk being reconciled with how much the treatment is helping you. Many people are willing to accept the possible risks that cone with psycho-stimulant therapy because it helps them greatly in areas of their life. Even though a raise in BP is a common and almost expected side effect, it shouldn’t remain at hypertensive levels even if you don’t have glaucoma. If a patient’s BP readings are consistently high (post tolerance), standard procedure would be to either 1. stop medication all together, 2. Switch medications 3. Prescribe Anti-BP regimen (usually diuretic).

For most people, anything below 140/90 would be within an acceptable range of risk…doesn’t require medical intervention (even though you really want it less.) With glaucoma, you don’t want it getting much higher than optimal levels on or off the medication. (130/80) So if the adderall is making you jump beyond that, you might want to reconsider your treatment plan.