I know it's very common, however, have any of you been able to eliminate that side effect? I constantly have sweaty hands and feet, although they are freezing, and even discolored at times. I've been taking fish oil for months, and it hasn't really helped, although my doses are pretty decent (>5000 daily). It's really bothering me, and quitting Adderall is not an option. Also, I know it's from the adderall because the symptom is nonexistant on my "off adderall" days. Exercise hasn't helped either.

I guess my question is if any of you have been successful in counteracting the vasoconstriction effects of adderall with something natural (i.e. not benzos)?

Thanks in advance:)

I don't know that benzos are any sort of vasodilator. ;) I've never heard or read that.

The best way that I know of counteracting cold extremities is to GET MOVING.

If your hands/feet truly are discolored (purple; mottled), I'd suggest seeing a doctor, as this is possibly not normal. (Good to rule out things you have probably heard of before, such as raynaud's, etc.)

You really need to see a doctor in person to have this assessed. Possibly they can point you in the direction of some vascular testing, to determine if your problem is serious.

I don't know that benzos are any sort of vasodilator. ;) I've never heard or read that.

The best way that I know of counteracting cold extremities is to GET MOVING.

If your hands/feet truly are discolored (purple; mottled), I'd suggest seeing a doctor, as this is possibly not normal. (Good to rule out things you have probably heard of before, such as raynaud's, etc.)

You really need to see a doctor in person to have this assessed. Possibly they can point you in the direction of some vascular testing, to determine if your problem is serious.

Thanks for the reply!

I was prescribed lorazepam about a year ago, which I take very rarely. However, I did notice that I don't get cold when I'm on Adderall and Lorazepam simultaneously. For some weird reason, I assumed it was a vasodilator. However, I just read this from a Lippincott manual:


"Benzodiazepines are effective for most of the sympathomimetic agents (i.e. amphetamines, phencyclidine, cocaine, ephedrine) and anticholinergic agents (including cyclic antidepressants). However, the sympathomimetics also cause hypothermia by alpha-adrenergic stimulation and decreased vasodilation, which is not addressed by benzodiazepines. "

You're right, thank you for correcting me:)

The discoloration very rarely occurs, and it is not significant at all. A few months ago, I did a thorough checkup, including an EKG. They told me everything is normal and that it’s a very common symptom (cold hands/feet). They also suggested that if I was very uncomfortable with it, I could switch to something else. I guess that’s why I was hoping someone came up with a natural remedy or something, because Adderall has been the only effective medication for me:o

The Adderall hasn't really made a difference in this for me. i have always had cold hands and feet. Then again, my normal body temp is only 97.1 F, and my BP is usually about 86/54. There have been summers when i've been so cold i've had to lay in the sun just to warm up and raise my core body temp.

There's nothing wrong with me; i'm perfectly healthy...just cold.

I dont get cold hands/ feet with the adderall at least I haven't noticed it.

You said your hands actually *discolor*. (I take it you do not smoke or have heart valve problems etc)

Have you heard of raynaud's before?

http://www.medicinenet.com/raynauds_phenomenon/article.htm


here we can't say what your problem is, but raynaud's can cause finger discoloration too. I'd imagine taking a vasoconstrictor could make it worse if you are prone to it.

I take an ace-inhibitor for high blood pressure and it counters the cold hands/feet thing.

asprin may help since it thins the blood, but careful when you take it since asprin effects stomach PH.

Anything which helps reduce stress should also help exercise etc.

When I first went on the ace-inhibitor it felt like my whole body unknotted. Sorta painful, but I felt so much better. I also had a migrane like 2nd in my whole life.

Avoid caffeine it is a very potent vaso-constrictor.

BobC

The two side effects that annoy me the most about the Barr sub for Adderall I'm taking are cold/sweaty extremities and the insomnia. When I did some reading up on the subject Niacin (B3) was mentioned as a quick fix. You have to get the non-time release / non-flush free type because its the niacin flush that you would be looking for...

Unfortunately this also heats up the rest of my body and can make me itchy so it's a double edge sword. Red pepper extract was another possible solution for increased blood flow that was mentioned on the interwebs, but I haven't tried it yet.

I'm interested in this ace-inhibitor thing though.

/// my knuckles turn red too ... hands are sweaty anyways might as well wash under warm water =/

Well I read on another forum somewhere that a person was having success with taking Ginkgo Biloba with their meds and that it helped tremendously with cold hands and feet. I know Ginkgo is supposed to help blood circulation to the brain (not sure why or how).

Just food for thought. It might work...

Are you a smoker? Thats the reason my hands and feet were so cold. I helped it by getting the handwarmers and carrying them around with me.

Similar experience with adderall re: cold hands and feet (technical term for that is Raynaud's). Also, within weeks of starting of adderall, I developed an autoimmune disorder with nasty sores developing all over my fingers. Ended up seeing a rheumatologist who told me to go off the Adderall as it's a vasoconstricter and might be contributing to the sores. Anyone have any knowledge about links between Adderall and autoimmune disorders?

I've also had cold hands/feet and all I've had to do to fix this is put gloves and socks on. haha simple I know but it's pretty effective. Better then getting put on some more pharmaceuticals. But then again, your hands are turning different colors, you might want to ask your doctor/psych.

I stopped drinking coffee, and try to limit caffeinated teas, and I started wearing thermal leg layers, or my pajama pants under my normal cloths... I still get moderately cold feet and hands.. but believe me its waaaayyy better.. the main thing form me was caffeine (even the smaller amounts of caffeine in green/jasmine tea). recently I started taking ginseng extract... I don't think its made any difference for my feeties yet, but i think its supposed to help with things like this

Similar experience with adderall re: cold hands and feet (technical term for that is Raynaud's). Also, within weeks of starting of adderall, I developed an autoimmune disorder with nasty sores developing all over my fingers. Ended up seeing a rheumatologist who told me to go off the Adderall as it's a vasoconstricter and might be contributing to the sores. Anyone have any knowledge about links between Adderall and autoimmune disorders?

Adderall is a stimulant made up of amphetamines as I'm sure you're well aware of. There is a chance that it could function as an accelerant for a pre-existing autoimmune condition, although how this would happen is a bit of a mystery to me. What was the autoimmune condition you were diagnosed with? I'm curious because Autoimmune conditions typically don't suddenly "flare up" with new medications, unless those medications affect the immune system.

Next off, I am NOT a doctor, and this next part is just a personal theory of mine, I'd like to make that very clear ((it will probably change depending on what you say your diagnosis was)). It's possible that your body exhibited a minor allergic reaction to the Adderall, or perhaps a compound present within it. This would cause your immune system to increase production of Basophil Granulocytes. This increase in production combined with a pre-existing leukocyte migration issue could cause Vasculitis. From what it sounds like, it would of had to been some type of Hemorrhagic Vasculitis, which I have spent the last few minutes trying to find. The most I would expect is that bruising would develop.

Edit: Just found an article about Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis. check it out here: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1083719-overview sounds almost exactly like what you described. the Adderall factor is still a bit odd though.

In my experience, mild dehydration also causes cold extremeties. The easiest and cheapest thing to do would be make an effort to drink several more glasses of water in the morning and throughout the day. See if it helps by the end of a week.

I have the same problem with the cold hands and feet. I always have had a problem with this though. Since starting the Adderall I have noticed that sometimes it is much worse. My doc told me that it is not Raynaud's. The skin on my arms gets very mottled at times. I thought that once I stopped smoking that it would improve but it hasn't. I have been a nonsmoker for almost 20 months and no improvement. My toes get so cold at times that they turn white and hurt like crazy. Usually when I get like this a warm shower or bath is the only thing that helps.

I only get the cold hands and feet once theAdderall XR wears off. It is most noticeable if I have been up all night studying and the Adderall has worn off about 4-5 hours prior to me noticing that my hands and feet are freezing. If I get enough sleep, I do not get the cold hands and feet though.

I am 27 years old and have been on some form of Adderall for about 7 years. My feet get cold but my hands and other parts of my body do not. I am curious if the Adderall causes dilation of the blood vessels in the brain and restriction in the rest of the body. From what I understand the heart just pumps the blood and that blood goes out into the body but is it possible the body can control how much blood goes somewhere? I developed this theory after reading the myth/science behind trepanation, essentially drilling a hole in your head to increase the volume of blood there. This increase of blood in the brain is supposed to replicate the same concentration benefits of Adderall, etc.

Thoughts? I would appreciate if anyone out there can explain exactly how amphetamines work on the body, whether its all dopamine or is there other physical changes occurring to produce the medicated effect.

a good thing to do is to apply deodorant to the palm of your hands and feet. let it on your skin for about 15 minutes then wipe off. you will notice the difference almost instantly. less sweating through the major glands.

I am curious if the Adderall causes dilation of the blood vessels in the brain and restriction in the rest of the body. From what I understand the heart just pumps the blood and that blood goes out into the body but is it possible the body can control how much blood goes somewhere? I developed this theory after reading the myth/science behind trepanation, essentially drilling a hole in your head to increase the volume of blood there. This increase of blood in the brain is supposed to replicate the same concentration benefits of Adderall, etc.

There are a lot of theories about how adderall works, but increased blood flow isn't necessarily considered to be one of the main mechanisms of how it produces its most desired effects.

The body can control how much blood goes where, it's under control of the Autonomic Nervous system. Wikipedia it.

Adderall, an SNS stimulant, causes blood to be diverted from the GI system to skeletal muscles, lungs, the heart, etc. This means that the blood vessels of the skin are dilated and when the blood vessels of the skin are dilated heat exchange occurs. The heat from your body is lost to the external environment, causing you to feel cold. Your feet and hands are really far away from your heart and core, it takes blood a long time to get there (relatively) and they are usually some of the most exposed parts of the body to the outside environment. This is why your hands and feet usually feel the coldest, it's the same reason why your nose is usually the coldest thing on your face.

Trepanation was not to increase the volume of blood to the brain, trepanation was done to relieve intracranial pressure from head trauma, usually from being hit over the head with something and it breaking part of your skull.