My Blood pressure is up while taking Adderall and wonder if I am asking too much?

[Boisme]

Howdy Ya'll,
I have been taking adderall for about 3 months with great results as far as attension and focus. Before that I was taking Strattera for 2 months with almost no benifits but lots of side affects(sleepless,upset stomach etc.) I started on 20mg adderall XR in the morning and after 1month a 10mg "booster" of adderall IR was added because I was "crashing" alittle to early an having trouble getting things accomplished after dinner. A month later the initial 20mg XR was switched to 30mg XR with the 10mg in the afternoon. This combo seems to be about right and I feel great and am actually completing some of the things I start. I have even been able to get my drivers licence back ( suspended due to accidents).
I have two questions that would be great to get some feed back on.
1) Am I asking to much out of the meds? I feel like we are close but not quite there. Despite a coach I see once a week and talk to everyday and the adderall I am still struggling with organization/motavation(messy house\piles o' bills). I know that they do not recomend going much higher as far as adderall goes but these issues definitly affect my self esteem and are kind of embaressing. Don't get me wrong, its a big improvement.
2) My blood pressure is high. I have checked it 3x day and it goes from 125/87 morning(before meds) to 148/98 evening. It has always been alittle high but this seems alittle extreme. I am 33yrs old and self-employed so stress is something I try not let get the better of me. I am afraid my doc is going to take me off the meds I am on, its taken me a long time to get the results I'm getting and do not want to go back where I was. I only discovered the high BP thing 3 days ago so I will call my Doc tomorrow but its a scary place to be.
Thanks-

[FlakeyGirl]

Is 40 a day high? My doc does not think so. I've taken 40 in the am with no booster and I am kind of small. It works so so and my doc is willing to raise it. I think I remember him saying that 60 is the ceiling. My blood pressure is on the low side of healthty, though and that may be the difference. As far as your expectations of the medication go, try not to think of it like that. Do not let Shire take all the credit for your work. Three months is not really that long to be getting your act together. Also you may want to cut yourself some slack...in school don't you get a B or something for the high 80%s. That is still pretty darn good. Also, while thinking clearly, you may want to list as objectively as possible some qualities you think are important. Call them personal goals. Then shovel away all the bullspit that other people's opinions count for. Compare yourself to that every so often and grade yourself (again, be as objective as possible), you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Boisme]

Hey Flakey Girl;
Your screen name betrays your personality, I mean you don't sound to flakey to me. I wanted to thank you for your responce to my questions you brighten up my day. Everybody likes to get some positive feedback every now and again. I am working hard on letting myself succeed, is ya know what I mean. Anyway, I spoke with my doc and her reponce was that a high bp when taking adderall is not that uncommon, I just need to keep an eye on it. I am a smoker and she also said that I should really give some serious thought to quitting because it is another cause of high BP. Essentially stop slowly killing myself and allow the meds I am taking to do their work. Makes sence ,huh. Well we'll see, the road to self improvement gets alittle longer everyday.

[FlakeyGirl]

Hmmm....sounds like you know the right answer. Yes, the road to self improvement does get longer everyday, but that does not negate the good work you are doing. Just realizing that something needs to be done and how to do it is progress, right?

[Margreet]

Howdy Bo,

I have trouble with my BP too, but I take BP meds to counteract it.
The dose on amphetamines depends very much on the individual, and not so much on body weight. I can only take a low dose of most meds and I'd never make it as an alcoholic since alcohol makes me sick before I get stinky drunk. And I'm not a tiny little thing. It's the way people meetabolize things differently.

Anyway, I'm taking Adderall too, and it improves my attention and mood, but doesn't help me with organization, and motivation is still a problem. Part of it, I think, is that some of these things, especially organization, are learned skills, and that doesn't come in a pill. It's like if I took a pill to make me tall, strong, and agile, I'd still have to learn how to play basketball. ;o) So a little coaching sometimes goes a long way. I used to see a counselor who was great at that. She had practice, with a husband and two teenage sons with ADD, poor thing!

When I was taking Strattera, I was a little more organized. My short term memory was amazing: I could remember telephone numbers for the first time in my life! If someone interrupted me at work, I could get right back to what I was doing. It was amazing. Unfortunately, the other effects weren't so good, and I'm back to Old Faithful, Adderall XR.

Hope it helps a little.
Margreet.

[LindaMatteson34]

Dear Boisme,
My name is Linda and I also have High Blood Pressure too, but I have to take AVAPRO for my blood pressure and I am also on Thyroid meds as well, I was also taking Trazadone as well, but as upset as I was I just didn't feel like taking them as it 's suppose to help me sleep but ever since the accident I 've been going to bed anywhere between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m an then have to get up to make sure my son was up for school.

[LindaMatteson34]

Anyways, Boisme, even though, the medication has helped me get regulated with my BP and stuff. But like I said, I make sure I am up to get Davey up for school as both Davids are on Wellbutrin, and my son Davey is on Wellbutrin twice a day, Allegra for allergies, Adderall in the evening and Zyprexia at night to help him too. But he's ADHD and has a learning Disability too and only 11 yrs. old and in 5th grade this yr. Thanks.

[LindaMatteson34]

Oh yea, forgot one more thing, Even though I'm NOT on Adderall but I am on high blood pressure meds ok. So please leave me a message and I hope to get back to you ok. Thanks and Have a nice Holidays to you and your family if any ok. Take care.
Linda Matteson from Pennsylvania

[akiss4u]

Can you take Adderall and High blood pressure meds at the same time?

[Gregster]

I take BP medication and ritalin, so I would think you could take it with Adderall too.
I imagine it will depend on how high your BP is - mine is only mildly high.

[akiss4u]

Well I borrowed my mom's BP machine and I have been checking mine everyday. 117 over 78. I think that is good. I even went up to 10mg of adderall today and it was still as low. Since high BP runs in my family it is good to know that I could take some medication with my adderall if I ever develop high BP.

[dbr]

yes, you can take adderall with (at least some) bp meds. I have taken it with propanolol and Altace.

i am currently taking it with metoprolol (a beta-blocker).

i am not a Dr., but hope this helps.

[dixiepeep]

my BP is higher on Adderal. I hope if I lose some weight it will come down a bit. Adderal has not affected my appetite at all, nor have I been thirsty.

[jayblaze2]

I used to get bad bp on adderall. I would get anxiety. Ask you dr about taking an anti-dep or anti-anxi med with your adderall. made a world of diff for me. I also switched from generic to brand name adderall. Much smoother.

[Kelly]

I had a little bit of a freak-out tonight (I started 20mg Adderall on Friday) - I checked my blood pressure at the grocery store - 159/117. Yikes!!

I checked it again at home (found out my parents have a blood pressure monitor) and it's gone down, 139/94. I'll check it again later, but I'll probably call my doctor in the morning.