Adderall and diarrhea

[Crystalline]

I'm 17 years old, 158 lbs, 5'5 and I've been diagnosed with ADD since 7th grade. I started taking ritalin (20 mg IR 3x a day) about half a year ago but my doctor recently switched me to adderall because I had been complaining about feeling overly anxious and nervous.

I took 30 mg adderall XR for a while but didn't notice much of an affect so I switched back to ritalin until I could talk to my doctor. I was on ritalin again for about a week. After seeing her, she told me I could increase my adderall dosage until I felt it take effect so for the next two days I took 40 mg, then increased to 50 and have been taking 50 for the past few days.

However. I've been having diarrhea for the past few days as well! It must be linked to the adderall. It's not /bad/ diarrhea. I don't have to rush to the bathroom every 5 minutes or anything. But whenever I /do/ go to the bathroom....well... I won't go into detail. In any case, is there anything I can do? Will this ever stop? Do I have to switch to a different ADD medication? Please help

This doesn't seem to be a very common problem :-/ I tried reading forums and other related sites but not many seem to have this side effect. Is it possible that it isn't from the adderall?

[ADHDTigger]

I had something similar on Adderall IR at 40 mg. Thankfully, it DID stop. Pepto at night was very helpful.

[Crystalline]

Ugh I really hope it does. I have awful stomach pains too and I just feel really sick in general. Hope I'm not dehydrated.

[ADHDTigger]

If you can get Smart Water, do so. Don't know if you have chains like Target but they carry Smart Water.

Smart Water is vapor distilled and then has electrolytes put back in. The beauty of it is that it doesn't have flavors, colors, or preservatives. It tastes like water. I use it instead of products like Gatorade when dehydration is a concern.

You should be drinking 2 litres of water a day.

[CalmTheChaos]

Originally Posted by Crystalline

Ugh I really hope it does. I have awful stomach pains too and I just feel really sick in general. Hope I'm not dehydrated.

Dehydration will typically cause constipation, but diarrhea will cause dehydration.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Wintermute]

Adderall can cause anxiety, which can cause diarrhea.

When I was younger, mainly in middle school, I had frequent stomach issues because of anxiety. I actually thought it was some food sensitivity until somewhat recently when I was asked by my doctor (at my ADHD evaluation, actually...) if I had frequent stomach aches or upset stomach.

My advice is try not to stress about it too much, if it's anxiety related it might be a physical reaction that will go away as you adjust a bit to the higher dosage. Worrying about it might just make it worse or hang around longer. If it's an inconvenience (like at school/work or something) then take some immodium or pepto bismol or whatever works for you. My vote's with immodium, since it seemed to help my stomach when I was younger.

Feel better!

[Crystalline]

I think I'm just going to lay off the adderall today and see a doctor. The pains have become so intense, it's completely unbearable. Diarrhea has stopped, thankfully. I did take some sort of liquid medicine...Not pepto...It was "vanilla flavored" I guess that helped the diarrhea. Unfortunately, it did nothing for the pain.

[gnbeg]

The problem I experience is the opposite of diarrhea. Probably due to dehydration.

[Derven]

Diarrhea is a listed side effect of Adderall, as is constipation. The pain though, is a concern to mention to the doc. Perhaps there is another medication you can try if you are finding this one to be too painful.

~Bill

[phEight]

Amphetamines in general can cause a wide variety of gastrointestinal issues. This is mostly due to that the fact that it is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. Your CNS does not control your digestive system, that's the job of your peripheral nervous system (PNS).

If the dose is too high I can imagine the stimulation of the CNS is enough to make your body feel like it's in a heightened state of awareness / ready to act even if you're resting. As the common phrase goes... your body is in a 'fight or flight' mode and is devoting resources to those parts of the body... I.E increasing pulse/bp/blood flow to the brain/muscles/etc. The PNS is normally active when you're at rest to handle things like digestion. If Adderall is constantly stimulating the CNS... then the PNS may not be functioning up to par.

I hope this can give you a very basic and general explanation for what could be happening. You should check with your doctor and see what she has got to say about it.

[twinch42085]

Adderall whether XR or IR causes me to have a bowel movement. Dexedrine doesn't have the same effect.

I have to say as an added benefit for myself the adderall does help with the Crohn's Disease that affects my digestive tract.

[kalimba]

Originally Posted by gnbeg

The problem I experience is the opposite of diarrhea. Probably due to dehydration.

I've only been taking it for a week and a half and slowly (gah, I need a dose of patience) titrating up to my optimum dose.

But strangely enough, I've noticed both constipation and diarrhea - but only a few times. It's strange - I go to use the bathroom and have no idea what to expect! For the most part, it's still normal.