question about adderall - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Mistyeyze · 10-14-2008, 08:14 AM

I was diagnosed with adult ADD about six months ago, and about three months ago agreed to try adderall. I take 10 mg twice a day. I am amazed at how I have come out of a life long fog, so the medication is working great.

However, I occasionally experience what feels like a pounding heart rate that seems irregular. It does not last long, but it scares me as I have read adderall can cause heart problems. Is this true? Is what I am experiencing dangerous?

I see my doc in a few weeks, but does this warrant me calling her now?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

LilliePup · 10-14-2008, 10:59 PM

YES call your DR. Why wait?

skyp56 · 10-15-2008, 08:36 AM

Hi Mistyeyze! Are you are on any other medications? Does your health plan have an advice nurse line? If it does not, go ahead and call your dr. It is better not to guess when it comes to unusual symptoms of the heart, especially ones that continue for more than 2 minutes. I am on Adderall and have noticed palpitations, too. But I am taking other drugs that can also cause that symptom, so have learned to just ignore them.

Good luck!
skyp

conanld · 10-26-2008, 05:04 PM

Good point there. It could be a drug interaction issue.

It might also be an allergic reaction, or there could be some other underlying health issue.

I have been using adderall for about 10 years now, and I have not experienced heart palpitations at the dosages that I have been using - 10 mg twice per day.

LD

Mistyeyze · 10-27-2008, 10:52 AM

Hi and thanks for the responses. I see my doc in two weeks, and my heart rate seems to calm down .... maybe I am getting more used to the med? I didn't call because it didn't seem like an emergency. I hope I am not being too dismissive.... I also don't want to be paranoid! Ugh!

For those that have long term experience with this med.... do you notice anything negative if you don't take it? Over the weekend I decided to skip it since I didn't really need to be productive and thought a drug holiday would be good, as I have read here some do that to keep tolerance from being an issue. I do NOT want to increase my dose. Well, I was very tired the whole weekend! I felt like dead weight. Could this be some kind of adderall withdrawal?? This med has made such a huge difference in my clarity and production that I hate the thought of giving it up, at the same time, I worry about long term safety and physical addiction? Is this drug physically addicting? I've been on it almost four months, and over the weekend being off it, I could not help but wonder if my extreme fatigue was withdrawal.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.