Medication Causing Hallucinations

[GraySparrow]

I was first diagnosed with ADHD (Inattentive) when I was in 4th grade. From then until freshman year I took medications. However, at some point I had realized I felt like I was going crazy due to auditory hallucinations so my doctor took me off of them. I was much better for the years after but now my adhd symptoms are interfering with work and life in general. So, I talked to my doctor and she prescribed me Adderall Extended Release. It was a small dose and for a while it was wonderful. It's helped a ton and I love feeling like a normal person for once. But the auditory hallucinations are back. I don't hear voices, thankfully, but I will hear loud noises that no one else can or sirens and alarms that don't exist. It's making me feel crazy again but I don't want to get off the medication because I'm functioning better. I'm so incredibly conflicted over whether or not to tell my doctor even though I know I should. If anyone has any suggestions or comments or really anything, please leave them. I'd really appreciate it

[Mini-S8]

Hi GraySparrow

Sorry to hear you are going through this.

Stimulants are well known for increasing anxiety in some people, so maybe this is what is happening?

There are so many different options/delivery systems for stimulants so maybe this isn’t the right one or the right dose for you?

Maybe you could speak with your doctor about trying a different type or different method/dose?

I felt a lot of paranoia when I first took stimulant meds for ADHD - especially when they were wearing off. They did increase my anxiety but this settled after a few weeks.

One thing that helped me was being prescribed a low dose of a beta-blocker alongside the stimulant to help with my anxiety and jitteriness.

I’m not a doctor so I can’t say this is right for you or that you should even consider it.

Everyone is so unique so really the best thing to do is to be honest with your doctor that you feel you function better on meds and can’t tolerate the current side effects.

There will be other options 🙏

[GraySparrow in reply to Mini-S8]

Thanks for this. It's nice to know that you found a solution to your side effects. Hopefully I can find a solution too

[OMGAnotherUserName]

My doctor prescribes me the lowest dose available of Abilify to prevent hallucinations (I've had two or three episodes where I've experienced them while under a lot of stress since starting Adderall). Abilify is an anti-psychotic. The dose I take is so low that I don't have any side effects from it. My doctor is willing to continue prescribing Adderall if I am also taking the Abilify. But she initially took me off of Adderall for several months and monitored me to rule out other disorders. My hallucinations were quite intense though, so caution was definitely warranted!

I hope that helps!