adderal and high blood pressure

[Sunnyskies2023]

I just got diagnosed with ADHD and started taking adderal. My blood pressure has always been really good and doctors would be surprised how low my pressure was. Now at two doctor visits my blood pressure is borderline high. Has this happened to you? Is it worth the risk of high blood pressure? Have you found ways to manage it?

Thank you!!!

[Helping_Dogs]

Need to treat the blood-pressure, make lifestyle changes and address other reasons that can lead to higher blood pressure, etc. Curious if any family history of hypertension or other risk factors. There is more data to support staying on ADD meds but do need to manage BP if stays up.

[JulBean in reply to Helping_Dogs]

The OP stated that low BP is their norm. This isn’t something that can be addressed with lifestyle changes. I’m in the same boat.

[Attentiondefdiff]

Mine has been elevated at a couple of visits but it was because I had a hard time getting to the appointment on time. Check it when you are home. Also guanfacine is a blood pressure medication that helps ADHD and can be taken alone or with adderall. Do your research and talk to your doctor. You know how well the meds are making your life better and if you want to go back to the life you had before better than anyone else.

[ADJB]

I would always defer to the physician but I experienced high blood pressure (over 150mmMg) and my psychiatrist stopped my Vyvanse and advised me to go on suitable medication to get it down. I upped my daily exercise and was doing an average of 12k steps/day and things improved, but not by enough and eventually I conceded that I must go on medication for it if I'm to get it down enough to go back onto Vyvanse. I am now approaching 125mmMg and hope to be down to 120 quite soon, at which point my psychiatrist will start prescribing again . I look forward to the soothing balm of Vyvanse once I'm in the clear. I now feel I should have gone onto the blood pressure medication straight away instead of hoping to bring it down through effort alone. It wasted a lot of valuable time, several months, which has been a bit of a strain. FYI I am 65 years old.

[Mamamichl]

Stimulants can cause high blood pressure. You can take Guanfacine to help if your doc is ok to prescribe it. It didn’t work by itself for my kiddo but in tandem, perhaps it would work for you. You need to weigh the pros and cons because this is a side effect that can be mediated. However, I am not sure how much the med has been helping you. Only you know that.

[JulBean]

Yes. I’m like you, normally low BP. Adderall, in combination with the antidepressant that I just started (Effexor XR) has done the same thing to me. HOWEVER - and apparently this is the key - my BP isn’t consistently high. It spikes to borderline high and then falls again. I started going to the BP station at the drugstore (actually several drugstores just to be sure 🤪) and I found that it was high at certain points in the day, but not others. My doctor and the pharmacist advised that it’s problematic if it stays high, but less so if it fluctuates and recovers. That said, I am nervous about exercising now …

I’m not overweight and none of the usual high BP factors apply to me. My family history is for low blood pressure. This is 100% medication induced.