Medication side effects

[PurplePenguin24]

Hello! My name is Liz. I am recently formally diagnosed just this year and am looking into starting medication. My doctor suggests starting with Vyvanse. I am open to starting with what statistically is shown to be the most effective. I also have a sibling who has paranoid schizophrenia and am anxious about the less common side effect of psychosis. I am wondering if anyone on here has had this side effect starting medication as an adult, and if they know they have psychosis disorders in their family? And what their experience was with this.

[STEM_Dad]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't have any blood relatives who have experienced psychosis (that I know of), so I can't really respond to your question.

From what I've read, I believe psychosis might be more of a concern with children and teens with ADHD when they first start on a medication. I believe it's a very rare side effect.

Having a family history can make one more at risk, and probably something to talk to a psychiatrist about before starting on an ADHD medication, or any neurological medication.

[Mamamichl]

with your concerns, you may want to look into taking a gene site test. Because our biologies all work with the meds differently (yay for out uniqueness!), looking into your specific one with how it reacts to these meds may be a safer bet. Down side is insurance doesn’t usually cover it and it can be expensive.

I haven’t tried vyvanse yet, but my partner is on it and it’s the best for him (he took the gene site test after having irritability on one or two others. His niece had multiple personality disorder, and I do believe psychosis too, along with epilepsy. Vyvanse had the least adverse reactions and for him it’s like night and day. I have a brother with bipolar and schizoaffective along with adhd, and I have adhd too. My daughter and I have tried methilphenidate and dexmethilphenidate. She started having tics that went away after she stopped and when she had less stress in her life. Me, I didn’t notice any changes with my adhd behaviors at all, but my doc didn’t want to give me higher doses.

[Salah_09]

Psychosis is a rare side-effect as one of the user stated. My psychiatrist also said that the medication does not directly result in this - its just that if there is any underlying condition like psychosis, then medication will just make it more likely come into effect (hope this makes sense I'm trying to paraphrase).

But if you have not experienced any episodes well past your teenage years into your twenties, it is very very unlikely that you will experience this side-effect.