ADHD and pain medication

[JJECAT]

I am on Adderall but need a pain medication from my chronic pain that doesn't interact with Adderall or my narcolepsy. In other words, I don't want a pain medicine that is too sedating.

[LQ4Ever]

Hello JJECAT ,

I live with both ADHD and chronic pain as well. I am not on a stimulant medication but am on other meds to treat my ADHD. I'll jus' say briefly that for me, I have found that extended or slow release versions of a medication can be a lot less sedating than short acting formulations. There are also patches. I have tried many different pain relieving meds and have a history of going to different pain management clinics in my local area. Would you like me to get specific on which kinds of meds I am on, have tried or have not benefitted from?

[STEM_Dad]

I do not know about what medications are recommended for chronic pain (besides gabapentin, which is what my grandma has been prescribed).

However, when I was still married, I researched supplements for chronic pain, because my wife (now ex-wife) has suffered from chronic pain for the last several years. A magnesium or GABA supplement might help. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, since they might interfere with medications or other health conditions, like the narcolepsy you mentioned. (Note that magnesium and GABA are both used as sleep aids, which is what I use them for. Many people choose to take them in the evening simply because they can cause sleepiness. So, definitely consult your doctor.)

• GABA is a neurotransmitter used by the body to signal nerves to stop transmitting signals. It works opposite another neurotransmitter, glutemate, which signals nerves to start transmitting signals. (Both are essential to proper nervous system activity, but for some people they can get out of balance.) - There isn't a lot of research on GABA supplements, but there has been a lot of research on how GABA works in the body.

• Magnesium is used by the body to help release it's own GABA supply. Magnesium has been studied a lot for its benefit in helping with pain, and magnesium supplements have been studied a lot. I just started on magnesium glycinate, which is supposed to be the form that is easiest for the body to absorb.

• Note: It's mostly anecdotal that GABA supplements help with chronic pain (or various other issues). However, because of all the research on the effectiveness of natural GABA within the body, medications such as gabapentin have been developed to specifically act on GABA receptors that help to block pain response. [If you are prescribed gabapentin, then definitely talk to your doctor before considering a GABA supplement.]

{I'm just a layman. Always talk to your doctor when considering a nutritional supplement.}

[JJECAT in reply to STEM_Dad]

Thank you. Gabapentin was evil on me. I had brain zaps just trying to ween off of it. I currently take Magnesium nightly which is great to help with sleep but doesn't do anything for pain at all. Thank you.

[STEM_Dad in reply to JJECAT]

Yeah, gabapentin is a strong medicine, and can definitely cause brain zaps for some people. I think my grandma said hers had to be reduced to the absolute lowest dosage for that reason.

Well, it's good to know that magnesium has been some help, at least, if only just for sleep.

Maybe talk to your doctor about GABA supplements.

I have read that vitamin D deficiency can also contribute to chronic pain. Do you know if you doctor has checked your vitamin D levels?

~~~~~

If you don't mind me asking, has there been any cause identified for your chronic pain?

In the case of my grandma and one of my friends, it's fibromyalgia. I've also known of people who had no known cause of chronic pain, but also suffered from chronic depression, with no other known neurological issues.

For some people, it comes about as a result from an injury or illness.

But for many people, there's just no known cause.

[Highlysuspect99 in reply to STEM_Dad]

Gaba doesn't cross the blood brain barrier and is useless

[JJECAT]

Yes, that would be great. I love my Adderall, but Adderall interacts poorly with pain medications and due to narcolepsy that last thing I need is to be sedated. I have tried Gabapentin, but that was evil and very hard to ween off of. Thank you.

[emiL1234 in reply to JJECAT]

Funny cause I took Concerta ( they say it's the same than Aderall) on very high doses a year ago, and my mother asked me why I did not feel any pain, while lumberjacking with my family. It usually hurts a lot and the only diffrence last year was concerta. It would be nice from me to add that my back fucked up royally at the end of 2023 and it seems to be the same muscles that never felt pain with a high dose of Concerta. Almost dangerous.

[Finneus_vonfinklefry]

Hi, I'm no doctor, but had asked a pharmacist about taking Ibuprofen with Adderall and he said there was no interaction. If you need something stronger, you might hit up your local pharmacist and ask.