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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by karen dee on October 4, 2007, at 7:45:51
I have been on adderall for a while and today experienced some severe pains in the top left side of my chest. Stronger when breathing.
I have just gotten over being sick recently (upper resp./cold/coughing)
I was not feeling anxious, or anything, so I have trouble thinking it was related to that. I was happy and in a good mood. I am wondering is it upper respiratory
or could it be the adderall??I am just nervous because of adderall and always hearing about cardiovascular issues related to the drug.
Sorry if I sound paranoid. I am!
Posted by polarbear206 on October 4, 2007, at 8:39:22
In reply to Adderall/chest pain, posted by karen dee on October 4, 2007, at 7:45:51
> I have been on adderall for a while and today experienced some severe pains in the top left side of my chest. Stronger when breathing.
>
> I have just gotten over being sick recently (upper resp./cold/coughing)
>
> I was not feeling anxious, or anything, so I have trouble thinking it was related to that. I was happy and in a good mood. I am wondering is it upper respiratory
> or could it be the adderall??
>
> I am just nervous because of adderall and always hearing about cardiovascular issues related to the drug.
>
> Sorry if I sound paranoid. I am!
>
>
Karen,Does you chest pain accompany with pain radiating down you left arm? Jaw pain? Shortness of breath? Woman who experience cardiac symptoms can present differenty from men. For example gastrointestional upset, indigeston, etc.. How old are you? You could have aggravated your chest muscles from frequent coughing. If this continues, contact your primary doctor.
PB
Posted by Phillipa on October 4, 2007, at 12:07:21
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by polarbear206 on October 4, 2007, at 8:39:22
Agree could also be pleurisy had that once when young. Phillipa
Posted by your#1fan on October 4, 2007, at 12:16:39
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by Phillipa on October 4, 2007, at 12:07:21
Adderall is a mixture of of somethings, well it causes your, from what i rermber from adderall, i had to switch to regular d-amphetamine becauser my doctor told me adderall is prone to cause rapid heart beat (and nervousness) because its has more than just d-amphetamine in it.
Really i know what you are saying, i expeierienced it before.
your#1fan
Posted by karen dee on October 5, 2007, at 9:48:13
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by polarbear206 on October 4, 2007, at 8:39:22
Thank you for your reply
I have not had shortness of breath but I have TMJ so I have jaw pain on and off almost every day, so I really cannot judge by that. I am 32. I think it is possible all the coughing aggravated my chest muscles because I was coughing so much. If the pain comes back I really am going to consider going to my primary Dr. I just hate going to the Dr it is such an ordeal. It is hard to get a good general practitioner with lousy insurance.
I don't think my stomach was upset at least not in a way that I was aware of
Posted by karen dee on October 5, 2007, at 9:52:48
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by your#1fan on October 4, 2007, at 12:16:39
I was on dextroamphetamine sp??
and it used to make my face flush bright red.the adderall was tried after that and worked better for me, when I am on adderall I cannot tell that I have taken anything but on the dex I felt nervous and my face and nose were really red. It was strange!!
I am on a lot of different medications so maybe they interact with each other or my body chemistry metabolizes it differently.
Posted by d0pamine on October 5, 2007, at 19:55:28
In reply to Adderall/chest pain, posted by karen dee on October 4, 2007, at 7:45:51
I took ritalin for a year then it started making my chest hurt, so I switched to adderall. after three years it started making it hurt too, so I switched to dex, then in a year or so that started making it hurt so I switched back to adderall then after another couple years it started hurting again. Now I've taken none of any of that for over 2 years and it still hurts. in fact it's hurting right now (including my left arm) and nobody has been able to tell me what the problem is. Quit while your ahead.
Posted by elanor roosevelt on October 5, 2007, at 21:40:39
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by karen dee on October 5, 2007, at 9:52:48
if you are getting over a bad respiratory bout you may have popped a few ribs out of place
go see your MD for some peace of mind
Posted by rina on October 6, 2007, at 16:13:13
In reply to Re: Adderall/chest pain, posted by elanor roosevelt on October 5, 2007, at 21:40:39
A good thing gone horribly bad for me two weeks ago with Adderall. I was suffering with what I thought to be the flu with symptoms of coughing, night sweats, chest pain,fever, dry heaving and nose congestion. My fever peaked at 102 and my husband insisted on an emergency room visit. Good thing we did because my pulse rate was 115 upon my arrival and the chest pain was going down my arm.
During that visit they did blood tests and urine tests but other than the blood pressure and pulse rate, couldn't figure anything else out. So I was released and had an appointment with my primary care the following day. He was also stumped until he went over my meds. He noticed the adderall and said he wanted to run a few tests. He warned they would be frustrating and the frequent blood draws would problably be redundant to me but to trust him and he would try his best to find out more.
His reasoning was that he had one other patient with the same symptoms and the same medication so he wanted to see if there were similarities related. As of today I've had my blood drawn 12 times collected my urine for a 24hr metanephrine fractionated component and catecholamine fraction.
He was so dumbfounded by the results he had to refer me to a hematologist,endocronologist and infection disease specialist to do the same test over again just to make sure he was accurate in his findings. 12 more blood draws and an MRI a galum(wrong spelling)scan as well as blood culture test 3times 2sticks in one arm 1 stick in the other. Results in the short form because it would take more than an email to give you the full version.
Adderall has stimulated my brain so much that it has produced tumors all through my body producing too much hormones and not the TSH hormones most of us think about. I don't deter anyone from adderall or speak Ill of it. I'm just glad that I took the time to take it a step further because it could have cost me my life.
Posted by Phillipa on October 6, 2007, at 19:34:20
In reply to Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by rina on October 6, 2007, at 16:13:13
Wow you are very lucky to have such a through doc. So now will there be a way to rid your body of the tumors? Horrible stuff. Wonder what other meds are capable of and people wonder why I'm afraid of meds. Heck corisone killed my mother when I was l7. Caused addisons disease. Phillipa
Posted by stargazer2 on October 7, 2007, at 20:11:45
In reply to Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by rina on October 6, 2007, at 16:13:13
Rina, how much adderall were you on and for how long? What other meds were you taking, how much and for how long?
Where are the tumors and how will they be treated?
Are you saying that everything that occurred was the result of Adderall or was it combination of things, i.e. other medications.
What doctor had ordered the adderall? Are you on any meds now?
Stargazer
Posted by War-Face on October 7, 2007, at 21:51:22
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines/Rina, posted by stargazer2 on October 7, 2007, at 20:11:45
Yes, Stargazer2, those are the essential questions. I have been worried all day after reading this. I am on Adderall 10 mg per day for 2 years now for ADD and I am very worried about the side effects...This personal report has increased those worries, not to mention I can be generally distrustful of meds.
Posted by karen dee on October 8, 2007, at 18:42:45
In reply to Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by rina on October 6, 2007, at 16:13:13
that is totally freaking me out!!!!!
Posted by d0pamine on October 8, 2007, at 19:15:48
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by karen dee on October 8, 2007, at 18:42:45
As a 6 year adderall veteran I feel qualified to say that chronic daily use is a dead end road. I can't begin to enumerate the strange health issues that I encountered while using it. I would advise anyone considering daily use to count the cost. Furthermore I'm fairly confident that I've suffered a cognitive decline that I've yet to recover from as a result. Using it occasionally for intense study is one thing, using it daily is another. I personally wish I'd never heard of it.
Posted by War-Face on October 8, 2007, at 22:52:33
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by d0pamine on October 8, 2007, at 19:15:48
d0pamine or anyone else, do you think Ritalin/Methylphenidate is a better option, at least for the immediate future?
Posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 17:14:10
In reply to Re: Methylphenidate a better option?, posted by War-Face on October 8, 2007, at 22:52:33
Methylphenidate was the first med that I started having trouble with, but I wasn't on it as long as Adderall. Basically any stimulant, taken daily, writes a daily check that your body can't continue to cash forever. To see where your account balance stands, simply stop taking it for a couple days. Eventually, running a constant negative balance takes a toll that you don't fully recover from. Use only as needed.
Posted by War-Face on October 9, 2007, at 17:41:52
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by d0pamine on October 8, 2007, at 19:15:48
Can you describe some of the health issues that you developed?
I'm obviously pretty concerned about these meds, and try to take them as little as possible. I take probably a couple of months off every year in all, but I want to try and move away from them for good in the not too distant future.
I asked about Ritalin being better for this reason, mainly because I find that Adderall is so much more difficult to withdraw from than Ritalin. I feel like it takes weeks to recover from Adderall withdrawal and only a week or two from Ritalin.
My ultimate goal is to move to Wellbutrin or Emsam, perhaps even as a way to get off the stims for good.
How have you found Emsam in this regard?
Posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 18:04:44
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by War-Face on October 9, 2007, at 17:41:52
With ritalin, the biggest problem was the nearly constant chest pain followed by swings in blood / glucose levels. After a few years on adderall it got stranger. In addition to the chest pains and glucose levels, I also began having weekly allergic reactions to something (never could figure out what). When they would happen, the skin of my face would get so stony hard and clay like that I could literally mold its shape. I instantly looked 30 years older (temporarily). At the same time my breathing would also be greatly restricted and I would cough and break out into hives and itch all over. This would usually last about an hour. Basically I think my immune system was being overdriven. I should note that it never happened prior to adderall or since stopping. I also began having back and neck pain. This has never entirely gone away. I attribute it to the adderall, because I'm really quite the picture of health, plus toward the end I was stopping and starting it and the pain came and went as would be expected. The chest and left arm pain of course still occurs but not to the same extent or frequency. Basically I believe that I aged considerably more during my adderall years than I otherwise would have. It also began having a negative cognitive effect on me where toward the end of the day I would just be completely stupid. Eventually it got so that it was that way when I rolled out of bed in the morning even to the extent that my manual dexterity suffered. It was better than a year after stopping adderall that this began to normalize and I still feel I'm a good bit below where I was prior to starting it. I also suffered the only dental carries that I've ever had while taking adderall.
To answer the second question, EMSAM is a very easy transition from adderall removing most of the withdrawal effects, but ya know it's entirely possible that in a few years I'll say that I wish I'd never heard of EMSAM. Let there be no doubt, you are FAR better off with no medication at all, if you can possibly find a way to manage it.
Posted by War-Face on October 9, 2007, at 18:46:22
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 18:04:44
I know what you mean about aging on Adderall. I feel a little bit the same. In fact, our situations seem a little similar overall. My problem seems to be chronic depression where the main feature is a total lack of energy.
The idea of going without medication is a great one, but I'm not sure it's realistic if I want to function, have a job, etc. Since college, I've always used some stimulant to function. First it was ephedra and caffeine, then it was Wellbutrin SR, then it was 7 to 8 cups of coffee a day, and then finally Ritalin 20 mgs a day for a year. I too went through chest pains constantly on it. The doctor would tell me it was simply increased anxiety from the med, but who knows. Then I tried Adderall 10 mgs a day and it seemed at first to come with fewer side effects, for example, I still don't experience chest pains on it.
I tried to get off of it over the summer by using supplements (tyrosine, fish oil, etc.) and was pretty unsuccessful at my job and had lingering depression and lack of motivation the whole time. So I started back on it after 2 months off. I've been back on for a few weeks now but wish I would've toughed it out longer off of it, especially after reading threads like this one. The problem is I just don't know how to work anymore without something from my above-mentioned list of stimulants. Yet, from that list, I definitely feel Adderall is the worst, the hardest - certainly the hardest to quit.
The biggest problem for me is off of the Adderall, I don't feel that ability to motivate myself anymore, to get psyched up. Is that from the fried adrenal glands? I wonder if they ever recover? I feel like I had to start taking it again just for work, to replace the motivational ability that I no longer have naturally.
Again, all of this is at 10 mgs. I was wondering how much you were taking?
Posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 19:08:07
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by War-Face on October 9, 2007, at 18:46:22
Your story is amazingly similar to mine, the closest I've seen in fact. Right down to the ephedrine to get through college. Your adrenals will recover in time. I find EMSAM to be almost as effective as adderall except really you basically feel "normal", instead of racy and stupid at the end of the day and its very flat, without the constant roller coaster of the pills. It's a great help with the motivational issues, but not to the extent that adderall is. It still requires some will to get things done with EMSAM where adderall pretty much does it all for you, but it's a really nice stepping stone and quite workable. Without any med, I'm basically a lump on the couch that sees no benefit in attempting to accomplish anything. EMSAM greatly helps this. If you're going to take something, I'd encourage you to give EMSAM a shot (I'm on the 12mg patch). I think your story mirrors mine close enough that you'll find it to be as useful as I do, and as long as you can still manage to get some sleep, it doesn't feel like its draining the life out of you while it does its work. It's not optimal, but it's bound to be a healthier alternative to adderall. The tough part will be the first 5 or 6 weeks as that's how long it takes to really get in gear, then it only gets better, but it almost immediately relieves the irresistible urge to sleep that withdrawing from adderall leaves you with. There are still some side effects, like the intense sugar cravings and libido increase and tendency toward insomnia, but I find them all quite manageable.
Posted by cumulative on October 14, 2007, at 3:07:10
In reply to Re: Methylphenidate a better option?, posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 17:14:10
> Methylphenidate was the first med that I started having trouble with, but I wasn't on it as long as Adderall. Basically any stimulant, taken daily, writes a daily check that your body can't continue to cash forever. To see where your account balance stands, simply stop taking it for a couple days. Eventually, running a constant negative balance takes a toll that you don't fully recover from. Use only as needed.
I disagree. Many people take the same dose of methylphenidate for many years without problems. For some it can be very well-tolerated. There is a withdrawal syndrome, yes, generally lasting about two weeks in my experience (whereupon I find I am much better off than before I took any medications at all -- perhaps the mechanism of sensitization is in play here) -- but this is something that occurs with nearly any powerful medication.
Posted by War-Face on October 15, 2007, at 18:08:03
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines, posted by d0pamine on October 9, 2007, at 19:08:07
http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/09/fda-ahrq-to-study-heart-risk-of-adhd-pills/
Posted by rina on October 16, 2007, at 21:38:57
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines/Rina, posted by stargazer2 on October 7, 2007, at 20:11:45
Rina, how much adderall were you on and for how long? What other meds were you taking, how much and for how long? 10mg xday I've taken adderall for almost 5months.
Where are the tumors and how will they be treated? It's a rare disease caused by stimulants.Pheochromocytoma is a tumor usually found in the adrenal glands (located on the kidneys). The tumor usually is not cancerous, but it can be fatal if left untreated.
Pheochromocytoma is rare and occurs most often in young adults. It causes attacks of high blood pressure, headaches, excessive sweating, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and loss of consciousness.
Treatment for pheochromocytoma involves surgery to remove the tumor. Which is what I will undergo soon.
Are you saying that everything that occurred was the result of Adderall or was it combination of things, i.e. other medications. It was a combination of the methylphinadate and the amphetamine stimulant found in my system.
What doctor had ordered the adderall? Are you on any meds now? My pharmacologist. I also want everyone to know that, my situation is quite rare. Given my situation, I still support ADD treatment. The stimulants just can't be a part of my regimen.
I don't blame anyone or bash the drug at all. I'm just thankful that I was agressive enough to have a good physician that insisted on getting to the bottom of the reason for the symptoms. The only thing I would say to anyone is definitely be an advocate of your own treatment and take every symptom you have and may be concerned about seriously.
Posted by Phillipa on October 16, 2007, at 22:06:00
In reply to Re: Adderall/Catecholamines/Metanephrines/Rina » stargazer2, posted by rina on October 16, 2007, at 21:38:57
Rina when is the surgery as I may be having some too we can support each other. yes you were lucky to have a good doc. Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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