My 16 year old is on Adderall XR 40mg per day, The dose has been steadily increased since February this year. She claims adderall is the best med for her, all the time complaining that it does not last and she needs more. Since the dose increased from 35mg to 40mg, her anger has flared and she seems to haveno control over it at all. She has become violent (last night she kicked 3 holes in the wall with her soccer cleats), aggressive and confrontational. She recently sustained a disc injury to her lower back and has been suffering from back pain and radiating nerve pain down both legs. She has been unable to work or go to school. I am sure this is contributing to her frustration levels, but I don't think that in itself is causing the increased violent behaviour, Has anyone else had a problem with aggression and Adderall XR?
I'm 34 years old and I have had problems with anger Using adderall , have you talked to the doctor about a mood stabilizer?
I have read that can help too. The other thought I had was if that med doesn’t really last long enough then she may be getting too much for say the first 6 to 8 hours and nothing after that. Every person metabolizes differently.
The key is whether it works in the first part of the day and if problems occur later in the day. The mood stabilizer comes into play so when the meds wear off it is a smoother transition to sleep. Good luck!
Thanks for the input, We decided together today to formally note the effects of Adderall throughout the day for a few days. Hopefully this will give us some definitive information to share with the psychiatrist. I will also note when her mood begins to change, Armed with this information, I hope we can get a handle on this!
Working on it together is great because you can also compare notes about what each of you observe. It will help the psychiatrist, too. Sounds like you're already getting a handle on this part! Good luck!
This was one of the many problems that I personally had, while I was prescribed Adderall and other stimulant prescription medications. It is a prime example of why it is so important to make sure that you are taking action to manage ADHD as a whole and exploring other very useful and effective methods to help alleviate some of the side effects and irritability that is commonly associated with these medications.
I used to go back to my doctor and they would adjust the doses of the medication, ultimately, increasing those doses, but I found that it was creating other problems, including issues with anger.
I would first and foremost, let her doctor know about some of these behaviors and ask their opinion about whether or not they feel it is associated with these medications.
I would also look into implementing other changes. This can include changes to her daily routine, natural supplementation, a well-balanced nutritional diet, making sure that sleep patterns are stable and that she is getting enough rest, as well as encouraging relaxing activities such as meditation. I used to roll my eyes at some of these suggestions, until I started really putting them into practice and realizing that the medications were only helping me with some of the symptoms of ADHD. Sure, it was helping me focus and stay a little more motivated, but there is more to the disorder than that. Getting myself more organized and figuring out how to put myself in a position to feel less overwhelmed really helped. Taking 10-15 mins a day to meditate or clear her head by relaxing her mind in whatever way typically relaxes her can help manage the anger.
I would also suggest adding a Vitamin D supplement. This and magnesium also helped stabilize my mood better.
Best of luck to you and try to be patient. The ADHD mind runs wild and when it gets overwhelmed and feels cornered, it is not uncommon for anger to come out. I think you are doing the right thing by monitoring it and should absolutely let your doctor know whats going on so they can make sure she is on the best dosage of medication that will not only be effective, but also alleviate some of the issues that she may be having.
I agree on Howie on the ADHD mind how it runs wild and overwhelmed it happens. To me all the time and it sucks ... the mood stabilizer I have been taking has worked for me . I only take one a day cause I don't know if it will keep me up at night but if it is supposed to help people sleep then I should start taking one before bed time and hopefully I can sleep
Good luck with you and your daughter I hope everything works out