Does Adderall increase blood pressure?

Key Takeaways

• Adderall may increase blood pressure. This and other stimulants have a boxed warning from the FDA due to cardiovascular disease risks.
• Adderall and other stimulant medications used to treat ADHD make your heart beat faster, which means your heart is working harder than it should. This increases your risk of developing high blood pressure,
• For people with high blood pressure and ADHD, alternative medications such as guanfacine or clonidine may be prescribed since they can treat both conditions.

Overview

Adderall is a brand-name medication that contains the drugs amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. It is a stimulant, which means it speeds up systems in the body.

Doctors commonly prescribe Adderall to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it can lead to unwanted side effects like raising your blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure (hypertension) and ADHD, you may have to consider taking other medications or trying other treatments to manage your symptoms of ADHD. 

ADHD affects about 366 million adults in the world, while high blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults globally. 

Does Adderall raise blood pressure?

High blood pressure is one of the side effects of Adderall.

In fact, a committee at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted in 2006 to place a box warning for Adderall and other stimulant drugs, saying that the medications pose a risk for cardiovascular disease. A box warning is used to highlight any major risks of drugs to the consumer.

Adderall and other stimulant medications used to treat ADHD make your heart beat faster, which means your heart is working harder than it should. This increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension, in turn, increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Because of the serious cardiovascular risks that stimulant ADHD medications pose, a 2020 study recommends that doctors should prescribe them only after other options like exercise and the consumption of omega-3s, have been tried.

If you have hypertension and ADHD, stimulant medications like Adderall might not be the best choice for you, as they might worsen your high blood pressure.

Other Adderall side effects 

Adderall can also cause other side effects. Some are common and some are more serious adverse effects. Common effects include:

• headache
• dry mouth
• constipation
• diarrhea
• nausea
• weight loss

The more serious side effects come from the effects of stimulants on your heart. They can increase your heart rate and, as a result, your blood pressure — and this increases your risk of other cardiovascular problems, including stroke and heart attack.

A 2021 study found that stimulant drugs, including Adderall, can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, and arrhythmia in older adults, who are often more at risk for high blood pressure and other heart conditions, according to the National Institute of Aging.

The study found that participants, people ages 66 and over who took stimulant medications, were 40% more likely to go to the hospital for heart complications after 30 days of beginning to take the medication.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects of Adderall include:

• seizures
• numbness or weakness in your arms, hands, and feet
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• swollen eyes, face, and throat
• depression
• changes in vision or blurred vision
• hives and rash

If you experience any serious side effects from taking Adderall, call a healthcare professional immediately. If the side effects seem life threatening, call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Managing high blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, you can manage the condition with medication and lifestyle strategies.

Hypertension medications include:

• ACE inhibitors like enalapril (Vasotec) and lisinopril (Qbrelis)
• alpha blockers like doxazosin (Cardura) and terazosin
• alpha-2 receptor agonists such as clonidine
• angiotensin II receptor blockers like irbesartan (Avapro) and valsartan (Diovan)
• calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine Norvasc
• beta-blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin) and bisoprolol (Zebeta)
• diuretics like spironolactone (Carospir) and bumetanide (Bumex)

Some lifestyle strategies you can try to keep your blood pressure at a moderate range are:

• eating a balanced diet
• maintaining a moderate weight
• trying to reduce stress with practices such as meditation or yoga
• trying to reduce your consumption of alcohol (if you drink) and caffeine
• if you smoke, considering quitting

Adderall alternatives

There are other medications that may be an alternative to Adderall.

Talk with a healthcare professional about alternatives to Adderall and which drugs may pose lower risks if you have hypertension.

If you take Adderall to treat symptoms of ADHD, some alternative medications include guanfacine (Intuniv) or clonidine (Kapvay). Both of these can also be used to lower blood pressure, so they may be prescribed if you have both ADHD and hypertension.

You can also consider discussing the following natural ways to manage your symptoms of ADHD with a healthcare professional:

• vitamin B6 and B12
• magnesium
• ginkgo biloba
• fish oil
• gamma aminobutyric acid supplements

————-

If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Plus, you can now get them delivered to your home in as little as 3 days. Search for your medication here.

Summary

Adderall is a medication that’s commonly prescribed to treat ADHD. For people with high blood pressure, taking Adderall may be dangerous because it is a stimulant with side effects that include spikes in blood pressure.

Adderall also poses a risk of cardiovascular complications because of this, including heart attacks.

Talk with a healthcare professional about the best line of treatment if you have hypertension and need to manage symptoms of ADHD.

—————

Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on many prescription medications. Plus, you can now get them delivered to your home in as little as 3 days. Search for your medication here.