According to the FDA, doctors should only prescribe Adderall during pregnancy if the likely benefit justifies the potential risks. Narcolepsy may stem from the death of a particular type of brain cell. These cells produce the chemical hypocretin, which is essential for regulating the sleeping and waking cycle.
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A boxed warning is a serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous. This may raise your risk of side effects such as insomnia (trouble sleeping), nervousness, and anxiety. You should limit the amount of caffeine you consume while taking Adderall. This list does not contain all types of drugs that may interact with Adderall.
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You should keep a list of all supplements, prescription, and over-the-counter products you take, and discuss your treatment plan with your physician and pharmacist to prevent any dangerous drug interactions. Drug interactions can either change the effectiveness of the medication or put you at risk for dangerous side effects. Doctors also sometimes prescribe Adderall for other conditions, such as narcolepsy – a sleep disorder whose symptoms include sudden attacks of daytime sleep and excessive sleepiness. Our longest surveillance of the safety of amphetamine (Adderall) comes from following people with narcolepsy for their entire lives. If such symptoms occur, consideration should be given to a possible causal role of the stimulant, and discontinuation of treatment may be appropriate.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies drugs for use in pregnancy into several categories. They are grouped based on information available from human and/or animal studies, and whether that information shows the drug is harmful. Category C medications should only be used if the benefits to the mother are greater than any potential risk to the unborn child.
Tell your doctor about all of the medicines that you or your child take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Adderall and some medicines may interact with each other and cause serious side effects. Sometimes the doses of other medicines will need to be adjusted while taking Adderall. Your doctor should check your or your child’s blood pressure and heart rate regularly during treatment with Adderall.
Interactions With Drugs Or Supplements
Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of Adderall® tablets and Adderall XR® extended-release capsules have not been performed in the geriatric population. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Is Adderall A Controlled Substance?

To prevent this reaction, your doctor may need to decrease your dosage of Adderall or Zoloft. To prevent this reaction, your doctor may need to decrease your dosage of Adderall or Prozac. It can also interact with certain supplements as well as some foods. It can also cause feelings of physical and mental energy, and a sense of confidence. Below is information on the timing of taking doses of either Adderall or Adderall XR. If you experience any changes in your vision that don’t go away with continued use of Adderall, talk with your doctor.
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If you have trouble swallowing capsules or tablets, see this article for tips on how to swallow these forms of medication. For some medications, a child’s dosage is based on their body weight. Instead, the dosage is based on the drug form, the child’s age, and the condition being treated. Always follow the dosage the doctor prescribes for your child.
- Adderall XR capsules should be swallowed whole with water or other liquids.
- This is because they are not getting sleep during the day so that they sleep better at night.
- It is not known if Adderall® is safe and effective in children with Narcolepsy under 6 years of age.
- Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine combination to treat ADHD in children.
- Taking Adderall alongside alcohol may also increase your chances of having heart problems like cardiomyopathy, according to a 2021 review.
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Tell your health care provider if you have any heart problems, including heart disease, heart defects, cardiomyopathy, or an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Also tell your health care provider if anyone in your family has heart problems. Keep all appointments, including those for blood tests and heart checkups, before and during treatment with amphetamine/dextroamphetamine.
These effects are more likely when the medication is misused. Adderall is considered a first-choice treatment option for ADHD. Studies of Adderall and Adderall XR show that the drugs improve attention and focus, and reduce impulsive behaviors.


Taking the medication exactly as prescribed can reduce potential for abuse. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine combination to treat ADHD in children. Taking Adderall with MAOIs can increase the risk of dangerous side effects, such as very high blood pressure, chest pain, severe headache, and increased body temperature.
Causes & Risk Factors
Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine increase the availability of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. Together, these brain chemicals play a vital role in wakefulness and attention. In this article, we outline the uses, side effects, dosage, and risks of Adderall. We also list some alternative medications for ADHD and narcolepsy. Keep a list of your or your child’s medicines with you to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you or your child get a new medicine. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.
Who Should Not Use Amphetamine/dextroamphetamine?
Loss of appetite is much more common in children who were already thin or picky eaters before taking Adderall. However, many women find that their ADHD medication is not as effective in the four to five days before their menstrual flow. Raising the dose of Adderall does not increase its level of benefits. Talk with your doctor about how to measure this loss of effectiveness. Adderall can cause false test results in certain laboratory tests, such as blood and urine steroid-level tests, or brain scans for Parkinson’s disease. If you are having medical tests, be sure that all physicians and staff are aware of your medication history.
If you think this medicine is not working properly after you have taken it for several weeks, do not increase the dose and check with your doctor. Keep a list of your medicines with you to show your doctor and pharmacist. Tell your doctor about any mental problems you or your child have, or about a family history of suicide, bipolar illness, or depression. The following have been reported with use of Adderall® and other stimulant medicines. Treating ADHD with Adderall was approved by the FDA in 1996.
Adderall is a combination of two stimulant drugs, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. The generic name for Adderall is dextroamphetamine/amphetamine. But on the prescription it might be shortened to mixed amphetamine salts or MAS. Adderall belongs to a group of medications called stimulants. Stimulants are the most widely prescribed drugs to treat ADHD (also known as ADD).