You Don’t Have To Tolerate These ADHD Medication Side Effects 

For children and adults with ADHD, medication can help control and alleviate symptoms, such that many describe the effects as ‘life-changing’. However, ADHD medications are not perfect and unwanted effects or side-effects are common. Typical effects from taking an ADHD medication include a reduced appetite, difficulty sleeping and painful headaches, some of which tend to grow in severity over time versus subside.

Many people, including medical professionals, accept side effects as simply an experience that comes with taking a prescribed stimulant or medication for ADHD. Yet many patients say they’re unwilling to accept the effects as necessary when taking stimulants and seek support for the painful or disruptive effects that come from taking such medications. There are many simple adjustments that can be made to reduce the unwanted effects that come from taking stimulants.

This article outlines strategies that can help you better control some of the effects of ADHD medication side effect control. You can experiment with these strategies yourself, meanwhile you should always consult your doctor when making changes to your routine using stimulants and have him or her help you monitor the effects as you do.

ADHD Stimulant Drug Side Effects 

Some of the most common used and prescribed ADHD stimulant drugs are:

• Ritalin (Methylphenidate)

• Dexedrine/ Evekeo (Dextroamphetamine)

• Adderall/ Adzenys (Levo-amphetamine/ Dextroamphetamine)

They all have similar side effects, so the strategies described below are equally relevant no matter which of the medications you use. 

Appetite Loss 

Loss of appetite is one of the most common side effects of ADHD stimulant drugs, along with sleep problems. This issue usually dissipates or disappears entirely after 1 to 3 weeks, which is one reason to consider ‘riding it out’ and see if your appetite naturally returns after starting an ADHD medication. If the issue continues, you should strongly consider addressing the problem with your doctor. 

Your appetite will naturally fluctuate throughout the day as the effects of the medication are felt. It’s helpful to plan a larger meal at the start of the day before the impact on appetite is most strongly felt. You may also find a sudden or strong surge in appetite towards the end of the day, directly before bedtime when the medication has worn off. The risk is that a large meal could negatively impact sleep when consumed directly before bed. Thus, you can consider tapering your dose of stimulants, including caffeine, in the afternoon to allow your appetite to rise again for an early dinner. 

Some other helpful tips are:

• Cut back on sweets and focus on meals that are richer in nutrients

• Consider switching any nutrition-empty snacks with healthy food supplement drinks which are easier to consume 

• In place of meals, consider drinking supplement drinks, which may be easier to consume 

• Try freezing supplement drinks or making them into milk shakes so they are more enticing to consume 

You may want to contact your doctor to consider an alternative stimulant medication or consider non-stimulant medications.

Sleep Problems 

Many stimulant users experience difficulty getting to sleep, which can be caused both by the presence of the stimulant medication in the person’s body, as well as the absence of the stimulant medication to regulate necessary chemicals in the body. The lack of stimulant drugs can return a person back to their ADHD symptoms at bedtime, which means feeling restless, aware of every noise, and finding it impossible to turn off thoughts. Some sleep issues in people with ADHD are attributed to depression or anxiety. It is believed that a majority of people with ADHD will be treated for depression or anxiety at one point in their lives.

There are natural ingredients you can experiment with towards improving your sleep experience when using stimulants. Ingredients like Vitamin C may help cleanse your body of stimulants like your ADHD medication, which means you’ll be quicker to fall asleep. Other ingredients like magnesium and melatonin have also been known to help prime your mind and body to sleep. For those who experience anxiety at bedtime, Ashwagandha may also help as it’s become a popular ingredient to promote calm. 

Sometimes, it may be that ADHD restlessness is so severe that stimulant medications cannot overcome that problem. If this is a problem for you, or your child, you may want to speak to your doctor about medications called alpha agonists. These medications (guanfacine and clonidine) are FDA approved and can help reduce the hyperactivity aspect of ADHD, while helping with sleep issues at night. It is important that you speak to your doctor about taking additional medication before experimenting with any new medications. 

Headaches & Stomach Aches

There is no known cause when it comes to these kinds of side effects. It is thought that taking a dose with food can be helpful in reducing these symptoms. Some people have reported that drinking a lot of water has helped reduce headaches, so it may be worth giving that a try. If the issues do not reduce in time, then it could be worth talking to your doctor about other vitamins you can take with your stimulant or switching to non-stimulant medication.

Tics

Tics are movements we cannot control and are most commonly seen in the face, eyes, shoulders, neck and mouth. If the tic is in the throat, it could cause involuntary coughing, humming or sniffing. In some instances, children and adults will experience this kind of side effect after starting an ADHD drug. 

Often, caffeine is the strongest tic trigger. Many doctors suggest removing caffeine from your diet during the period of starting a new medication. About 50% of people are successful in losing their tics with this dietary change. However, if this does not work, your doctor may recommend a medication called clonidine, which can lower the severity of the tic. Family history can also correlate with the presence of tics and should be discussed with your doctor.

Emotional Issues

Many people appear ‘spaced out’ or emotionless when using a high dosage of a stimulant drug. They may also show signs of heightened emotion, such as being tearful, irritable, or volatile between highs and lows. Most doctors would recommend lowering the dosage of the medication to reduce these side effects. If reducing the dosage helps with these side effects but causes ADHD issues to worsen, it is worth trying another type of stimulant that can be taken in a higher dose without those emotional side effects. If all stimulants cause these side effects in a high dose, then a non-stimulant can be tried. 

Rebound 

Some people can experience up to an hour of being excessively chatty, hyperactive and impulsive about 30 minutes after the medication ‘wears off’ in the body. You can help reduce this side effect by taking or giving a lower dose, especially if you take a second dose or evening dose. You could also experiment with adding a short acting type of medication to the evening dose. If that causes an issue with sleep, then you may want to consider a non-stimulant medication alternative. 

Anxiety & Depression

In some instances, ADHD medication can actually help reduce symptoms of anxiety in people who suffer with it before taking medication, especially if their anxiety stems from not being able to focus. They may also help with pre-existing depression.

However, stimulant medications can also cause problems like bipolar and psychosis to worsen, which is why your doctor will likely screen for those conditions before prescribing a stimulant. 

The Side Effects Of Non-Stimulant Medications For ADHD

If you or your child are struggling to tolerate the full effects of ADHD stimulant medications, you may want to consider non-stimulant medications either as a standalone solution or paired with a stimulant to reduce your overall dosage.

Common non-stimulant drugs available to treat ADHD:

• Wellbutrin (bupropion)

• Tofranil (Imipramine)

• Norpramin (Desipramine)

• Pamelor (Nortriptyline)

Unfortunately, the unwanted effects can also be quite large for these medications while the desired effects for focus and concentration are lower. This explains why they are not considered the best ADHD treatment. 

One of the most common side effects of these kinds of drugs is fatigue. This issue can reduce after the first month or two. If it doesn’t resolve you could speak to your doctor about taking less of the drug, or taking the drug in three smaller doses throughout the day. 

You may also experience dry mouth, blurry vision and constipation. These effects can respond well to eating more fiber, drinking more water and using mouth moisteners like boiled sugar-free sweets. 

Some patients can also suffer from waking up in the early hours of the morning, without being able to go back to sleep. You can try taking less of an evening dose, or taking it a bit earlier to help this problem. 

If these approaches to side effects don’t help, then you should try another medication. You do need to come off the first medication slowly though, otherwise you may experience withdrawal symptoms. 

In some instances, tricyclics drugs can exacerbate epilepsy and cause issues with a rapid pulse of the heart. Your doctor will discuss these things with you before prescribing any drug to check it is safe for you, or your child. 

Alpha Agonists

Alpha Agonists are blood-pressure drugs (Catepres and Tenex) that can help control the impulsive symptoms of ADHD. They can compliment stimulant drugs taken for ADHD and tend to be taken alongside them, rather than on their own. They can help reduce impulsivity in both the physical and mental sense, as well as reducing problems like emotional overreaction and issues with criticism. The only downside of these drugs is that they can cause sleepiness in the day. Your doctor can discuss dosage adjustments to help with this, or alternative non-stimulant drugs if these adjustments do not help. 

Strattera (Atomoxetine)

Atomoxetine can cause stomach ache, issues with appetite, vomiting, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and mood issues. In most situations these problems will reduce naturally in time, and if they don’t, your doctor can recommend dosage changes to help. 

In all instances with stimulant and non-stimulant drugs, your doctor will likely have various options for you to try until you find the right ADHD drug. It’s about experimentation and an attitude of openness is critical for success.