Adderall and Autoimmune Disease

I would try Dexedrine instead of adderall.
I had less unwanted side effects vs benefits from switching to Dexedrine .

I was directed to this blog while trying to search for effects of stimulants for people with moms exposure illness.
I'm waiting to see a specialist for the mold exposure.
It has been a total nightmare trying to get all my symptoms under control and attempting to maintain some quality of life .
I was simply curious as to what effects the stimulant meds may have beneficial or unwanted in regards to mold exposure.

I am 48 years old and 6 months ago was prescribed Adderall for lack of focus (maybe ADD but no hyperactivity, plus possibly narcolepsy. Adderall was it seemed at first the best thing that ever happened to me, for the first time ever I had enough energy to get through the day, and was able to function like a normal person. It seemed a dream come true. At first I was on 10 mg twice a day, but I started to have rashes, my dr. said it couldn't be the Adderall but I stopped it anyway. Rashes cleared, but it had worked so well so I wondered (hoped) if it was coincedence so I started it again months later. It seemed ok at first and my dr. said 20 mg a day was pretty low, so he upped it to 20 mg. twice a day. Within days of upping the dose I started having pain and stiffness in my feet and hands in the morning, soon after I also had radiating pain down my leg, then carpal tunnell, then rashes and styes. I was soon diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My dr. says it IS just coincidence but I know it isn't. I can't find any studies, but there sure are a lot of people asking the same question. I have since stopped taking Adderall and really miss it, but I can't take it without wondering what havoc it is playing with my immune system.

I have RA and narcolepsy. Hmmm....

My dear, I have almost the same story only I didn't even get 4 or 5 months. Within a couple of months of starting Adderall I started with stiff hands and feet in the a.m., days later carpal tunnell and pain radiating down left leg and hip pain. I stopped the Adderall as soon as I dedided there was a connection but too late, I had obviously triggered an autoimmune disease. I now have 3 styes around my eye, lumps under my skin, rashes all over my fingers and hands and terrivle IBS. I have an appt coming up with a rheumatoligist but in the days of internet searching I can see that these are all related to autoimmunce diseases and that I at least have RA, probably more. Sucks eh? I sure think someone should be paying attention to this!

I know this is an old post, however I came across this and felt the need to comment. My sister was diagnosed with ADD and was on medication for many years. After 5 years, she developed hypothyroidism. She then had to come off her ADD meds to go on thyroid meds and was told she would probably have to take them for the rest of her life. However, while on the thyroid meds she still felt terrible and still had hypothyroid symptoms. She decided to go off the thyroid meds and went back to her Dr for testing her thyroid levels (she didn't mention that she was no longer taking them). Her results came back and he said her thyroid levels were good. My sister told her Dr that she wasn't on the meds anymore and hadn't been for sometime, to which he explained she must have had subclinical hypothyroid disease. However, once coming off the ADD meds her thyroid levels stabilised. My sister still has signs off thyroid dysfuntion, but is looking and feeling much better than she did years ago. Her health has improved dramatically. During this time I was also diagnosed with ADHD. I was put on meds and have been for 8 years now. For the past two years I have suffered severe symptoms of hypothyroid dysfunction. None of these symptoms were ever present before going on the meds (I was put on meds in my early 20's). My TSH levels have come back low (but in the normal range), so I am going now to have all my other levels tested. I honestly believe the meds are causing strain on my thyroid, adrenal glads etc. I use to be someone who ate well, exercised regularly and extremely bubbly and happy. I know sleep 14 hrs a day but have issues falling asleep at night, I suffer seborrheic dermatitis, my hair falls out in massive clumps, I'm constantly cold even in the peak of our summer, extreme confusion at times, I suffer weakness in my joints.... the list goes on. No Dr believes me when I say I believe the medication may be a leading trigger in all these thyroid symptoms. However, looking at my sister now, getting off these meds may possibly be the best thing I'll ever do.

@Rruca1 - you posted over a year ago, so you may never see this, but the swelling of the hands, joint pain and numbness, and cracking have all happened to me too. My feet also swell and get crazy red for an hour or so, and then they return to normal. ALL of my joints pop horribly. My spine will even crack and when it does, it sounds like a dry chicken bone. I had extensive bloodwork done and everything came back normal. No RA. During these flare ups, like you, I feel "off." My tongue gets slightly swollen and sore, and my throat glands swell. I've taken Adderall @90mg for a year. I hope you have found some relief in the past year!

I also was told I have RA after being on adderall for 2 years. Been on it 3 years now. Will the RA go away if I get off the adderall?

Hi,

I too take Adderall and have other health issues.  As a result of, my other health issues, I had a metabolic test done.  It came back showing that I had two gene MTHFR mutations; A1298C & C677T.  Simply put, it means my body doesn't produce or process FOLATE ( bit B) like it should.  This can cause a lot of health problems.  Folate helps with mental functions, without it my neurotransmitters don't work right.  This causes ADD, Depression, bipolar disorder and a host of other mental issues.  It also predisposes me to various other health issues.  I encourage everyone to look it up, do some research and ask your dr to test you.  

Its good info to know about yourself.

Debbi

Update,

So I started this post a couple of years ago and decided to give an update. After returning to adderall use for a couple of years my energy level of course rose but each time I tried to take a break I had a loss of energy and motivation. Then last January I started feeling my heart racing and could feel my heart beating. I went to my GP and she rushed me to a neighboring cardiologist who told me I was having an arrythmia (basically my heart was racing at between 120 and 140 beats per minute and skipping every 5th beat). I questioned both doctors about whether the Adderall was causing this and they said it was unlikely but it couldn't be helping the situation. So I quit cold turkey that day.

When my labs came back my thyroid levels were very high (hyperactive) so I was immediately referred to an endocronologist who after initially examining me said she was sure I had Graves disease (another autoimmune disease) and she would confirm that with additional blood work in a couple of weeks looking for the markers. So after more blood tests and another three weeks I returned to both my cardiologist and endocronologist, the blood tests showed I had no markers for Graves and my thyroid had returned to normal levels, my heart rate and rhythm had returned to normal and my valves all looked good and my blood pressure was in normal ranges. Keep in mind that I had now been off adderall for about one month.

Although both doctors were reluctant to give any credence to the adderall as the central factor since I have stopped using it, I have had no further heart or thyroid issues. I won't say it is easy being off adderall, but I have looked at my diet, cut way back on sugars both natural and processed and tried to get more consistent with my exercise. After doing some more research I think (based on some prominent doctors) that our high sugar diets maybe the source of many of our (western society) health issues. I won't say this is easy but I am tired of relying on drugs that I know are not doing me any long term good. For the last five months I have quit taking any prescription drugs (I was on 5) and have cut way back on sugars, while I am still working on some health issues I can tell you I am in much better shape than I was 6 months ago. I encourage you to watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

I am 41. I was taking adderall 30mg for four years three times a day. I got pregnant and continued my adderall twice a day and noticed numbing and pain in my muscles etc. After I gave birth I quit taking adderall and had my first major flare up for RA. There is no history in my family for ra. I had the strongest immune system my entire life and all has changed. I think adderall triggers ra

Ugh... I don't like reading this stuff because I don't want to get off adderall. Every time I try I am lethargic and cranky and rapidly gain weight. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (unlike type 2, it's an irreversible auto immune disease where you need to give yourself multiple daily injections for the rest of your life). Normally this is hereditary but no one on my family has it. I often wonder if adderall is the culprit. My primary care dr, Endocronologist and rheumatologist all say it has nothing to do with adderal. Doesn't it seem possible though that forcing the adrenal system to work extra hard over an extended period of time could cause stress on the body? All the Drs have agreed that stress could trigger an auto immune disease, so...? Unfortunately I am defendant on this drug. If just one doctor told "yes" this could be the cause of your diabetes I would get off of it immediately but until I hear those words I will continue to go against my better judgment and stay on this powerful drug. I would do anything to go back in time and not start it, if it meant not living without type 1 diabetes, which has changed my life forever. I definitely have pretty bad ADD but with major determination I made it through college without meds. I started taking adderall out of fear of losing a job where I dealt with millions of dollars a day and mistakes were not acceptable. I think I am worse off today honestly. I need to take Ambien to sleep and I often have brain fog and low energy. I would advise anyone considering taking this highly addictive drug to try behavior modification first. PS- I have also been getting these weird lip tremors over the past year. Not sure if they're connected...

hi? this is possibly the best response i have heard or read in the past year... on off adderall for the past couple years... last year it took over my whole body... i would like to speak to you and pick your brain? ... hopefully you get this

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I saw a report on the FDA website stating one of the recent violations in a drug manufacturer facility was a room full of mold and flies everywhere. There is a shortage of drugs, though, so the USA is still importing their product despite the multiple inspection violations. Check the site, it's pretty bad.

What autoimmune disorder? I was prescribed adderall xr around the same age a year or two after I started presenting autoimmune like symptoms