Adderall and Chest Pain
Adderall is an amphetamine-based prescription stimulant medication used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. Because of it’s stimulant properties, it is classified as a Schedule II drug — meaning it has a known risk of misuse, dependence, and addiction.
Misusing stimulants like Adderall is dangerous and can lead to serious consequences to a person’s health, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular issues.
How Does Adderall Affect The Heart?
Typically, a person who takes Adderall as prescribed by a physician will not develop heart problems. Even people who have taken Adderall or similar stimulant medications to treat ADHD since childhood, and continue into adulthood, are not at risk for developing heart problems. Oversight from a medical professional makes these drugs safe and effective to treat ADHD.
However, people who abuse Adderall without a prescription, for fun or as a performance enhancer, are at much greater risk. Taking the substance to enhance academic or physical performance, to lose weight, or to get high puts the individual at risk for abusing larger doses of the drug, becoming dependent on the substance to feel normal, and developing compulsive behaviors around the drug.
At high doses, Adderall increases the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, and stroke. People who have underlying cardiovascular problems are at a greater risk from consuming stimulants, including prescription stimulants overseen by a physician.
Short-term side effects associated with Adderall include:
- Chest pain.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Anxiety or panic.
- Irregular heartbeat.
Can Adderall Cause Heart Attacks?
Regular therapeutic use of Adderall has not been shown to demonstrably increase the risk of heart attacks. However, misuse of stimulants or stimulant medications can increase the risk of experiencing dangerous cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, especially in individuals who have underlying heart issues.
Other potential risks for developing heart conditions due to Adderall involve off-label prescription. Adults make up a reported 32 percent of all stimulant prescriptions, and many of these individuals may not have ADHD.
Adderall and High Blood Pressure
Taking stimulant medications, like Adderall, can slightly increase a person’s heart rate and elevate their blood pressure. However, it is rare that regular therapeutic Adderall use will drastically increase a person’s blood pressure; adults with underlying cardiovascular conditions may be at a great risk for experiencing high blood pressure, among other issues.
Misuse of prescription stimulants medications can “age” the heart, resulting in high blood pressure which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Adderall Addiction Help
If you or someone you love is struggling with dependence on or addiction to stimulant medications, like Adderall, there is help that can get you on the road to recovery. At our drug addiction treatment center in Etta, MS we use addiction-focused healthcare to help people achieve meaningful recovery from prescription stimulant misuse.
Contact our knowledgeable and helpful admissions navigators 24/7 at to learn more about our different levels of care, including inpatient drug rehab, outpatient drug rehab in Oxford, MS, or sober living home. They can also help you to learn how to use insurance for drug rehab, discuss other ways to pay for treatment, and help you start the admissions process.
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