Adderall For Anxiety: Can It Help? I Psych Central

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Psych CentralSubscribeAnxietyCan Adderall Help with Anxiety?

Medically reviewed by Nicole Washington, DO, MPH — Written by Sarah Barkley — Updated on April 26, 2023

Adderall and anxiety
Adderall overview
Anxiety overview
How it's used
Side effects
Management
Recap

Adderall can help manage symptoms of ADHD but can make symptoms of anxiety worse in some cases.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopment condition that affects how you think and behave.

It’s not uncommon to experience symptoms of anxiety when you have ADHD. In fact, nearly half of adults who live with ADHD also have some type of anxiety disorder.

Managing ADHD and anxiety are difficult. When both conditions occur together, it can be even more of a challenge.

Adderall is a stimulant often prescribed to treat narcolepsy and ADHD. It can help improve attention, focus, and concentration.

If you live with ADHD and anxiety, you may be wondering whether Adderall can also help improve your anxiety symptoms.

The answer to that is a complex one, as the effects of ADHD can differ from person to person. In some people, Adderall may make symptoms of anxiety worse.

Does Adderall help with anxiety?

Adderall is FDA approved to treat narcolepsy and ADHD. It isn’t typically used to treat anxiety, and when used alone, it may worsen your symptoms. This medication can also produce side effects similar to symptoms of anxiety, such as nervousness, irritability, and restlessness.

A 2018 review found that while amphetamines are helpful for reducing the severity of ADHD symptoms in adults in the short term, it does not improve anxiety symptoms.

Another study from 2018 found that while amphetamines may worsen anxiety symptoms, methylphenidate use in the short term may help lessen anxiety in adults. But this study also found that long-term use in childhood may increase a person’s chance of experiencing anxiety in adulthood.

A 2016 study found that excessive use of Adderall may increase symptoms of ADHD and anxiety in college students.

Adderall may help in the short term but the benefits may not last. There’s also a chance of dependence when taking stimulants such as Adderall.

This medication can also produce side effects similar to those of anxiety such as nervousness, irritability, and restlessness.

What is Adderall?

Adderall is a prescription medication used to treat ADHD or narcolepsy. It can help improve your mood, attention, and focus.

Adderall contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine and works by increasing the level of dopamine and norepinephrine. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and the fight, flight, or freeze response.

It affects the natural substances in your brain that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control — common symptoms of ADHD.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that often involves excessive fear and worry. We all experience anxious feelings from time to time.

But when that anxiety occurs all the time and begins to interfere with your daily functioning, it may be an anxiety disorder.

The common symptoms of anxiety include:

restlessness
nervousness
pain
rapid heart rate
trembling
feelings of danger
weakness
difficulty focusing
avoidance
repetitive behavior
lethargy
insomnia

If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing is anxiety, consider taking our anxiety test. While this test can’t be used as a diagnostic tool, it can help keep track of your moods.

How is adderall used for anxiety?

Adderall is a prescription medication, which means a prescription is required from a healthcare or mental health professional.

Taking medication for anxiety when it’s not prescribed isn’t advised. If you’re curious about whether Adderall can help with your anxiety symptoms, consider speaking with a healthcare or mental health professional.

Serious side effects may occur if you take Adderall with an anti-anxiety medication.

Are there side effects?

Yes. Like most medications, Adderall does come with side effects. Some common side effects are:

nervousness
restlessness
headaches
problems sleeping
dizziness
dry mouth
slowed speech
decreased appetite, sometimes disrupting growth and development in children
nausea
constipation or diarrhea
irritability or agitation
elevated blood pressure
stomach or bladder pain

There are also some rare but intense side effects to watch for, including:

uncontrollable shaking
seizures
hallucinations
paranoia
worsening mental health conditions

You may have a higher chance of experiencing side effects if you have:

high blood pressure
heart disease
substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder
another mental health condition

If you’re pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, you may want to consult with your doctor before taking Adderall. Suddenly stopping Adderall may result in withdrawal symptoms. Slowly tapering off the medication may help you avoid any unwanted side effects.

Management

When ADHD and anxiety coexist, learning how to manage them is crucial.

According to research from 2017, healthcare or mental health professional will likely begin by seeing which condition affects your quality of life more and then work from there.

Anxiety is often treated with anti-anxiety medications. Stimulants are often used to treat ADHD, but other options are available.

Common treatment options aren’t the best choice when the two disorders coexist. Instead, your doctor might suggest therapy for anxiety and try a few different options for ADHD.

They’ll likely monitor your progress and symptoms to determine what’s working and if any changes are necessary.

Your lifestyle and specific symptoms will be considered to determine a unique treatment plan that best fits you.

Psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might also be recommended. Therapy can help address the underlying factors of both conditions to determine where they overlap as well as provides coping tools to help you manage your symptoms.

Let’s recap

Adderall may be prescribed to help treat ADHD. It isn’t often used for anxiety and could even worsen symptoms in some people.

While the evidence is mixed, it largely suggests that Adderall may make symptoms of anxiety worse, particularly if used in the long term.

If you have ADHD and anxiety, consider speaking with a healthcare or mental health professional to determine what medication may be helpful. They can develop a treatment plan that works for you and your unique set of symptoms.

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Adderall CII. (n.d.).https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/011522s043lbl.pdf
Castells X, et al. (2018). Amphetamines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6513464/
Faraone SV. (2018). The pharmacology of amphetamine and methylphenidate: relevance to the neurobiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other psychiatric comorbidities.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8063758/
Gudmundsdottir BG, et al. (2016). Prescription stimulant misuse and ADHD symptomatology among college students in Iceland.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1087054716684379
Katzman MA, et al. (2017). Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: Clinical implications of a dimensional approach.https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1463-3
Shoar NS, et al. (2022). Dextroamphetamine-Amphetamine.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507808/
Sinha A, et al. (2016). Adult ADHD medications and their cardiovascular implications.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4992783/
Weyandt LL, et al. (2018). Neurocognitive, autonomic, and mood effects of Adderall: A pilot study of healthy college students. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165228/

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Medically reviewed by Nicole Washington, DO, MPH — Written by Sarah Barkley — Updated on April 26, 2023

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Adderall For Anxiety: Can It Help? I Psych Central

Does Adderall help with anxiety?

What is Adderall?

What is anxiety?

How is adderall used for anxiety?

Are there side effects?

Management

Let’s recap

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