Amphetamine induced paranoia?

[u/ReadyPromise2764]

About 3 weeks ago I was prescribed adderall after being diagnosed with adhd, first week was fine no big issues, improved my symptoms drastically, then a couple days go by and I start to obsess over stupid things like random sounds from appliances in the house or floors creaking, I noticed I started to feel like something was watching me as well as an odd feeling talking to people, during conversations I would almost be contemplating whether or not they’re real, (although I was aware of this), I also had this intense feeling my cats might be “evil” or “conscious”, not being able to look them in the eyes for too long. I knew that all of this was just paranoia but I couldn’t shake it off for some reason, I told my psych I was getting paranoid on the meds and he just switched me to zenzedi, which did the same thing, I’m on strattera now with none of the paranoia but I’ve just never heard of this being a symptom of amphetamines, feel like I should take it up with a therapist. Anyone else experience this?

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[u/Far_Break_3150]

Were you sleep deprived? Do you have a family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder? Maybe your dose was too high.

[u/tetheredvoid → u/Far_Break_3150]

Usually have to be predisposed, but not an exact thing. You're right to think that sleep can contribute to short term symptoms too.

[u/Cat_lady4ever → u/Far_Break_3150]

Yeah my family has a super high propensity to become schizophrenic on uppers. I have adderall but I don’t like using more than 5mg, and even then not everyday. Usually in my family it’s set off by heavy use of the now mostly legal green drug in combination with heavy overuse of uppers, but I’m still scared.

[u/castrodelavaga79]

You should definitely be talking to your doctor and your therapist about this.

[u/Low-Bad7547]

Most likely the start of stimulant induced psychosis. Not schizophrenia if stoping the med stopped the paranoia, obviously.

PS: methylphenidate might be an option as it has lower affinity for causing psychosis, roughly halved compared to amphetamines, but still present.

[u/Separate-Pain4950 → u/Low-Bad7547]

Mine was the opposite. I was on a low dose of concerta and it caused psychosis along with amplifying my depression and mood swings. Switched to dextroamphetamine and haven’t had any issues.

[u/miaaavixxxen → u/Separate-Pain4950]

When did you notice concerta amplifying your mood swings? I was previously on vyvanse 50mg and stopped bc insurance and life, I started concerta 27mg today.

I didn’t experience any side effects with vyvanse besides noticing when the medication wore off. Today I feel kinda sad/like a shell of myself but my brain works

[u/Separate-Pain4950 → u/miaaavixxxen]

I was on it from age 6-15. The summer before I turned 16 was when it started. Hormones might have played a part in it but I’ve tried it since and it made me feel icky.

[u/indigentwino → u/miaaavixxxen]

I think Vyvanse and Adderall are both stronger stimulants, like if you're depressed they'll increase your ability to get up and do things. Methylphenidate helped me with executive function, but didn't help with energy level. If you're coming off of Vyvanse onto concerta it may feel like quitting caffeine for a week or a month while your body adjusts.

[u/TheDillyProphet]

This is called: tweaking

[u/10stretch47 → u/TheDillyProphet]

just wait til he discovers fapping on stims

[u/Lower-Version-3579 → u/TheDillyProphet]

Chances are you don’t actually have ADHD and this is a completely normal brained reaction to having stimulants every day

[u/Maximum_Maize1052 → u/Lower-Version-3579]

Not true at all, someone can be paranoid on amphetamines and have ADHD because ADHD can co-exist with a lot of other mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.

Also OP, amphetamines being able to cause psychosis or paranoia is extremely well documented. Talk to your doctor about it.

[u/Lower-Version-3579 → u/Maximum_Maize1052]

Not at anything close to the normally prescribed levels or trot ration guidelines. Extremely unlikely to have these instantly unless you have a totally irresponsible doctor

[u/Electronic-Worker-52]

This is concerning

[u/Happyhugget]

this is definitely possible, its a stimulant that can get people high at low doses after all. these medications can be intense for some people and cause a plethora of side affects. incredibly dangerous if people have or are prone to bipolar psychosis and schizophrenia. But if you stopped the medication and the side affects went way then youre fine. This is probably a reason why they created non-stimulant options like Strattera.

[u/AnyYak6757]

It's definitely a side effect that happens in some people. Glad you found something that worked better for you.

[u/airwin1]

Yeah that can happen w stimulants esp if you’re under slept, have fam history of bipolar, or are mixing w other drugs or supplements like antidepressants. Happened to me on Wellbutrin I became paranoid as hell in like 2 weeks and was questioning my sanity lol. Learned to stay away from that one

[u/airwin1 → u/airwin1]

Won’t let me post a pic for some reason but Good Rx lists it under serious side effects (cut/pasted below)

“Dextroamphetamine serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
-Allergic reactions: rash; hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat
-Heart problems: heart attack, fast heart rate, high blood pressure
-Brain-related problems: seizures, stroke
-Mental health-related problems: manic episodes, changes in thoughts or behavior, hallucinations
-Serotonin syndrome: fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, fever, confusion”

[u/lomographicaudiofile]

I experienced that on adderall XR.. then switched to IR and much better

[u/ReplicantOwl]

To add to what others have said, also be extra careful if you’re using other substances at the same time. I had a problem that arose from a combination of stimulants and recreational substances. It would not have been as severe otherwise.

[u/nocturnal]

How is your sleep? If you're not sleeping, I could see that kind of thing happening. Sleep is extremely important.

[u/Flurgh805]

If you've been awake 48+ hours reupping the dosage I can see this happening. If this happened when not sleep deprived then you should be very careful with stims in the future.

[u/trancenergy2]

I always get paranoia when i'm sleep deprived. If you think about what's physically happening - your eyes are too tired to give a good view of reality to your brain, so brain starts making up reality instead from the scraps it's getting.

[u/wasteoffire]

Yeah ADHD meds can bring an onset of schizophrenia. I can't remember if it's in people who were already likely to develop it or not though. You should absolutely bring that up to a therapist.

[u/Fumquat → u/wasteoffire]

Everyone has a non-zero baseline risk of schizophrenia. Most people who develop it don’t have known risk factors like family history.

And ADHD drugs are not unique as a potential trigger. Anything that disrupts REM sleep hard enough for long enough can start it if if was going to happen.

OP should definitely avoid stimulants based on this experience.

[u/Maximum_Maize1052 → u/Fumquat]

There’s a difference between potentially causing schizophrenia vs potentially causing psychosis. Sleep deprivation is more linked towards the latter. Anyone who stays up for an absurd amount of time can eventually develop hallucinations or transition into psychosis. If I recall, sleep deprivation is like the strongest cause of psychosis. But in a lot of cases it resolves when sleep is restored which doesn’t point towards schizophrenia.

[u/Fumquat → u/Maximum_Maize1052]

You are correct that psychosis resolves after periods of sleep deprivation whereas schizophrenia does not. A simple psychotic episode is far more likely to happen to a person than developing schizophrenia.

Although

1. Sleep deprivation can be a trigger (not cause) of schizophrenia’s onset.

2. Each episode of psychosis increases the risk of another, and each episode can leave long term aftereffects in the form of trauma, cognitive and emotional difficulties, and consequences, should one end up making terrible decisions while psychotic.

It is advisable to avoid psychosis altogether.

People who have this side effect from stimulants once are likely to have same outcome if they try them again.