Can Adderall cause depression in children?

Answer 1

Important disclaimer! Please read!

All of the answers given below are simply personal experiences. Everyone will react differently to different types of drugs.

If you are seeking valid medical advice it cannot be stressed enough that you should consult your own physician rather than relying on information provided here.

One answer:

Yes, it can.I used to take Adderall for my ADD when i was younger about seven too nine, i stopped because my schoolwork improved. I'm seventeen right now and i haven't been prescribed to adderall since then. I have however abused it a few times. Due to my lack of good grades last year my mom put me back on it and ever since i have been feeling really not myself and lonely all around even when i have all my friends around me. I'm about to get off it and i'v only been taking it for five days.

I have been sad and all before, but not for like no reason like i have been. If you are feeling depressed, you should stop taking it and talk to your doctor. I am soon.

ANOTHER ANSWER

Both girls above are right. Yes, adderall CAN cause depression, however, it can only cause depression to a certain point. If you were ever really depressed before taking adderall you MUST see a doctor, because they are really the only ones who can help.

I am a 24 year old successful female working in the professional world. I have never really been depressed or had suicidal thoughts - besides the normal "teenage depression." I started taking adderall last November and here's what I have realized... please note this OPINION (and anyone who is not a doctor can only tell you opinions - you must talk to a doctor to receive any real help)

I started taking adderall last November. Ever since high school my teachers thought I had some problems with focusing, but I never wanted to seek medical help because "I wanted to prove I could do it on my own." And I actually made it pretty far on my own, farther than most people could. I will not say at what point I sought help, because it's all relative when an individual needs help. But you know when it gets to that point, so do yourself a favor and go see a doctor.

Anyways, the doctor prescribed adderall xr (20mg). I took it probably 4-5 times a week (even though I hate relying on drugs) and I was okay on the 20 mg. Again, in hindsight, I admit that at the point I started taking adderall, I can see now that, I started feeling "down" almost immediately. I should warn people, however, that others could feel immediately depressed at this point, and if you do, it's because of the adderall. I only felt "down" and not "depressed" because I tried to stay rationale about the situation.

Anyways, in January, my doctor was out of town and the replacement doctor wrote a prescription. This doctor, however, accidently wrote the prescription for 30 mg instead of 20mg.

Again, when all was said and done, I take this as god's gift, because it turns out that I had serious side effects from adderall, more than I ever realized. On the 30mgs, my tongue became ENORMOUSLY swollen, my throat was constantly 24/7 sore, and my hands felt stiff, as well as did the rest of my body. I had serious physical reactions to the increased dosage. Additionally, at that time, I became really down on life. If you gave me the choice of talking to my best friend in the world, or sitting at home alone, I would chose sitting at home alone. Literally, I was not in a very good state of mind. I won't say that I had suicidal thoughts, because I'm not personally that type of person. But I guarantee you that anyone else in my situation would have had thoughts of suicide. I was just that down on life/school/friends/everything.

Well after a rather short, abrupt, and rude message from my doctor regarding a separate issue, but somewhat related, I began researching adderall more in depth and FINALLY had the epiphany that I hope all you other women out there will have from reading this...adderall CAN cause depression. Some women, like myself and apparently like the second woman who responded to this question, can handle it better than other women. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. I grew up around all boys what can you expect?!?!

So if, after writing down a time-line of when you started taking adderall and when you started feeling the thoughts and feelings that you do, you realize that adderall might possibly be the cause, PLEASE schedule an appointment with a doctor. There are other medications out there that can help you, and might actually even perform BETTER than adderall given your personal characteristics.

Just don't get down and out about life too badly. And if you are, realize that it actually might be the adderall. When you stop taking it, you will feel a lot better, and you can find another medication (maybe even something herbal) that will be able to help you focus.

Your mental health is more important than your physical health, don't play with your mind and don't let adderall do it either. Get help and everything will be okay =) And don't listen to anyone who tells you that adderall doesn't cause depression. Take it from me, it can and it does.

Another answer:

One of the problems with a focus-oriented medication such as adderall is it can encourage you to "dwell" on things. If you've got anything in your life that is seriously upsetting you (such as a time-consuming relationship, overwhelming work project, and so on) you can expect to REALLY dwell on it. Just a word of caution.

You two are both wrong, i am a 15 year old male on 20 mg of adderall xr, but i am taking 40 to 80 mg instead. the reason y adderall causes depression is because it releases dopeamine in ur brain while ur on the drug, but after it clears your system ur dopeamine is not flowing through u naturally. i am actually coming off a adderall withdrawl, i ran out about 3 days ago, i can tell u i didn't have any suicidel thoughts, and my situation was probly 10 times worse than the ppl above, but how ever it was 2 weeks and 3 days since i had last slept, i also snapped in anger, i felt so alone, i was hallucinateing since i had been up for a long time, i thought about god and life, and other things. i got in idk how many fights at my neighborhood market those 3days. but it was the worst feeling in the world. it even got to the point of physical damage such as kidney pain, extreme migranes, extreme chest pain etc. and also since i had been doing it everyday for weeks, popping one pill after another, my dopeamine ran out completely, so i wasn't even getting a buzz when i got more, but i had to take it or i'd get physical pain, and anxiety depression attacks.

but despite of all that, there are ways to help u through those withdrawl stages, but u have to pre plan them, cause if u get in the state that me and I'm sure many other where in, there will be no conviencing urself to help urself or get help. one way i got through it, was hard vigorus exerciseing,(which releases endorphins in the brain) then was taking long walks around the city, to places maybe u haven't or wouldn't go to normally. anything that keeps u from sitting around thinking to much will work. but like i said it has to be pre planned, or u will not do it if u snap. so that is what i have to say, and to the girl above, u didn't handle it better than anyone else would, u actually didn't even see a dent of the psychological pain of adderall withdrawl. if u where in my shoes a couple days ago u prolly would have had suicidel thoughts, cause no matter how strong u think ur mind is, or what kind of person u think u are, u find out real quik with my type of withdrawl level that u are way weaker mentally than u think u are, u realize that little chemicals in the brain control who u are and how quickly they can change on u, even when i am normal that thought depresses me. I'm 15 years old and ur 24 and i have prolly seen and lived way more than u have, and i probly know alot more about ppl and other things that we shouldn't know, and i don't say that totally in a bragging manner, cause its like a curse when u come to a point when ur looking at ur self from another state of mind that u have never seen in ur self before, and it makes u wonder, what other states of mind am i capable of stepping into. not a good thought, ppl wonder how other ppl can kill and stuff, and they will never know until they have been in that state of mind. but i can understand cause with the help of adderall and other amphetamines, i have stepped into those states. and they really really seriously blow.

Another answer:

Okay for the 15 year old boy above ^^^^ , I am sorry buddy but you don't know the first thing about life. I remember, I was just like you when I was your age: young, naive, careless, narcissistic, etc. etc. and basically very unintelligent when it comes to know fact from opinion. First off, please do not try to sound intelligent if you can't even type it correctly. Second, enough with the mr. know-it-all bulls***. Like I said, I was just like you and stuck in my own thoughts and beliefs but trust me kid..once you grow up and have to deal with the real aspects of life, then you will know what I am talking about. I do not doubt that you have developed a severe physical and psychological addiction to Adderall. Did you stop to think that maybe that is evidence of how much stupidity you hold inside your peanut head? Another thing, get help. I would if I were you, so if you haven't already, Get help! You even thinking about killing or doing mindless things while under the influence or on your dopamine rush? I am going to end this blog with a spelling lesson for you. As seen above this sentence..it is spelt "Dopamine"second it is called "withdrawal" not withdrawl psh! shows how much you know about drugs and addiction. Continuing on, I do not know where you get an E in the word "taking" but throw that outta your mind...if it all possible. I would write a book if I were to keep going on about your poor grammar skills. It is no wonder you are on adderall. ALSO, (gosh I'm getting tired of this) you are not superman. Therefore, there is no 2.5 weeks of not sleeping happening to a 15 year old kid. Maybe for a trained professional sleep deprivation expert...if there was such a person but even then, I believe..(key word BELIEVE, meaning I might not be totally correct so I am okay with that..I realize that I may be wrong sometimes) I believe that that world record for longest straight running time without sleep is only 2 weeks. So show me your yearbook picture that Guinness book of world records used please! If you have further questions, you may email me at geahanse@msu.edu and I will be happy to straighten you up.

Another answer:

Ok well first of all the last two people seem pretty ignorant to me. Having poor grammar and spelling skills doesn't necessarily mean your dumb by any means.... I've always heard that intelligent people aren't very good spellers anyways and just because someone can't spell "withdrawal" doesn't mean that they are ignorant about drugs and addiction... also i seriously doubt that that boy went longer than two weeks without sleep... it is possible to die from sleep deprivation... like the girl above I'm not sure how long it takes but it is possible... but if you are actually telling the truth and were somehow able to go that long without sleep your "withdrawal symptoms" may just be from your lack of sleep... not only would you have hallucinations but you would be irritable and pretty much on the verge of insanity... sleep is when your body repairs itself so i can only imagine how much damage you've done to yourself.... also little boy you do come off as bragging about how mentally unstable you have been believe me its no accomplishment especially if you brought it on yourself... try having to live the rest of your life struggling with bipolar... its not easy... the one and only benefit ( if you can even call it that) of having been mentally unstable is that you can better understand what people are going through... it makes you a little more open minded... and to the girl above #1 its also not an accomplishment that you made it "farther than most people could" it takes a strong person to admit they need help depriving yourself of help or treatment just makes things harder on you... there's no shame in having ADD or ADHD your brain just works differently than other people and trying to handle it on your own is stubborn... its not something you can improve on on your own.... and #2 you can't just prevent yourself from being depressed or having suicidal thoughts... its a chemical imbalance that you have no control over... now there are ways to cope and therapies such as cognitive therapy that help change the way you perceive things but as far as not "letting" yourself get depressed because you were "rationale about the situation" is crap.... but back to the original question... I'm 23 years old and have been taking adderall for 5 years now... i take 40mg immediate action in the morning and 20mg in the afternoon... you are not suppose to exceed 60mg a day (although i have) I've never experienced any withdrawal symptoms when i don't take it and adderall actually makes me happier... I'm actually motivated, calmer, and i have more patience. The only thing that sucks about it for me is the dry mouth and i clinch my teeth. My point is that everyone reacts differently to certain medications and while taking a controlled substance such as adderall you should be under the supervision of a doctor at all times... personally i feel that there are better medications out there that aren't stimulants and are safer so if you are unhappy with the effects of adderall there are other options... for me adderall works great... i am way more productive and happy when I'm on it but if you are feeling depressed only a doctor can help you.

Another answer:

Actually... You're all RIGHT. Even the poor grammar kid. You all said see a doctor. You all said to get help. The only difference in your explanations was your personal experiences, and apparently (since the woman above me needed to dwell on it for a life long paragraph) your grammar skills or a crash judgment on intellect or competence. Calling someone ignorant without even knowing them is pretty ignorant yourself dahlin. This isn't a forum to analyze other ppl's issues and say what is right and what is wrong. What works for you/what is right for you, is probably not right for your neighbor or the woman you're talking to across the country. Sorry dear, but I'm sure these ppl don't really care what you have to say about THEIR lives.

The effects of any kind of drug are different on every person. Somethin doesn't seem right to you... See somebody. Tell somebody who can point you in the right direction if you don't think you can get yourself to the doctor. Take control of your own life or you'll never get out alive.

Another answer:

I have heard of people getting depressed after beginning an adderall medication routine. However, several of these stories mention a relatively short trial time. These side effects often go away after the body become acclimated to the medication.

As a user of Adderall XR, my medication was actualliy prescribed to treat my depression. Side effects can however vary within patients as can general response. I personally am inclined to bouts of depression the first day of skipping a dosage and thereafter stabilize.

Answer 2

Yes, Adderall can cause depression in children as well as adults. If you read the label on the bottle, one of the rare but serious side effect of Adderall is depression. If you think you are depressed because of Adderall, tell your doctor and he will change your prescription.

Answer 3

yes it can....when you take adderall youre taking a collection of amphetamines, which floods the chemical dopamine in your brain. so youll get the warm feeling, sweat maybe and of course the concentration that adderall is intetended for, but when it begins to wear off many people experience "crashing" which is when you no longer feel euphoric and full of energy, sometimes people get the chills or just mentally feel crappy...taking adderall, every day in any amount can definitely lead to some depression. remember its highly addictive, if you feel down, depressed or have physical illness later in the day after having taken adderall i would suggest stopping use for a few days and you will feel better. do research, Google adderall depression, many people experience it

Answer 4

At least one side effect occurs in children taking drugs for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The most common side effects are loss of appetite, sleep problems and mood swings. For the drugs that stimulated the central nervous system, mood disturbances were more common. For those that were nonstimulating, nausea and gastrointestinal problems were more common. With mood disturbances, clinical depression was a rare occurance.

Answer 5

I don't care what any Dr. says. Yes it can! It's a stimulant and if you don't have adhd it will make you more active, talkative. I know from my own experience so I shouldn't say it will work for you, but I bet it would for 99.9% of people. Just like inderall. It's prescribed for high blood pressure it's a beta blocker. However it will help with anxiety. Just an example.

Answer 6

Answer: If you stop taking it abruptly it has potential to cause depression, or if you need a higher dosage.

Answer 7

short term, but it just makes it worse both in the long run and especially when in the drug's come down phase.

Answer 8

I take Adderall, and i quit it on a regular basis. One of the symptoms of Adderall is actually depression. and every time I quit, I was happy, until something bad came about.