Callista, I have hypertension, as well as a strong family history. I take Bupropion and Vyvanse for ADHD traits. I monitor my blood pressure at home, and always monitor consistently before and after starting a new medication of any kind. I did find that Bupropion, which is not an amphetamine, did raise my blood pressure a few points. I did not see that with the stimulant Vyvanse, although it may be happening. I take blood pressure medication, which works somewhat to bring my BP down in acceptable range, and also do things like restrict salt in my diet, take Omega-3s, try not to get too stressed out, etc. Managing hypertension is doing a lot of things to help a point or two, and hopefully they will add up. If your meds raise your BP a few points, you can probably combat that with other changes, such as restricting salt, getting regular exercise, etc.

Do you find that the Concerta helps you? Would you want to give it up? If it is a drug that is really helping you, I wouldn't press too hard on your doc about the BP issue. You can do your own investigation--monitor your BP at home regularly with a monitor. That is more accurate anyway than the readings in the doctor's office. If your BP seems too high, and it seems to be in response to the Concerta, and you can't get it down by other means, then go ahead and discuss with your doctor. I think you can get a lot of preliminary information on your own before discussing with your doc. Alternatively, if you do find Concerta is raising your BP a few points, you can just quit it. Maybe it isn't helping you that much.

It's always a trade-off: a medical intervention can help us in some ways and be detrimental in others. My cardiologist says he values quality of life for patients, so he thinks it can be worth it to prescribe something that increases risk slightly, if it improves the patient's quality of life. (This was the case with an acne medication for me, which slightly increased the risk of blood clots.)

Good luck. (Get a home blood pressure monitor.)