[Patva]

My 20 year old daughter has problems with Adderall, she needs a med that will not make her anxious and will not take her appetite away. She gags when she is on Adderall. Any suggestions.

[sunrise]

So your daughter gags because the Adderall makes her nauseous?

There is a transdermal methylphenidate patch that is used for treating ADHD, and is useful when oral medication is not well tolerated. It is called Daytrana. Methylphenidate is the same drug found in Ritalin and Concerta.

I don't know if the Daytrana patch affects appetite or not.

[Patva]

Originally Posted by sunrise

So your daughter gags because the Adderall makes her nauseous?

There is a transdermal methylphenidate patch that is used for treating ADHD, and is useful when oral medication is not well tolerated. It is called Daytrana. Methylphenidate is the same drug found in Ritalin and Concerta.

I don't know if the Daytrana patch affects appetite or not.

As I understand it, she says that when she is on adderall it is very difficult to get food down. She has no appetite and when she forces herself to eat she feels like gagging, she says she has some success eating fruit. She is only about 100 lbs, and knows that this could be a problem.

She also feels that adderall makes her heart race and she has racing thoughts while on it. But she needs it to get her school work completed.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by Patva

As I understand it, she says that when she is on adderall it is very difficult to get food down. She has no appetite and when she forces herself to eat she feels like gagging, she says she has some success eating fruit. She is only about 100 lbs, and knows that this could be a problem.

She also feels that adderall makes her heart race and she has racing thoughts while on it. But she needs it to get her school work completed.

You mention she is 100 lbs, but that could be normal depending on her height. How tall is she, and how much did she weigh before she started the Adderall?

The Adderall could be too high. Racing thoughts are not a good sign or a common side effect of any of the stimulant medicines and would indicate something is wrong. Anxious feelings/anxiety are a known side effect in some people though, and the racing thoughts might come from anxious feelings. Most side effects subside within 1-2 weeks of taking the medication.

If she is taking a immediate release formula of Adderall, I would suggest bringing up with her doctor that she try an extended release version, as she might be having a reaction to the immediate release version from her metabolism picking it up all at once. In fact there are MANY types of stimulants in both instant and extended release versions. Changing to a formula that doesn't have Methylenphinidate (same compound as brand name Ritalin and Adderall) at all might even be the trick, as they have other stimulant formulas like Dextroamphetamine and other Mixed Amphetamine Salts. The medication Strattera doesn't contain any of the properties of the other stimulants for ADHD and might be helpful as a second choice after trying another stimulant.

Additionally, is it possible she has a pre-existing anxiety disorder that could be made worse by the Adderall? How old was she when diagnosed with ADHD? If as a child she might need reassessed as she could have an anxiety disorder or something else interfering with her studies. ADHD doesn't just affect school work alone and that shouldn't be the only reason someone takes medicine for ADHD (or the marker of successful ADHD treatment, IMO). Either way, a trip back to the doctor seems to be in order to address these issues.
Good luck.