ADHD and Anxiety: Can You Take Medication for Both?

I had a bad reaction to adderall immediate release and my heart rate went up to 160 bpm and I was calm the whole time. Therapy helped with my anxiety a lot though when I was off meds for a time.

Meds for adhd help you focus and meds for anxiety help you calm down.. i can see why they mightve said that, but i feel there should be no problem? From what i see theres no drug interactions either.. i might need to ask my doc about this too

@im_himbo exactly my issue!! But with all my other diagnoses nothing has changed except anxiety meds. I'm taking a anti psychotic and mood stabilizer and it does nothing!! When I mention it my doctor completely ignores me. So when adhd symptoms fit me so well I researched and showed my symptoms and findings with the doctor. She did not like that one bit. I'm also a nurse so automatically I used medical terms. I don't want meds but if it makes me feel better and more functional then I could care less.

I’ve had that experience as well! My doctors don’t seem to want to treat my ADHD since diagnosing me purely due to my other diagnoses;; I think in part because a lot of adhd meds are narcotics drs are hesitant about prescribing them to people w multiple diagnoses

I have both and am on medications for both as well as two antidepressants. ADHD meds can worsen anxiety and my doctor was a little hesitant for that reason but it’s worth at least experimenting and trying different medications with your doctor! Untreated ADHD can actually worsen anxiety. However, I only take my anxiety medicine for bad panic attacks as needed. I think if you take it everyday it may be different

It's a good question. In my experience, some ADHD drugs make me anxious, but I think this reaction is personal and requires experimenting with different drugs. Try some and keep us posted!

@amyv ohh I see. How do you manage adhd then?

Yepp! I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder as well as ADHD. My psychiatrist gave me something called Gabapentin and it's helped me lower my anxiety level in general for the most part, ill still probably need a hire dose when I see him next month.

@AshelyMckinnie same here

I have anxiety, adhd an depression

@magicalsunflower yeah I'm already looking for one.

@dhadhu I would find a new psychiatrist

Ah see my doctor basically said no. I have to choose one or the other.

Yes. I’m prescribed Ritalin for focus/functioning as a human being, and clonidine for anxiety. I wouldn’t say they cancel out though

I have those two disorders and I take madications for my anxiety. I take stimulants occasionally but I don't feel they make me more anxious. I guess there are different forms of ADHD, more and less reactive to different treatments. Consult with your doctor about adjusting your therapy by trial and error.

Hmmmm interesting. I saw my doctor and she practically refused to treat the adhd saying it's not that bad when I literally cannot get through the day at all. So I'm going to look for another doctor. And maybe my anxiety maybe related to my adhd. I'll have to talk to a new doctor and do some trial runs on meds and see what works I suppose. I really would not have so many meds though.

I only take generic concerta for my adhd, but i feel like it helps ease my anxiety too

Yes I’m taking separate medications to treat both conditions. I can’t take ssris so I take less common medication but it’s helped considerably

I’m on Wellbutrin and Zoloft for anxiety and adderall for my ADD. I’ve never had an issue taking them together!

I take Wellbutrin and Lexapro. They supposedly help with both. I still have issues with focusing and memory, but my impulsiveness has calmed down, i still drink coffee though to calm down too 😂 and i have things i fidget with which help my ADHD with focusing during conversations and movies and helps my anxiety if I'm being triggered by something like hospitals. I hate hospitals.

Oh okay....weird but okay. I see my doctor today so I'll talk more about it and talk about my symptoms more and see what I should do...

Thats your ADHD, it's counterintuitive but stimulants help people with ADHD calm down

Yeah I guess that makes sense. But for example caffeine is a stimulant and it makes me sleepy actually. I don't know if the two are comparable though.

Most ADHD medications are stimulants, and stimulants make anxiety worse. I don't take anything for ADHD but I take a few things for anxiety, unless there's medicines that work together for those I think you just have to treat the one that's a bigger issue

Ohh i have clonazepam for anxiety and nothing for adhd but they both are really bad. I don't know if anxiety is due to adhd or not either. I guess I'll ask my doctor more when I see her today.

I take a SSRI for anxiety and a stimulant medication for ADHD. I've never been told that they would cancel out, but I guess it might depend on what kind of medication you take for them

I was explained the same thing when diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. I only take meds for my ADHD.