“Mental Problems Worsened with Adderall”

Frankfort, KYJanet was diagnosed with ADHD seven years ago and her psychiatrist prescribed Adderall. “It was like a wonder drug in the beginning,” says Janet, “but it caused me to become totally disabled; I was fired from my job and some days I can’t even drive to the grocery store.”

Janet (not her real name), age 54, was on Adderall for five years - until she discovered online that her “wonder drug” was the cause of uncontrollable facial tics. “I told my doctor that I couldn’t stop blinking and it made computer work almost impossible,” she says. “He sent me to an optometrist who simply diagnosed me with dry eyes and gave me some eye drops. That didn’t do anything. Next up I saw my psychiatrist; he took me off Adderall immediately when I told him about these tics, but he didn’t tell me why.”

Even though she no longer takes Adderall, Janet says her tics are getting worse. “They are worse when I get anxious and my face is permanently scrunched up; it looks like I am about to sneeze,” she explains. “People tell me to ‘let it out,’ just sneeze, but my face stays that way. I have bad days when my eyes totally close and sometimes it has happened when I’m driving. I’ve had to pull off the road on several occasions and wait until I’ve calmed down.”

Janet was prescribed Xanax, which helps somewhat but she only takes it just before she has to drive. She can’t afford to take the med every day so she suffers through the tics - a lot. “I’m still hopeful that I can get treatment but it’s difficult when you don’t have insurance,” she says. “I have a permanent physical problem but no one can give me any permanent help; I have even thought about getting shock treatments. This condition has depressed me to no end so my psychiatrist recently prescribed Prozac - I’m worse off now than I was with just having ADHD to deal with.”

When Janet discovered the connection between Adderall and facial tics, she had mixed emotions. On the one hand she was relieved because she knew the source. On the other hand she was angry because her psychiatrist didn’t tell her - she found out online.

“I’ve considered suing my psychiatrist for not telling me,” Janet says. “I’ve been off Adderall for a few years now and my ADHD is back. Sometimes I get sidetracked and can’t do simple tasks like clean the house. And Adderall caused me to get fired from my job: I am a certified medical technologist and that job requires a lot of reading instruction manuals. I can’t even read a magazine and struggle to read a short e-mail. Squinting tires me out - Adderall can tire out your entire body.”