Can Adderall Cause Headaches? Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options
Adderall is a stimulant, which means it will trigger the sleepy brain to wake up and work. This stimulating effect can give a headache-like feeling to the new user of the drug, but some old users of Adderall also face the Adderall headache. This might happen due to various reasons, which include food habits, water intake, daily lifestyle habits, and many more. Sometimes people stop taking Adderall suddenly, which gives them a rebound headache. So in today’s blog, we will see and understand how can Adderall cause headaches in the users. We will also see what its causes are and how to get rid of the Adderall Headache naturally.
Can Adderall Cause Headaches and How to Reduce the Risk
What is Adderall?
Adderall is a medication that is used to treat patients dealing with attention-related issues or who find it difficult to concentrate on one thing for a long time or who suffer from ADHD. Adderall is a common drug that is used by children to focus more on their studies and by adults to focus on their work for a long time. It is a potent and strong drug that is a stimulant by nature. This drug helps to increase the alertness and refresh the brain. This is why many athletes use it to enhance their productivity. Many abusers try to abuse this drug and ultimately face many side effects. Let’s see them.
Street Names
- Speed
- Smart pills
- Bennies
- Peaches
- Black Beauties
- Uppers
- Addy
- Study buddies
- Addys
Side Effects
- Diarrhea
- Restlessness
- Headache
- Weight loss
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Changes in sex drive
- Seizures
- Unexplained wounds
- Blurred vision
- Paranoia
Can Adderall Cause Headaches When it Wears Off?
While taking Adderall, the most common side effect faced by almost every individual using Adderall is Headache. The headache can range from mild to severe, depending on the amount of dose you are taking or how many times you are taking the dose. When the Adderall treatment begins, at that point, most people feel slight symptoms of headache. Some people deal with it casually, and the headache goes away. But some people find it difficult to deal with it, and the headache starts disturbing their flow of daily lives.
Why Does Adderall Cause Headaches?
Adderall increases the level of brain chemicals, which are dopamine and norepinephrine. The increase in the level can cause tension in the nerves, which can create a headache feeling. There are several other causes that may be the reason for the Adderall headache. They are listed below.
- Narrowing of a Blood Vessel
- Hyper tension
- Muscle Tension
- Dehydration
- Appetite Reduction
- Stopping or missing a dose
- Lack of Sleep
- Eye Strain
- Sensory Overload
- Neurotransmitter Shift
What Does An Adderall Headache Feel Like?
There is no proper way to describe what an Adderall Headache feels like because headache pain can vary from one person to the another because of individual health factors. Also, there is no proper time period for how long the headache will last in a user of Adderall. But some patients describe the Adderall headache as a pressure-like feeling in the forehead or on one side of the head. This pain can cause as tension, migraine, or withdrawal pain, which is often linked to the stimulant effects of Adderall.
How To Get Rid of Adderall Headache?
There are two ways by which you can get rid of your Adderall headache. One is a short-term way, and another is a long-term way. For the short-term way, you can change your daily life habit changes and take care of your food and water, or you can apply natural techniques like heat and cold therapy. For the long-term way you can talk to your doctor about your dose adjustment and medical therapies.
- Drink a lot of water and keep your system hydrated.
- Take Adderall with food to not develop side effects.
- Use hot or cold packs according to your health needs.
- Do not mix stimulants with CNS depressants like alcohol.
- Manage stress by doing breathing exercises or meditation.
- Adjust your dose according to your health condition
- Switching medications and treatment options from Adderall to other alternatives.
- Identify other triggering points of headache in your system.
- Take calcium channel blockers before the dose of Adderall.
How To Avoid Adderall Headache?
As we have understood above, Adderall can cause headaches even for the people who are using it regularly. This is because Adderall is a strong medication that mainly works on the brain. An individual should always take medications like Adderall under the guidance of a doctor. This tiny step can ensure your huge safety.
- Do not use your Adderall medication on an empty stomach
- Eat small portions multiple times distributed throughout the day
- Maintain a good sleep quality by sleeping for 7 to 8 hours daily
- Never take your medicines too late at the night
- You should avoid using Alcohol and caffeine while being medicated with Adderall
- Do not take two doses at the same time
- Never stop using the medication suddenly without talking to your doctor
- Relax your body and muscles regularly
- Drink sufficient water according to your body weight
Alternatives
We have discussed how to prevent Adderall headaches above. Now, we will understand and see what are the medicinal and lifestyle alternatives that we can take in the place of Adderall. Because not everyone can take Adderall, some people are allergic to it, and some people face a lot of side effects while using Adderall. There are alternatives listed below one by one.
Alternative Medications
Natural Alternatives
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Bacopa Monnieri
- Exercise
- Foods rich in Protein
- Therapy
- Omega-3
- Rhodiola Rosea
- L-Theanine & Caffeine
Conclusion
At the end of the blog, we hope that it is clear to you why Adderall can cause headaches in individuals. Adderall is a medication that works directly on the brain. It has some positive effects on the brain and some negative effects also. Using Adderall carefully and responsibly makes it the safest stimulant. Make sure to always obey your doctor’s advice religiously and talk to them freely about any health issue.