Heart Disease – Adderall

Transcript

One medication that is used by a lot of people to help with focus and memory improvement is Adderall. Adderall is a certain prescription medication that does not have its own risks. While it does improve focus and ability to complete tasks, it does have effects on the cardiovascular system. Because it’s a stimulant, it does raise heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term use of Adderall can have changes to the heart, including increasing the thickness of the heart muscle, increasing the thickness of the arteries, causing hypertension, causing arrhythmias, and could even lead to heart attack. If you’ve been prescribed Adderall to help with focus or any other reason, it’s important to discuss with your doctor, the risks and benefits. I would advise obtaining a baseline electrocardiogram to determine the heart’s electric function and periodically monitoring the electrocardiogram if you are on the medication for a long time. If you start to develop symptoms, it would be advisable to stop the medication or at least taper off and periodically check the heart’s function. These medications do have their risks. They do have long-term consequences and should only be used under the direction of a doctor. Do not use these medications recreationally and always obtain a prescription when you’re going to take these medications.