What side effects are associated with the use of stimulants to treat ADHD?
These ADHD medications can increase your blood pressure and heart rate. If you have a heart problem, then an increase in your heart rate or blood pressure due to these medications may place you at increased risk of having a cardiovascular event. In an individual who has an underlying psychiatric disorder, there’s the potential that a stimulant medication could activate those symptoms. There is no evidence to suggest that stimulant use in the appropriate dose could create another psychiatric disorder. There are rare situations, however, in which a patient may have symptoms such as extreme irritability and even hallucinations attributable to the medication. If the medication is stopped, though, the symptoms go away.
