the effects of ADHD medication on the cardiovascular system

i was prescribe reboxetine, which is a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (like strattera / atomoxetine, which is the most known NRI used for treatment of ADHD).
in this video, you can see possible side effects of the drug (sinus arrythmia) as well as the direct effects of the drug on my heart during peak plasma levels.
also, we will take a look at how my body reacts to bisoprolol, a beta blocker i was prescribed against hypertension and sinustachycardia - and i will be drinking some very strong coffee with a lot of sugar to see what this substance does. :-)

i think the rather 'odd' effects of the reboxetine on my heart actually have to do with my mind. i was quite hyper and annoyed to have to lay down for 10 minutes before taking reboxetine, and afterwards, i was rather relaxed and was just idle and fine laying around on my bed. this relaxed feeling increased with the coffeine and sugar intake.
so, that may have lead to the drop in heart frequency.

conclusion: the drug does indeed make me calmer.
but, it doesnt have any influence on concentration as of yet - i didnt edit the sound files, and you can clearly hear i sound like a broken LP at some times, grrr. same issues as usual, just unedited.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ecg
• ekg
• electro
• cardiogram
• elektro
• kardiogramm
• adhd
• add
• adhs
• attention
• deficit
• hyperactivity
• disorder
• reboxetin
• reboxetine
• solvex
• strattera
• atomoxetin
• atomoxetine
• beta
• blocker
• bisoprolol
• heart
• rate
• frequency
• blood
• pressure
• amplitude
• adverse
• effects
• depression
• anxiety

[VinVilhjalmsson]

I'm currently on atomoxetine and methylphenidate, taken for ADHD. I've been diagnosed with sinus tachycardia (averaging about 110 bpm) my bp is also high. I'll probably end up taking a beta-blocker also. Living in Wales, which is Britain's back yard, third world secret, I'll have ventricular cardiomyopathy by the time I get prescribed them :( Have you had any experience with bupropion, which they are prescribing commonly now in the States as a non-stimulant treatment option?

[bionerd23]

@VinVilhjalmsson

no, i havent tried burpropion yet. i am now taking amphetamine, which even lowers (!) my blood pressure - even now after months of taking it. my heart rate can be a little higher therefor, but it is never above 80 when truely resting. amphetamine is very, very cheap, much cheaper than ritalin, while it's also more potent - so i need less (in mg) of it and it also lasts longer. so yeah, i am happy with amphetamine and sticking with that. :)

watch?v=G1O6Mi7D0EA

[KarbineKyle]

Very Nice! 5/5! I love your experiments! Normally, my heart rate would be through the roof. I have Major Panic Disorder. I'm sure it would be extremely low from the medications I'm taking now. My parents put me on Ritalin when I was a kid, and I didn't even have ADD/ADHD! It made ME psychotic! No wonder I was a nervous wreck all the time! I begged them to stop putting Ritalin down my throat, but they didn't listen. Now I'm 26. I'm on Klonopin® (Clonazepam) and Fentanyl. Very Potent Depressants!

[bionerd23]

@KarbineKyle

yeah, that's reasonable... ritalin is a stimulant after all, i guess it would increase a panic disorder. but @ clonazepam and fentanyl - what the heck? why are you taking such incredibly addictive substances for panic disorder, when there are antidepressants that work well for panic disorder without being so insanely addictive? you're taking a benzodiazepine (a substance like valium, withdrawl is about equal to alcohol addiction, can kill you) and an opiate there... that's crazy.

[An0nYm0u5443]

@bionerd23 Can Benzo withdrawl kill you, surely you would have to be taking large dosages for long periods of time?

[bionerd23]

@An0nYm0u5443

yes, you have to take it for at least weeks, and to kill you, you'll have to take it for months or years. you can pretty much compare it to alcohol dependance, it has almost the same effects, just less liver damage etc. - but from the psychological effects, dependance and withdrawl, it's very similar.

[nintendokillsOoO]

drugs are bad mmk

[AppetiteForRoses]

Buddhism: we must be kind but we must also understand that to help a drug addict is to first tell him that drugs are bad for him. For a drug addict to leave drugs we must show him how it has negativly affected his life and how it has effected other peoples lives. Even then he will try to justify his use of drugs even though he truely knows in his heart that it is wrong.We tell him what he is doing is wrong not to hurt him but to help him we do it out of compassion & sadly some will not listen.

[AppetiteForRoses]

@bionerd23 You're destroying yourself.

[dilwich123]

I have Cardiomyopathy and my doctor has refused to try me on Ritolin as he said this could be dangerous so he would like to try me on Atomoxetine would you know if this is dangerous for someone with this heart condition?

[An0nYm0u5443]

and am looking to go onto Strattera I hope I dont get this same reaction, if I do will beta blockers help?

[An0nYm0u5443]

Strangely Im getting Tachycardia from 200mg seroquel! Ive used it for 6 months with no problems at all and then all of a sudden I started getting tachycardia BPM 120-130 I stopped the meds and my heart rate returned to 60-80bpm. Then I waited 2 weeks and resumed the seroquel and the next day sure enough the tachycardia returned. I stopped the meds agian and agian 60-80 bpm. My BP tonight was 130/80 which is ok. Why would a sedative antipsychotic cause tachycardia. I have ADHD......