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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Could Redness Post Adderall Intake Suggest?

Hey Doctors, Im going to make my problem about Adderall as brief as possible.Background: I am a 20 y.o. male and weight ~160. I smoke ~20 cigarettes during the weekend and none during the weekdays. I eat a poor diet, dont exercise, but I am physically fit. I used to take Adderall XR 30mg everyday for 1 full year. That was 2 years ago and now I take Adderall XR 20mg about 4 times a week for a few months, then no Adderall for a few months, repeatedly. I drink about a soda a day too, not much caffeine. Problem: Every time I take Adderall, my hands get VERY red. Like look up red on google and thats what my hand look like (not exaggerating). There are cycles of redness throughout the day. ~2 hours after I take my dose, my hand start to turn red. After ~4 hours my hands are the brightest red for about 6-8 hrs then they become spotchy/spotty purple/blue/orange/red/white for about 3 hours. To sum it up, my hands are abnormally red for 12-16 hours. Questions: How do I prevent this very noticeable and embarrassing problem while still taking Adderall? (I need to take it) Is this damaging my health? What is exactly happening when my hands turn red? (Even decreasing my dosage by 10mgs and taking breaks I still have firetruck red hands) Im needing your help. Im known as the guy with screwed up red hands! People think im actually dying... Thank you!!
Mon, 6 Mar 2017
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for writing to healthcare magic. I do understand how you might feel given the symptoms.
Adderall generically a combination of Amphetamine and Phenylthylamine is a drug that has substantial side effects. The drug is a potent CNS stimulant and by itself is very addictive. As you might already know Amphetamines are one among the most common drug of abuse. Given your lifestyle with smoking over 20 cigarettes with regular use of Adderall is of great concern.
The redness of your hand and the associated color changes that you have mentioned could very well be a side effect of the drug. Adderall is documented for its serious side effects like Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic epidermal necrolysis. However, I do not think you have either of them as it is often associated with skin dryness and peeling of the skin. What I would do in such a scenario is that try to eliminate Raynaud's phenomenon. Raynaud's is also a known side effect of this drug.
What happens in Raynaud's is that your skin turns pale first which is followed by a bluish to purplish discoloration and finally turns red when the blood returns. This happens in cycles and during the episodes you might feel numb and cool.
This side effect is caused due to the drugs interference with controlling the tone of the blood vessel centrally. I would suggest you to visit your doctor and explain him about the symptoms. So that he can put you on a medication that has less side effects.

Regards,
Dr Manoj Pradeep MD
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What Could Redness Post Adderall Intake Suggest?

Hello, Thanks for writing to healthcare magic. I do understand how you might feel given the symptoms. Adderall generically a combination of Amphetamine and Phenylthylamine is a drug that has substantial side effects. The drug is a potent CNS stimulant and by itself is very addictive. As you might already know Amphetamines are one among the most common drug of abuse. Given your lifestyle with smoking over 20 cigarettes with regular use of Adderall is of great concern. The redness of your hand and the associated color changes that you have mentioned could very well be a side effect of the drug. Adderall is documented for its serious side effects like Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic epidermal necrolysis. However, I do not think you have either of them as it is often associated with skin dryness and peeling of the skin. What I would do in such a scenario is that try to eliminate Raynaud s phenomenon. Raynaud s is also a known side effect of this drug. What happens in Raynaud s is that your skin turns pale first which is followed by a bluish to purplish discoloration and finally turns red when the blood returns. This happens in cycles and during the episodes you might feel numb and cool. This side effect is caused due to the drugs interference with controlling the tone of the blood vessel centrally. I would suggest you to visit your doctor and explain him about the symptoms. So that he can put you on a medication that has less side effects. Regards, Dr Manoj Pradeep MD