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concernedmom , 18 Aug 2010

Proof that Adderall caused skin picking

My daughter was just 6 when she began on Adderall for ADHD. Shortly thereafter I began to see changes. I noticed my daughter was having allot of issues with anxiety and fears. To make a long story short as the years went by I always believed the medication was the reasons for these changes but the doctors would never confirm this to me. They always kept reassuring me that I was doing the right thing in allowing them to medicate my daughter. My age 16 she's been diagnosed with panic disorder,generalized anxiety,ADHD, tachycardia,bp issues and medication induced tics. She was constantly picking by this point.She looked more like a leper sores all over her body. She constantly cries about wanting to stop but doesn't know how to stop picking.She's been back and forth to psychiatrists,her primary care doctor and yet no one ever confirms to me that this all has been a result of her medication. The closest I got to a doctor saying it was" well all medications have side effects". This is my daughter. No one should have to live in this kind of torment and pain. Her life has been nothing but a hell. Full of internal torments and physical pain caused by the picking. Has anyone been successful in proving that Adderall or Vyvanse caused these symptoms or the picking? Hs anyone been successful in taking this to a lawyer and into the courts? I feel like I need to advocate for my daughter. If I don't stick up and speak for her no one will.
62 Answers
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concernedmom
November 14, 2011
Hi Everyone---I am attaching a letter that I recieved from Division of Drug Information LL Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Food and Drug Administration. I followed their directions and reported my of Adderall and Vyvanse causing my daughter's picking issues. I suggest that if you too believe that these nedications caused your picking then you too should submit a complaint to this link. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm, click on "Reporting Serious Problems with the FDA," then "Reporting by Consumers/Health Professionals." Also, you may download and complete the form and mail it to the address provided or fax it to the number on the form. Perhaps our voices will be heard or maybe we can make a lawsuit. I don't know but we have to think of how this has affected each of us. When I filled out the form I couldn't answer all of the questions about lot numbers etc...as I didn't have the bottles anymore in which case I just put any number and then expalined it further in a written statement at the end of the form. These drugs cause physical scars that last a life time. The best thing I ever did was take my daughter off these drugs. I can sympathize with all you and want to thank you all for posting---please post a complaint to that link. I have taken pictures of my daughter's scars in case we can find a lawyer to handle our case. Maybe we can make a group case? Who knows I am not a lawyer.
Jayzee
November 19, 2011
I can't believe I found. I used to pick my skin when I took adderall back in high school. My shoulders, chest and upper back were destroyed, I still have minor scarring. In my second year of college I took adderall for about 7 months, and I had the same issues. I recently started taking adderall again and the same problems have formed. My skin is producing cystic like acne, and sometimes I get very carried away with the picking. I really thought I just had bad skin or I wasn't taking care of myself correctly. I changed my diet, started exercising more, and tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Nothing helped. I truly do believe that adderall makes your skin worse and also worsens the habits of one who picks skin. I hate it.
concernedmom
November 20, 2011
@Jayzee---It's best to stay away from these stimulants. Use the link in my one post to report the problem so these companies are aware of this problem.Good luck.
renafie
December 07, 2011
Adderall most definitely causes skin picking.I use meth regularly and thats when my picking is the worst. I have always had kind of had a somewhat obsession with popping pimples and things like that but adding meth into the mix takes it to a whole other level. I usually dont have problems with my skin when im not using
littlered33
December 07, 2011
I am humiliated to admit this, but I began taking adderall to stay "skinny" and get a little rush of euphoria too. Stupid, irresponsible, I know. I became addicted to this crap drug. I also began ripping my face, arms, and chest to shreds. At one point, i convinced my doc to prescribe this crap to me. Talk about self-sabbotage!! Anyway, Ive read some of the previous posts and my heart goes out to anyone who suffers from the add-induced skin probs. It truly is a hellish prison. Ive not taken add in 3 months, go to therapy, ( and speak honestly at therapy) and exercise and try to eat properly. Im 33, a mother of two, and aside from this issue am healthy and fit. When i was picking, I missed out on alot of things because i was horrified at what i had done to myself. Not to mention the effect it had on my relationship. Who wants to be touched when you r covered in lesions and scabs? I cant even imagine a child dealing w the skin pick thing as we all know kids can b particularly cruel. Bottom line-Adderall sucks, any stimulant causes "hyper-focus" which i think causes the skin picking. Good luck, and if you do suffer from add or adhd go non-stimulant
concernedmom
December 14, 2011
@littlered---unfortunately sometimes we back bad decisions. Kids can be cruel and they were to my daughter. Having to live with this was extremely hard for her. No one tells of this horrific side effect and you are right this is a hellish prison. My daughter is finally gaining some confidence and all I can say is stay away from ADD stimulants. Hang in there.
littlered33
January 07, 2012
concerndmom u were only trying to help your daughter. i still struggle w the temptationfrom time to time when i 'forget' the pain. I also suffer from insomnia on my own without that crap! has her skin improved much? i hope so. take care.
concernedmom
January 07, 2012
Littlered33---Her skin ihas improved slightly but it's going to take years to heal both emotionally and physically from this medication. She still has so much anxiety and gets panic attacks too. I blame it all on these medications and I wish I could prove it. My daughter's been under allot of stress the last few months as she has EHlers Danlos Syndrome and she's picked a few times. It seems once this picking habit forms it's hard to break the cyclce ----but trust me it's NOTHING like before,thank goodness. About your insomia have you tried melatonin? You can buy it pretty cheap through Puritan Pride. I take 3mg and it makes me tired. However I stop using it every few weeks because it tends to get me 4 hours of good sleep then I wake up and can't fall back to sleep. If I ever find help I will post it here.
lishers26
July 29, 2012
I know you wrote this quite a long time ago but if you would e-mail me i have questions about what you went through and what my wife is going through right now. Evans11_sun@yahoo.com . Jeremiah-Thank you
lishers26
July 29, 2012
I know you wrote this quite a long time ago but if you would e-mail me i have questions about what you went through and what my wife is going through right now. Evans11_sun@yahoo.com . Jeremiah-Thank you
Kayla
December 14, 2011
I have been wondering if adDerall caused skin picking. When I first started ADHD Medicean it wasn't aderall but I eventually switched to it and that's when I started picking. When I don't take my medicine I don't feel the need to pick as much. I hate what aderall did to me. I feel so embarrassed to even show my face in public.
concernedmom
December 14, 2011
Hi Kayla---I complained for years that these drugs were causing the picking issues for my daughter. Unfortunately my complaints always fell on deaf ears. The last psychiatrist that I took my daughter to told me that we could put her back on it to find out for sure but to tell you the truth Kayla I do not want to have to put my daughter through that experience again. I know this drug did it to her as she never picked when she was not taking it. It's been over a year since she's been off of Adderall XR and I can tell you she doesn't pick. Her body is scarred and she very embarassed about some of these scars. They have gotten lighter (and so will yours).She puts merderma on then everyday now. I know exaclty what you (and the others) are going through and I wish the doctor's and drug companies would warn people that this could happen. My daughter still has bald spots and scars all over her body for this drug. The only way we are going to see action is to write and complain to these drug companies and the FDA. I hope you and every poster on this board will help me fight. Kayla---keep your chin up and know that you ARE beautiful no matter what. Hugs.
pikpik
December 27, 2011
Huh. I noticed that my picking actually got relatively better when I started taking Vyvanse. In fact, I am on both Vyvanse and Zoloft right now, and I noticed a much more dramatic decrease in picking when I started the Vyvanse than when I started the Zoloft!
monk2b
January 10, 2012
New to the Forum: Here is an interesting fact from a medical prospective. ADHD is a behavioral and mental health condition. With that in mind, especially in children, there is a much higher chance for tics associated with medication usage (specifically stimulants such as adderral). If you consider a tic an uncontrolled action then it is clear how you can make the connection with a picking behavior. I have even seen children who have ADHD go through dramatic changes with there tics after taking them off or switching them to another type of medication. There is scientific back up for this theory, just a different way of looking at it.
Jessiedanielle615
July 26, 2012
I've been on adder all for about 2 to 3 months. I've always had acne sometimes worse than others. But lately my skin looks HORRIBLE. I pick EVERYWHERE. My legs...arms....eyes ... Face even between my boobs. I am 18 and I go to college. I'm pretty sure everyone in my classes think a I'm a crack head. It's so embarrassing that sometimes I'll pick and plan not to go to school SO I CAM CONTINUE PICKING!!! I thought it was only me but it's like I can't stop. As I was sitting here reading all of these threads I continued to pick without even noticing. Right now I have 2 huge cysts on my face that will not go away and I continue to try to pop them... I feel like I'm crazy.... Literally. And i only eat once day so I'm losing so much weight. My fa,ily thinks there is something wrong with me. And there is. But I know what it is. It's adder all. I am prescribed to 60 mgs a day. Like most of y'all are prescribed to like20 or 30. So imagine yalls like 10 times worse. I'm embarrassed to look in the mirror. Like I'm ashamed for my boyfriend to see me. And usually I'll talk him into poping something on my back or where I can't reach it. I need serious help because I can't stop. Its so addicting.
concernedmom
July 26, 2012
@Jessiedanielle615: My daughter's dose was high too and her skin picking ruled her life. It has caused her a bad self image,alienation, self loathing and so much heartache. Jessie,you need to get off of this drug. The picking will not get better unless you do. It's been a few years now and the scars are finally beginning to get lighter and heal. My daughter picked her breast too. It got so bad that I was afraid for her life. I was worried she'd get some sort of bacteria infection. I would clean her sores and cover them (thinking maybe out of sight may keep her from picking but it didn't.) Honey you need to get off the Adderall so that you can heal and get better. The picking will not stop until you do. When they stop it make sure they do it very slowly as my daughter had a very frightful experience (seeing faces and scarey things). To this day she is still afraid as it was so trumatic. Jessie---you are not crazy. It's the Adderall and all stimulants like these. So hang in there and feel better soon. Did you try NAC? n-acetyl-cysteine-1000mgThis was recommended to us by a doctor and it helped for awhile but it didn't take 100% of the urge away. Good luck.
EmberICD
July 29, 2012
It's proven that all stimulants encourage skin picking. According to books and acquired knowledge I have, it has something to do with dopamine in the brain. The same goes for ICD disorders in general, which is the primary cause for skin picking among sufferers.

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