ADHD & Skin picking

I used to rip up my feet and hands. I got a manicure and a pedicure with the family for my birthday with the works, wax wraps, callous treatment, salt scrub, anything I wanted. After, my hands and feet looked and felt amazing. The scars weren't completely gone, but for the first time it felt like I could have a second chance and start with a clean slate. Also, once the dry skin and hangnails from picking were gone, I had nothing to pick at, which helps because the act of picking is a form of "perfecting." Hopefully this helps.

I am a 30yr old female and I take Vyvanse 70mlgs a day. I have had amazing and successful results on this medication. I almost have an obesession with reading, learning and absorbing more and more info and I've always had a problem with concentration. For the first time in my life I actually absorb things. However it doesn't last the 12hrs like it says so by the middle of the day I take a 20mlg of Adderall so the effects do not wear off. I do have some severe symptoms that have made contemplate whether to stop taking the medication all together but the positive effects I get from it make me not want to. I don't want to loose those and I feel I'll be less successful and ontop of my game if I stop. It's very embarrassing one of the specific symptoms I have that I can't seem to stop and I've read others having the same issue as well. For one, when ti starts to wear off I start to feel irritable and agitated. Just from research I've done and knowing that this is a stimulate; it would make sense for such side effects to arise. Example: People who are who take stimulates such as meth an such have the exact same side effects but I'm sure they are more more severe when coming down. I also think it can make me more paranoid at times as well if something happens and my reaction maybe more dramatic. The worse symptom I have had that I feel is getting worse and is very OCD is skin picking!!! I've always been a picker since I went through puberty because I had bad skin and to this day my face breaks out but not like it did when I was younger. I've always picked my face but I never destroyed it. On this medication especially when stressed or coming down off of it I can spend hours in the mirror at one time. This past Thursday I destroyed my face the worst I ever have!!! I mean I actually look like I am a meth addict!!! I have to whole my self up in my house and no let anymoe see me and hope it heels because it's so bad! IT's not the first time it's happened but this has been by far the worst!! I have scabs all over my face and I've never doen that until I was on the medicine. It's like I go into a trance and can't leave the mirror. When I finally feel as if I've "cleansed my face" of everything inside of it; it's like coming out of a trance. I step back and look at myself in the mirror and am horrified with what I did!! I get so upset and angry but when I'm like that I can't stop!! It's very obsessive!!! I"m so thankful I'm working from home remotely this week because there is no way I could let anyone see my face! It's so embarrassing!!! i've asked my psychologist about it and she said doctors don't know why but if you already have underlying OCD issues that this medication can cause it to surface. I just don't understand why it's gotta be this one!! My best friends son I know had the same issue but he picked at his thumbs till they bled. To try and stop from doing it to my face and I couldn't resit the urge I starged doing it to my upper thighs which I'm horrified at as well. I don't know how to stop and I feel like the obsession with it is getting worse!! It seems the only time I'll leave it alone on this med is when I've destroyed my face beyond belief and seeing it just allows me to just treat it with neosporin and not pick. Once it clears up I seem to go right back! I'm so humiliated by this act!! I've never had to hide myself from people because of something I did to myself before! I feel like I've got an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other with this med.. I don't want to stop it because of the benefits it's given me. I'm hoping I can find another way to prevent myself from doing this but I don't know how! Sometimes I"ve been pretty good but if I'm stressed and anxious (I already have an underlying condition of severe anxiety) there is no stopping it. Does anyone else have this problem?

I have had a LOT of luck with the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, which is sometimes sold as N-acetyl L-cysteine, for my 11-year-old daughter who severely picks her skin (arms and legs). I'm hoping that everyone on this group will check it out. We started out at 1200mg each day, 600mg in the morning and 600mg in the evening. Then we worked up to 2400mg, 1200 mg in the morning and 1200 mg in the evening, within about 3 or 4 weeks. The study that was done in 2009 showed the best results were after 9 weeks of continuous treatment with this amino acid, also just known as NAC. We saw great results after 6 weeks. Please consider trying it. I am not a doctor, so please weigh out the risks for yourself. It has truly been a godsend. My daughter used to pick to the point of staph infections. She has scars all over her body. It works by regulating the URGE to pick. You can download the summary text of the 2009 study on this website - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19581567. The study was for hair-pulling, but skin-picking and nail-biting result from similar sets of urges.

my 16 year old daughter started picking her skin shortly after starting adderall about a year ago. Sept 2010. She stopped the aderall over the summer and started straterra. The picking continued all summer. I am wondering if the straterra could be causing the picking also?

Hello everyone. I am new to this site and I love that there are people that are going through the same thing that I am. I am a 16 year old girl and I have been biting/picking my nails since I was about 9 or 10 years old. My parents have always tried to get me to stop, but I just can't. I do it totally subconsciously. Some times I realize it, but 9 times out of 10 I don't. I am currently taking Vyvanse and I have noticed that I pick my nails a lot more than I did when I wasn't taking Vyvanse. I had stopped taking Vyvanse for about 6 months because it made me very anxious and would have these moments where I would just totally lose it. But now, unfortunately, I just started driving and I have realized that I cannot concentrate while I am driving without my medicine. Just too many things going and too many things to remember. I cannot control my nail picking. I have tried everything from putting Tabasco sauce on my fingers to putting band aides on my fingers. I am stuck right now. While I'm at school, I still pick my nails. I won't ever bite them unless I am alone. I know I look gross when I bite my nails, but I just can't stop. I am also taking Intuniv with Vyvanse. I have seen no difference yet. I am only on the 2nd week of the 4 weeks before I will get the full dose. Hopefully this will make things better.

Hi Im Doug and Im a picker too!! My spelling is really bad and I apologize in advance for babbling, i feel compelled to mention im not a doctor nor am i recommending u try anything i mention below, i simply want to share for recreation use only how i manage my self diagnosed case of SIOCSPD [Stimulant Induced Obsessive Compulsive Skin Picking Disorder (skin picker sounds better than self mutilator eh!)] I hope that by reading my experience it will at a minimum give someone one new idea to help them out. Were all different and react different to different things if you know what i mean so its almost impossible to say exactly what causes or what would stop each of our individual urges to pick. Ive tried almost everything to fix it. Ive used ointments, creams, lotions, natural remedy potions all no luck. Ive had a number of visits to my Doctor for swabs, blood tests, stool tests looking for the problem internally. Ive been so embarrassed by by the sores i too hid away from people, avoided functions, pretty much become a loner. Family Doctor thinks im crazy because she prescribes cream and antibiotics and i keep coming back. Middle of December all my tests came back negative for parasites, bacteria etc. Heres what I know - I dont pick when i sleep - I dont pick when im typing on my keyboard (like right now, i haven't picked for 10 minutes already) - I dont pick when im in front of my boss (lol well sometimes) - I dont pick when im doing something I enjoy - I pick when my skin is dry - I pick when im stressed - i pick when im bored - I dont want to give up my medication because I cant stop myself from picking..... too many positive changes in my life. - I dont want to look like a meth addict with scabs all over, http://www.google.ca/search?q=meth+addict&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=ZPy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wK8fT7bLHZKugQfC5aiWDw&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=960&bih=440&sei=y68fT-X8HsGqgwfTyZ2xDw - i dont want to hide, - i dont want to waste hours standing in front of a mirror mutilating myself when i could be doing something useful with time. I had fresh sores and scabs on my face, arms, hands, legs and feet when i started my little program. After about a month those sores and scabs were gone completely, granted i still picked a little, damn its a hard habit to break, but here is what helped me clear up existing sores and help control my SIOCSPD. (stimulant induced obsessive compulsive skin picking disorder) After meeting with my Doc. I maintained my original medication, and dealt with the skin sores as a OCD 54mg Concerta when i get up 20 mg Prozac (generic) for 2 weeks - Showered using Pine Tar Soap - 1 Doke Oil bath a week i used 8 cap fulls for a bath (its different) - Slathered on Colloidal Oatmeal Skin Moisturizer like nobody's business - with a qtip i put a thin layer of Anti fungal Cream on my sores, then sealed them with liquid bandage for 2 days then took it off for a day or 2 then did it again until they were healed. After approx 2 weeks when my sores were pretty much better I started exfoliating my skin with i think its clearasil or some pore penetrating cleaner every other day for a week, now i just do it once a week. All the while mainting the Pine Tar, moisturizing and healing sores as i needed until they were all gone.....YIPPPEE When i feel the urge to pick i quickly remind myself where it leads, and if necessary I use a spary antihistamine which takes the itch away for me (in most cases), or i wipe my skin down with Tea Tree oil. I try and keep busy. I do what I have to do to get through the work day without scratching, like avoiding the washroom mirror so i dont see that little pc of skin or a tiny little black dot in one of my pores that begs me to rip into it and cause a huge mess, i stick close to people that Id be horrified if they saw my sores. I live alone which means i don't have anyone yelling at me to stop picking, so I make sure that I have something i enjoy doing close by,. For me i identified my camera i can spend hours fiddling and using photoshop, and i dont scratch :) Now that winter is here i bundle up and take a walk with the dog (its hard to scratch through 3 layers....i know it can be done but its tough) When im out and about if i feel like a scratch or a mining expedition in the rear view mirror, again i remind myself where that leads and will try to start a conversation with someone, find a distraction, shopping or browsing works good. Its been a little over a month doing the above and im free of sores and hardly ever find myself in front of a mirror to pick. Good luck pickers.

My son is 9 and has just started "picking" a few months ago. His fingers kept sores on them and now it is his arms. His arms are bleeding everyday at school and are starting to scar. :( I am not sure what to do about this! He has been on spring break for four days now and his arms have healed almost completely. During this time off I have not been giving him his medicine either. I guess the combination of no medicine and being out of school has worked wonders!! Too bad it cant last.

I believe that is because the medications are stimulants (for sure ritalin is). Have you looked into non-medical ways to help the ADHD, such as Brain Gym or diet modification and supplements? I have used Brain Gym successfully with children that have ADHD. Here is a link to a blog post on my website where I talk about a great book on ADHD. http://www.wemovetolearn.com/2012/03/11/add-omega3/

I am the mother of a 10 year old son with ADHD. He takes Vyvanse 40mg a day. He's a picker. He started at the beginning of the 4th grade and doesn't care where he is when he picks at his scalp. I'm writing this from the sideline of his soccer practice and he's on the field picking. Seeing him do this repeatedly made me google this issue. I'm glad there is someone besides me that understands how frustrating this can be.

My son has been a picker - his cuticles, scabs on his arms and legs, his lips. He ended up with bad sores and scars. We have him in various sports but he would just stand and pick and not be able to play. He is on Vyvanse and Intuniv and the doctor's alternative was to add an anti-anxiety drug which I wasn't comfortable with for a 6-year old. I read the post about the amino acid N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and decided to give it a try. 600 mg in the am and 600 mg in the pm. After a couple of weeks, his fingers have all healed, as have his arms and legs. He still picks at his lips sometimes but the improvement has been amazing. Thanks for sharing this tip.

i am a 19 year old girl with ADHD and ive been biting my nails, picking my skin on my fingers for as long as i can remember. Recently ive started squeezing my arms and legs. i never knew that this was so tied with ADHD and i have never felt more relieved in my life that other people do this. the biggest weight has been lifted off my shoulders and i feel so "okay" now. i need to take steps towards stopping but this is literally the best website that ive ever found

My brother recently has taken mediication for his adhd too and since then i see him picking alot more, when he usually didn't that often bbefore he started taking it! I also pick my face and other parts of my body mine is actually a serious problem(at least i think so) and way way worse but I take an anti depressent, it hasn't helped me stop picking yet.

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was in elementary school and was on ritilan. It didn't cause skin picking but caused ticks. I was then taken off of it and dealt with the ADD until I turned 22 and then was put on Adderoll. I have always been a skin piker but it just recently got bad a couple months ago. A year after being on adderol. I also just got diagnosed with Narcolepsy and need the medicine to stay awake and function. Is there any other medicines that help narcolepsy but won't cause me to pick?

I also thought the adderall was causing my picking to get worse,so I went off completely for summer, also on Prozac for the anxiety. I stayed on the prozac and did not see any difference in my skin picking problem, did have a hard time focusing in my job though. Went back on adderall skin the same but can focus again. If I were you I would check out other forums, I think there may be something to this fungas or bacteria thing due to having animals. I always have had mild acne, but my skin def took a turn for the worst when I got out door cats. This has always been in the back of my mind, but I was also in my fortys so thought change of life, but has just been getting worse now 54. I am going to try the fungus ointment and if this does not work the bacteria spray recommended in one of the forums. Thank you everyone for sharing it is good to know I am not alone.