Can Adderall Affect Testing Results?

[Lfrost]

Hi, everybody. I have a quick question. I am going in for a physical/checkup, whatever you want to call it. Basically, I have been having a lot of trouble with focus, tiredness, etc. I can actually sleep an entire day and not feel the slightest bit rested. Also, when I do get up, it will take a good hour of moving around before I can actually 'wake up'. I feel sick, or almost drunk moving around during that hour. Pretty much dizzy and very foggy headed.

I am pretty underweight, weighing 107 lbs. and I am 5'8. I have a family history of attention problems (brother with ADD, one daughter ADHD, one ADD). I work as a school teacher and was finding myself losing things constantly (literally moving from setting one thing down and not being able to find it, to setting something down while looking for the first thing and not remembering where I set the second thing!) my students found this pretty hilarious, but I was getting pretty worried.

I went to my Dr. and he had me try Adderall. It has worked pretty well with the memory issue, but it has done WONDERS for not feeling sleepy and feeling more rested. I don't like to take medications, but I find if I miss one day, I am immediately back to that drunken sleepy state in the mornings. I have had some GI issues (just had my appendix removed last summer at 35). So, I made my Dr. appointment for after school is out (next Monday) and he wants to run tests thyroid, etc.

Now, while all of this was in the making, we started testing my 4 year old son for issues. He has chronic constipation, and when we took milk away the constipation went away, but daily vomitting started (21 days straight, each morning, no fever fine all day). His tests came back with a low allergy to wheat and other things, but we proceeeded with Celiac testing on him. The doctor said he wanted to test me for Celiac, too. Since then, my son's panel came back negative, so I don't know if we are still doing the Celiac testing on me come Monday, but if we do will Adderall affect the results? Should I stop taking it now?

Ok, so it wasn't a 'quick question' after all! Any ideas?

[MitziG]

No, Adderall won't affect the test results. They are looking for antibodies to gluten in your blood- if your body is making them, then you have a problem with gluten.

Do take some time to look around this board- I am concerned for both you and your son. Poor dx of celiac disease is a common problem. Your son most likely had an incomplete panel done. Ask for a copy of the labs and post them here so we can advise you. Sadly, most doctors are ignorant of how to properlny test, or that gluten intolerance (which cannot be tested for) exists beyond celiac disease and causes the same symptoms. Your son may benefit from a gluten-free diet even if he isn't celiac.

As for you....I will share the last few years of my story.

I have always had attention problems, but like you, they got worse all of the sudden. I couldn't think, couldn't remember, couldn't put a sentence together hardly. The fatigue that I had always battled grew worse, I slept most of the time. I had to take a nap after "exerting" myself- except even taking a shower was an exertion.

I started taking Adderall, and like you, it was a blessed relief. Not only could I think, but I was awake and alert! Over the next several years, my dosage kept increasing, because I eould develop tolerance to it. Finally, the fatigue won and no amount of Adderall would even get mme out of bed. My arms and legs felt like lead. I kept mixing up my words. I wondered if I had MS. I knew I had chronic fatigue syndrome, but was too weak to pursue a dx and treatment.

And then my 7 yr old son was dx with celiac. So the rest of us got tested. And my daughter and I were positive, as were our biopsies.

And now, 15 mos later, I am up writing this at 6 am. Without Adderall.

Get the testing, regardless. And because the testing is flawed, when it is done, try the diet. No one should have to live on stimulants just to function.

[Lfrost]

No, Adderall won't affect the test results. They are looking for antibodies to gluten in your blood- if your body is making them, then you have a problem with gluten.

Do take some time to look around this board- I am concerned for both you and your son. Poor dx of celiac disease is a common problem. Your son most likely had an incomplete panel done. Ask for a copy of the labs and post them here so we can advise you. Sadly, most doctors are ignorant of how to properlny test, or that gluten intolerance (which cannot be tested for) exists beyond celiac disease and causes the same symptoms. Your son may benefit from a gluten-free diet even if he isn't celiac.

As for you....I will share the last few years of my story.

I have always had attention problems, but like you, they got worse all of the sudden. I couldn't think, couldn't remember, couldn't put a sentence together hardly. The fatigue that I had always battled grew worse, I slept most of the time. I had to take a nap after "exerting" myself- except even taking a shower was an exertion.

I started taking Adderall, and like you, it was a blessed relief. Not only could I think, but I was awake and alert! Over the next several years, my dosage kept increasing, because I eould develop tolerance to it. Finally, the fatigue won and no amount of Adderall would even get mme out of bed. My arms and legs felt like lead. I kept mixing up my words. I wondered if I had MS. I knew I had chronic fatigue syndrome, but was too weak to pursue a dx and treatment.

And then my 7 yr old son was dx with celiac. So the rest of us got tested. And my daughter and I were positive, as were our biopsies.

And now, 15 mos later, I am up writing this at 6 am. Without Adderall.

Get the testing, regardless. And because the testing is flawed, when it is done, try the diet. No one should have to live on stimulants just to function.

Wow, it seems like you just hit it on the head! I have noticed that the Adderall works less each day after only using it for one month. I don't want to keep increasing my dose just to make it through the day.

I did post my son's labwork. It is in the "Babies and Children with Celiac" forum under the title 'Just Plain Confused'. we currently have him trying a 30 day gluten-free challenge.

Thank you for your post. It helps me realize that others are going through the same things and I don't feel like such a 'freak'.

[MaryJones2]

Definitely have your thyroid tested.

Also, you should consider seeing a psychiatrist and formally being diagnosed with ADD (it's actually a very structured qualification process for adults). If you have ADD stimulants calm you down not pep you up. In fact, most people with ADD, including myself, can take adderall, concerta, etc. and fall asleep because it's relaxing. Coffee also affects people with ADD the opposite way it affects people without - it calms us down not peps us up. The fact that you mentioned needing increasing amounts is a flag that ADD might not be your issue (or most of your issue - you might find you have celiac and ADD or some other combination).

This a very simple answer to a very complex issue but that is the jist of it - celiac and thyroid problems can cause all of your symptoms so you definitely want to have that checked out. Hope you find your answer and feel better soon.

[Lfrost]

Definitely have your thyroid tested.

Also, you should consider seeing a psychiatrist and formally being diagnosed with ADD (it's actually a very structured qualification process for adults). If you have ADD stimulants calm you down not pep you up. In fact, most people with ADD, including myself, can take adderall, concerta, etc. and fall asleep because it's relaxing. Coffee also affects people with ADD the opposite way it affects people without - it calms us down not peps us up. The fact that you mentioned needing increasing amounts is a flag that ADD might not be your issue (or most of your issue - you might find you have celiac and ADD or some other combination).

This a very simple answer to a very complex issue but that is the jist of it - celiac and thyroid problems can cause all of your symptoms so you definitely want to have that checked out. Hope you find your answer and feel better soon.

That was what I was figuring (about it being something more than ADD). As a kid my teachers/friends always mentioned my 'hyperactivity'. In high school I had a friend who called me an 'anorexic live wire'. Also, coworkers have joked about my 'ADHD', so basically, when the inattention got out of hand, I went to the Dr. (Plus 2 of my kids are already diagnosed, one ADD, one ADHD).

I am a pretty active/hyper person in general, unless I quit moving (then I am tired). My morning fatigue and inattention were the biggest issues. Taking the Adderall has not affected my ability to go to sleep, however, it has made it so the 'morning drunkeness' has gone away. The bad thing is that when I don't take it now, I have found that I cannot function.

For example : I did not take it on a Friday afternoon (I was out of my extended release and was taking my 2x a day one and forgot to take it). That Saturday I slept till 12:30 pm. I got up all tired and took about an hour more to become coherent. Then I took my daughter shopping. I realized after we left that I had forgotten my meds again. We got home around 5:00 pm. I sat on the couch and fell asleep until 9:00 pm. I then woke up for about 2 hours and went to bed. I slept until around 10:30 the next morning. I remembered to take my meds that day, so all was good.

Prior to the meds, my fatigue was not that bad. I used to get a lot of things done, or at least started. That is one of the reasons I asked my Dr. what else this might be. I don't want to take drugs in order to function each day!