Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine, Oral

What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: amphetamine

Generic and brand names: amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, oral; Adderall; Adderall XR

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is taken by mouth to treat narcolepsy or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your healthcare provider.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• an allergic reaction to any medicine or to tartrazine (a yellow dye used in some medicines)
• a mental health problem such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, or schizophrenia
• glaucoma
• heart disease or heart rhythm problems
• high blood pressure
• problems with alcohol or drug abuse
• thyroid disease
• Tourette's syndrome, tics, epilepsy, or other seizure disorder

Do not take an MAO inhibitor antidepressant such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or isocarboxazid (Marplan) and this medicine within 14 days of each other. Serious side effects can occur. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I take it?

Check the label on the medicine for directions about your specific dose. Take this medicine exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes. Do not take more of it than prescribed. When you take this medicine for a long time or in large dosages, you may become dependent on it. Do not stop taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval. You may need to reduce your dosage gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

This medicine may come in different forms. If you have extended-release tablets, do not break, crush, or chew them. Ask your pharmacist if you have the extended-release tablets.

You may take this medicine with or without food. Do not take this medicine with fruit juices. Juices may make this medicine less effective. When possible, take this medicine early in the day (usually no later than 2 PM or 6 hours before your bedtime) to avoid trouble sleeping at night. If you have a long-acting form of the medicine, take it at least 10 hours before bedtime.

When this medicine is prescribed for a child, all doses should be given by an adult.

What if I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for the next scheduled dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and take the next one as directed. Do not take double doses. If you are not sure of what to do if you miss a dose, or if you miss more than one dose, contact your healthcare provider.

What if I overdose?

If you or anyone else has intentionally taken too much of this medicine, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away. If you pass out, have seizures, weakness or confusion, or have trouble breathing, call 911. If you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much of this medicine, call the poison control center. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. The poison control center number is 800-222-1222.

Symptoms of an acute overdose may include: restlessness, tremors, fast breathing, confusion, hallucinations, panic, aggressiveness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, seizures.

What should I watch out for?

Your healthcare provider should check blood pressure and heart rate regularly while you are taking this medicine. Call your healthcare provider right away if you or your child has any signs of heart problems such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting while taking this medicine.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you notice any new or worsening mental symptoms or problems while taking this medicine, especially:

• more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real)
• psychosis (believing things that are not real)
• paranoia (unusually suspicious)

Amphetamines have a high potential for abuse. If you use this medicine for a long time, you may become dependent on it. Prescriptions for this medicine cannot be refilled. You must see your healthcare provider again so that he or she can determine if you should take more of this medicine.

This medicine is a controlled substance. It is illegal for you to give it to anyone else.

This medicine may make you dizzy or cause blurred vision. Do not drive or operate machinery unless you are fully alert and can see clearly. Take care to avoid falling.

This medicine may slow growth in children. Talk to your healthcare provider about this.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (report these to your healthcare provider right away): Irregular or fast heartbeat, chest pain, hallucinations, severe headache, seizures, fainting, severe skin ulcers.

Other: Restlessness, nervousness, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, change in taste sensation, diarrhea, upset stomach, trouble sleeping, constipation, change in sexual ability or desire, loss of appetite, tremors, weight loss.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• ACE inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), quinapril (Accupril), and ramipril (Altace)
• alpha blockers such as prazosin (Minipress), doxazosin (Cardura), terazosin (Hytrin), and tamsulosin (Flomax)
• angiotensin receptor II blockers such as candesartan (Atacand), eprosartan (Teveten), irbesartan (Avapro), losartan (Cozaar), olmesartan (Benicar), telmisartan (Micardis), and valsartan (Diovan)
• antacids such as Mylanta and Maalox
• antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
• antiseizure medicines such as ethosuximide (Zarontin), phenobarbital, and phenytoin (Dilantin)
• beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), acebutolol (Sectral), pindolol, metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), sotalol (Betapace), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), and carvedilol (Coreg)
• calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine (Norvasc), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), isradipine (DynaCirc), felodipine (Plendil), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin), diltiazem (Cardizem), and nicardipine (Cardene)
• chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• cold and flu medicines, especially those with pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
• diet pills such as diethylpropion (Tenuate), phendimetrazine (Bontril), and phentermine (Ionamin, Adipex-P)
• diuretics (water pills) such as chlorothiazide (Diuril), hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide, Oretic), hydroflumethiazide (Saluron), methyclothiazide (Enduron), and acetazolamide (Diamox)
• haloperidol (Haldol)
• lithium carbonate (Lithobid, Eskalith)
• MAO inhibitor antidepressants such as phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), selegiline (Eldepryl), and isocarboxazid (Marplan) (Do not take an MAO inhibitor and this medicine within 14 days of each other.)
• medicines to treat urinary and kidney problems such as potassium citrate (Urocit-K), sodium citrate (Bicitra), sodium bicarbonate, ammonium chloride, ascorbic acid (vitamin C and fruit juices), methenamine hippurate (Hiprex, Urex), and methenamine mandelate (Mandelamine)
• pain medicines such as meperidine (Demerol) or propoxyphene (Darvocet)
• reserpine (Serpalan)
• tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil), and doxepin (Sinequan)

Do not drink caffeinated coffee, cola, and tea while taking this medicine to prevent jitteriness or trouble sleeping. Caffeine may increase side effects of this medicine.

Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. Alcohol may limit the effectiveness of this medicine.

Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

How should I store this medicine?

Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright light.

This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of outdated medicine or medicine you have not used. Do not throw medicine in the trash.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.