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[UmmaGumma]

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I have posted this in another forum but I wanted to share it with this forum as well. Because of fibromyalgia, I suffered horribly from IBS, both constipation and diarrhea--but mostly constipation. The pain has been so intense that I have vomited and almost passed out. I tried laxatives, fiber tablets, exercising, just about everything under the sun.And then about three years ago, my psychiatrist put me on Adderall for treatment-resistant depression and chronic fatigue. And then I realized I no longer suffered from IBS because Adderall makes you go to the bathroom. Once you take it, if you have anything in your bowels, you will easily go to the restroom in only a matter of minutes. I do not like to take the Adderall every day as prescribed because it is a stimulant. However, if I feel an IBS flare-up coming on, I will pop the Adderall and in a matter of minutes I can get relief without having to endure any excrutiating pain. It even relieves narcotic-induced constipation.The only downside to this medication is that doctors will not prescribe it simply for IBS. Also, if you have a heart condition, it may be a little too risky to take. Adderall is prescription amphetamine and is mostly presribed for ADD/ADHD. I believe the reason it works so well is because I read somewhere that medications that affect the central nervous system are effective for treating IBS. Naturally, being a stimulant, Adderall fits into that category. I can now eat and drink anything I want without painful consequences.

[rosiep]

This is not the first time I've heard about this. I have a friend, who when she gets really constipated, pops one of her son's adderall and she says it works every time!

[IBD/IBS Author]

rosiep - Your friend could be playing with fire by taking a serious prescription drug without it being prescribed for her! She is being irresponsible and not teaching her son any good habits by stealing his medication.Has she read the potential side effects of Adderall? Just because it helps her IBS symptoms doesn't make it necessarily 'safe' for her to take. She should talk to a doctor!

[Kathleen M.]

Many medications have GI side effects and sometimes that makes someone's IBS better depending on their symptoms and the side effects. On the other hand they can make other people's IBS worse depending on their symptoms and the side effects they get.Every treatment has risks and benefits and often taking something for another disease or problem is not a good idea for IBS alone because the risks outweigh the benefits of the side effect.Taking other people's prescriptions or getting something on the black market is not a safe way to deal with any illness.Things that are stimulating to the nervous system as a whole often do stimulate the nerves controlling the colon to make it more active. This is why caffeine, a legal stimulant, is sometimes helpful.Stimulants do tend to increase heart rate and blood pressure because they are, well, stimulating as the category name would suggest. Many of them also carry a risk for addiction as well.K.

[SpAsMaN*]

I'm so happy for you Umma.

[SpAsMaN*]

Umma,do you have a lot of trapped gas?And what happen to them...

[SpAsMaN*]

I had read the case report about this drug helping one pelvic pain patient.Well i had a sample of Aderall and took a tiny dose yesterday and i end up having acute sigmoid pain and had to take enema....I was naive to think it help IBS.

[Finch]

Ironically, I found this thread because I Googled "IBS Adderall" to look for any indication that Adderall could irritate or intensify IBS. I have been taking Adderall for years and have never had the "rapid clean-out" effect the original poster describes. It does make me nauseous if I take it on an empty stomach, however. My husband prompted me to wonder whether this could be connected with my IBS's recent advance to continual nausea. I'm just beginning to look into that, but the Adderall definitely does not help my IBS. During the time I've been taking Adderall, my IBS has advanced from a once-monthly, couple-hour bout of severe symptoms synced to my hormonal cycle to continual nausea and pain (currently stopped with Librax, but recurring as soon as I miss a dose) and severe, constant limitations to the foods I can eat. As a final touch of black humor, the Librax, even at one dose/day, substantially affects my concentration and complex thinking ability. I feel like I used to on a "thinking through mud" day before I ever heard of Adderall - and that's with me still taking Adderall.

[dysterious]

Do adderall competitors like ritalin have the same effect? Anyone know?