Summary:
This article reviews whether Adderall can help with anxiety and what treatment options Sequoia Recovery Center can provide for anxiety.
Adderall is one of the more commonly prescribed medications for things like ADHD, but it has a complex relationship with anxiety. It is not commonly prescribed to treat anxiety as it is a stimulant. Those who need treatment for anxiety can find lifestyle changes, therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy, and other FDA-approved anxiety medications at our facility.
Does Adderall Help with Anxiety?
Adderall can have an effect on anxiety levels for those who have a prescription already, stimulating physical symptoms like rapid heart rate and restlessness, and resulting in things like rebound anxiety when the medication wears off.
In others, however, it can indirectly reduce anxiety by improving focus and reducing feelings of overwhelm. This is especially true of anyone prescribed Adderall for ADHD, as some symptoms of anxiety in certain individuals stem from the poor performance or disorganization related to symptoms of ADHD, and as such, getting medication to help with those symptoms can subsequently help with anxiety levels.
Given this complex relationship, anyone experiencing problems with anxiety should consider safer alternatives for treatment. Our goal is to help people find lasting recovery, balancing things like ADHD medication and anxiety treatment through specialized programs.
Our Anxiety Treatment Levels
At Sequoia Recovery Center, we provide multiple levels of care to help our clients manage anxiety levels.
In cases where these anxiety levels are tied to things like adderall addiction or other substance abuse, we provide a dual diagnosis program.
This program provides multiple levels of care, starting with a residential and detox option before clients transition to outpatient care.
Detox/Residential
Anyone struggling with substance abuse and addiction, or high anxiety levels, will start with our detox program. This typically lasts an average of 7 days and provides an opportunity to flush any residual toxins out of the body before continuing on to holistic and traditional talk therapy as part of a residential program.
Our residential inpatient program offers full-time support, allowing clients to live in our facility while receiving care. During this time, clients receive support with nutrition, structured activities, and holistic care.
IOP/PHP/Outpatient
When clients are ready to transition, they can seamlessly move into one of our three levels of outpatient programs. Those who don’t need the intense support and monitoring of a residential program can even start here.
With flexible schedules, we make it possible for clients to reside at home while still getting the treatment they need for managing anxiety symptoms and/or co-occurring substance abuse.
Our aim is to offer the Continuum of Care with multiple levels of outpatient support so that clients can find a level of structure and treatment that works best for them.
Dual Diagnosis Program
Clients who might be struggling with anxiety and addiction to Adderall can participate in our dual diagnosis program, with integrated treatment, safer alternatives to managing anxiety, and holistic support.
Integrated Treatment
Our dual diagnosis program provides clients with an integrated team of clinical experts, therapists, and psychiatrists who all understand the overlap between stimulants like Adderall and anxiety. The goal during these treatment plans is to treat substance abuse and anxiety at the same time so that one doesn’t trigger the other in the future and cause a relapse.
Safer Alternatives for Anxiety
For those clients who need it, we can help them transition to safer alternatives for ADHD, like evidence-based anxiety medications and management tools. This often includes skills building, learning to cope with anxious thoughts, and replacing them with healthy coping tools.
Holistic Support
Essential components to managing anxiety, whether derived from Adderall or other sources, are lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes help to reduce resting anxiety levels and, subsequently, reduce cortisol, a stress hormone.
By incorporating practices like healthy nutrition, mindfulness meditation, and yoga, our team can help clients maintain a calmer nervous system.
Contact Our Team Today
Getting help doesn’t have to be complicated. When you call our team, we will help you verify your insurance, determine an appropriate level of care, and get you started on your anxiety treatment plan.
FAQ
Does Adderall Treat Anxiety?
Adderall is not an FDA-approved treatment for anxiety, but instead is a central nervous system stimulant often used for ADHD. In some cases, wear prescribed for things like ADHD, clients might see a change in their anxiety levels, but at Sequoia Recovery Center, we provide evidence-based treatment plans throughout a Continuum of Care designed for addressing anxiety disorders instead of off-label medical use.
How Does Adderall Make Some People Less Anxious?
In cases where Adderall is prescribed for ADHD, some people might struggle with anxiety that’s caused by things like ADHD paralysis, the stress associated with being unable to complete tasks, and feeling paralyzed. When people with ADHD develop healthier organizational skills and improve their productivity, this can do away with or limit the secondary anxiety they feel.
Why Does Adderall Make Some People More Anxious?
In some people, the stimulant nature of Adderall actually increases or triggers levels of anxiety. This happens because Adderall can spike blood pressure and heart rate, which mimics physical symptoms of a panic attack, like increased heart rate. These feelings of restlessness and sweating or racing heart rate can make feelings of anxiety worse in those who already have them or lead people who previously did not have anxiety to struggle with those feelings.
Does Stopping Adderall Make Anxiety Worse?
In cases where individuals were prescribed things like Adderall for ADHD, clients might feel as though their anxiety is worse when they stop taking Adderall, but this isn’t the whole story. Those for whom Adderall helped reduce feelings of anxiety, often through alleviating ADHD paralysis, might feel a return of that anxiety when they stop taking medication for ADHD because that paralysis returns. This, however, can be a temporary feeling, one that can be alleviated through improved organizational skills and coping mechanisms that help overcome that paralysis in a non-medication way.
Can I Use Adderall to Self-Medicate for Anxiety?
There’s a high risk of using Adderall as a form of self-medication for off-label use, including as an anxiety treatment. While it might seem appealing to use a stimulant to help cope with occasional brain fog or fatigue brought about by anxiety, this can lead to a cycle of dependence. At Sequoia Recovery Center we provide dual diagnosis care to address things like underlying anxiety disorders and stimulant use, making it possible to utilize healthy or coping mechanisms and behavioral tools in place of off-label medication use.
