Should adderall have a black box warning for mania

Post Reply New Topic

I've had real problems with Adderall 6 months ago because it gave me manic/psychotic episode. I would start drawing on people sitting next to me in class and I learned hundreds of digits of pi, stayed up all night keeping track of my fantasy football team, and gotten really angry so I would smash remotes, throw books at my dad, and rip binders in class. The manic episode made me wonder why there wasn't be a black box warning for mania.

I would certainly be for all such medications having a warning that it can trigger mania in bipolar people. I was put on antidepressants twice. The first time I was only diagnosed with depression. When the medication made me extremely euphoric for a week and then suddenly delusional and suicidal, the doctors just said "well that can happen to some people." The second time I had already been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder but the doctor still put me on them without a mood stabilizer, insisting that it would "even me out" and prevent mania as well as depression. A psychotic episode of mania followed after a single dose.

Since it seems even doctors don't quite understand the relationship between these drugs and mania, it would be very helpful if a warning was put on the pills themselves. It would raise awareness and help prevent these things from happening so often. On the other hand, a lack of awareness is probably why such a warning isn't already in place. If doctors and pharmaceutical regulating agencies were aware of the (very serious) danger these drugs pose for bipolar people, I'd like to think this wouldn't happen so often. Yet it seems to.

So I'm not sure what the solution is. Maybe there's a way to request such a warning be put on the relevant drugs? I'd certainly support it.

In high school I was put on Lexapro, soon caused being delusional from confirmed mania.