120 BPM Resting heart rate

[thewayjoshis]

So my friend snorted 30mg of adderall at about 2:30 PM. He then took 5mg of abilify, 100mg of lamictal, and 50mg of trazodone at about 10:30 PM. He is prescribed all but the adderall. We both went to bed but he got me up at around 3:00 AM and told me his heart was beating fast. He stood up and I took his pulse and it was 120 BPM. That definitely isn't right and we are both concerned. Should I tell my mom downstairs? Or should I not risk getting grounded for 3 more weeks and hope that I'll be fine? Please answer as quickly as possible, especially if I need to tell someone. Thank you.

Update: I just checked his heart rate again but in a more accurate way and it's actually closer to 136 BPM. This is his standing heart rate by the way.

 

[pasha]

homeless -> basic drug discussion

 

[Zopharr]

It's likely the trazodone causing the abnormally high heart rate in conjunction with the adderall. It has a strange tendency to do that to some people-- myself included. I also remember feeling rather unusually uncomfortable at the time, but it faded back to the "normal" adderall feeling within a few hours.

What I'd be more concerned with is the fact that he's taking abilify with the adderall..... that's about as counterproductive as it gets, no? I haven't looked it up recently, but I'm pretty sure its primary method of action is to basically serve as a dopamine inhibitor, since dopamine fluxes are believed to be a leading cause of manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder. I'm not exactly sure what route it takes to achieve this, but I say this because Adderall's "good" effects are almost entirely due to its ability to flood the brain with dopamine.

If he's prescribed abilify, there's a good chance he should avoid adderall and other CNS stimulants completely... especially if he's taking it for bipolar disorder.

EDIT: Just noticed the lamictal, which is almost always prescribed with abilify for bipolar disorder. I'd seriously suggest that he doesn't use adderall anymore... at all. Also, I believe abilify is also an SSRI. That, combined with Trazodones mild inhibitory effects on seratonin, is another reason he could be experiencing the high heart rate from taking adderall, which mildly but notably raises seratonin levels.

Mainly though, he shouldn't worry about the heart as much as his mind. The heartrate will calm... but you just don't want to mess with mental health issues imo

 

[thewayjoshis]

So do you think he will get brain damage or anything? He says he doesn't feel normal at the moment because he is tired and stimulated at the same time. He got maybe an hour of sleep last night at most. His heart rate is slowly but surely calming but we are both worried about brain damage.

 

[Zopharr]

Hahahaha no, I didn't mean brain damage... I meant that he's taking those medications for a reason, to correct imbalances that are believed to cause issues like bi-polar disorder... and adderall specifically works in the exact opposite way of abilify. Abilify is taken to control/reduce dopamine levels... adderall is taken to dramatically raise them.

Whatever problem that the abilify is trying to regulate is only going to be made worse by taking adderall (theoretically)

Edit: The tired/stimulated thing? .... Welcome to Adderall. It, too is bi-polar xD

 

[thewayjoshis]

Thank god he wont get brain damage. He is still really tired though and only got 1 hour of sleep last night and wants to take a nap but can't get to sleep because his heart is beating too fast and he's too stimulated. Would it be safe for him to take from 25-50mg of more trazodone to help him sleep? Or would that just make things worse?

 

[Zopharr]

I'd go with benedryl. Trazodone is just terrible in my experience, and there's just something about it that doesn't go well with stimulants. Judging by the "tell my mom" thing, I'm guessing you're younger, but if not then just go have a drink and try to stop thinking about it. You'll fall asleep eventually.

I'd consider him taking the lesson though-- if he's going to take the addy in the future, don't take his other meds that same day. Now, obviously he's prescribed them for a reason and shouldn't just stop taking them.... but let's be realistic, none of them are life-sustaining meds. If he's going to try it again, do it without the meds. If he still has the racing heart, then maybe stims just aren't for him. Most of what he's feeling is just anxiety, I'm sure. I suffer from it myself, and it's one of those things that takes time to get accustomed to without worrying about.

Make sure you're staying hydrated, too. Force some water or OJ (Vitamin C and acidic drinks help the body clear out amphetamines) down, relax, and do something boring. Don't sit on this forum reading about drugs, just take 2 benedryl, watch some TV, and wait for sleep to finally hit.

Most importantly: Stop worrying. It's quite normal. Next time do a little less, drink more water while you're on it (you know damn well you didn't =P), and plan your comedown before you come up if you want to make things easier.

Oh... and by you I guess I mean your friend... whatever. Both of you lol

 

[thewayjoshis]

Unfortunately, we don't have any benedryl here, but we do have Non-Asprin Tylenol PM which has Tylenol and Diphenhydramine HCL as the active ingredients and I know benedryl has Diphenhydramine HCL as the only active ingredient. Or at least I think it's the only one. Anyways, should I just give him a few of those instead? And we have no OJ either, but we do have lemon juice. If I just give him a few of the Tylenol PM capsules and some lemon juice to wash it down, will that would just as well? He has stopped worrying about it, he has gotten used to it but it kind of seems weird to me that he snorted addy over 20 hours ago now and still has a high ass heart rate. I don't know much about the half-life and after-life area of medications, but could it be the after life taking effect with the trazodone? He took his last 25mg of trazodone at about 1:00 AM and it's 10:22 AM right now for us. His heart rate is almost back to normal, but he says he can still feel it. He will probably be fine but he still wants sleep so how does Tylenol PM w/ lemon juice sound? I am under aged for drinking by the way but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Zopharr]

Both of those things would be fine, which I'm sure you've already discovered.

Yes, its quite common for some people to have adderall last for an obscenely long time.... again, I'm one of them. I've taken them on and off for years and I still find them occasionally keeping me away 30 hours after I dosed.

There are a lot of mechanics involved in removing adderall from your body, and some of them are easily influenced by your diet. For example, most heartburn medication will prolong or enhance the effects of adderall by inhibiting your bodies ability to remove it from the blood effectively. If you were to take a glass of water with a teaspoon of baking soda in it about 30 minutes before you take the adderall, you'd feel like you took twice your original dose for twice as long-- I used to do that all the time.

Drinking acidic beverages, like OJ, does the exact opposite-- it helps the body excrete it and inhibits its ability to absorb it as effectively.

 

[thewayjoshis]

Yea, I did the lemon juice/tylenol method of sleeping and it worked, thanks. And thank you for telling me about the baking soda + water idea, next time I do addy, I'ma try that method. That night I'll just skip out on my trazodone and abilify and just take lemon juice and tylenol PM instead. Thank you for all of your help!