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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Does ADHD medication cause skin picking?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
Does ADHD medication cause skin picking?
by prizz, May 16, 2005 12:00AM
My 12 year old daughter is being treated for depression, anxiety and ADHD. She is currently taking concerta (36mg), Paxil(37.5 mg) and clomipramine(75mg). She is constantly picking at her skin and scalp. It is very uncommon to see her not picking. Through the years, she has had allergies in early spring,and has lightly scratched her arms and hands, but now she has with scabs all over her arms, legs, face, feet, and scalp! I feel so bad for her. One Sunday she forgot to take her medicine, and she didn't pick during church. When we returned home, I had her take the Concerta, then wait an hour to see if the picking returned. I noticed it after 40 minutes. I decided it must be the Concerta, and we visited our Doctor. He switched her to Adderall XD (20 mg)and we saw no difference in the skin picking. We have also tried Doxepin (10 mg) which was perscribed by our allergist. Doxepin made her a very dark and negative monster! After 3 days we discontinued it! She tried Straterra (60 mg) for 2 months but it hurt her stomach too much to continue with it. Now she has been on Pemoline(37.5mg) for 6 days and is continuing with the constant picking. Do you have any suggestions? She acted the best with Straterra but it hurt her stomach so much she wouldn't take it anymore.Is there anyone else who has had this problem? I hope you may have some answers for me. Please help if possible. Thank you, Prizz
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., May 16, 2005 12:00AM
, May 16, 2005 12:00AM
I would recommend a consultation with a psyhcopharmacologist rather than keep trying the different medications through your general physicians. He or she specializes in this. In general,skin picking is a kind of compulsion/obsession, and maybe increasing the paxil would be a good bet because it works for obsessions. But a consultation is still your best bet.
marriedlove
I realize your question involves "skin picking", but I think a greater issue would be "is your child truly ADHD or are you seeing severe anxiety symptoms?". It does sound as if the medication is not working - and by the way, our group feels medication alone will not relieve anxiety issues; the child will need to learn "coping mechanisms" as CBT through therapy. As the others have posted, you really need to see another physician. Good luck.
My skin feels as though someone installed an extra set of super sensitive nerve endings. If I'm reading a book or working on the computer (ie, no distractions), I'm constantly rubbing my legs and arms trying to make the 'tickle' go away. If my husband (or anyone else) touches me, or especially if he leans even just a tiny bit weight on me (like moving past me to get off the couch), then I actually yelp! When he asks what's wrong all I can say is either 'my skin hurts' or 'my bones hurt', neither of which is quite precise. It's almost an indescribable sensation, but it's definitely not pleasant.
Like you, even when no one is touching me, I'm constantly *aware* of it. I have to cut tags off my clothes too, or else it's ALL I can think about. I can't have my hair loose so that it touches my face or neck, because the sensation drives me crazy. It's so much more intense on ADD meds, and sometimes it's almost worse than having ADD.
You say that you have symptoms whether you are on or off the meds -- did the symptoms start with Ritalin, or is this something you always had but Ritalin makes worse?
When I asked my doctor, he suggested that my skin sensitivity may be on the mild end of the Asperger's spectrum; he believes that ADD, Asperger's, and Autism are all part of the same spectrum of disorders and may manifest similar underlying symptoms -- for example, light touch being experienced as pain. He doesn't have an explanation for why it might be worse with ADD meds, though, and he doesn't seem to believe that the meds might cause it (or skin picking either, though I seriously have to disagree with him on that).
I find relief in a hot shower; the overwhelming sensory input of the heat, noise, and water pressure (although this seems contradictory) distracts my brain enough for me to relax. Swimming also seems to help, in a heated pool. The water is providing suspension from gravity, and the warmth of the water makes it seem softer -- that is, it doesn't 'hurt' the way cloth or air does.
If you find a solution, please do post! I will do the same. In the meantime, take good care.
Best,
Sari