Can adderall cause paranoia?

[cactus19]

Well for the last couple of months, I've just noticed that I become really paranoid in public, more specifically, times that I may feel threatened or nervous.  An example of the worst it gets:  I carry a knife everywhere I go, I made it a habit a while ago for cutting boxes at work and because I'd have to walk home after work, but that was over the summer, and I quit because of school.  So there's no need for a knife, but I still feel like I need some form of protection.  I've even kept it in my front coat pocket so I could grab it easily if needed-- the weird thing is that I get that feeling even when I'm just around friends who act a little suspicious.  Or just walking somewhere, or when I'm out somewhere and a group of people are walking by....   At home, if I'm the only person there and it seems like a car is parked outside waiting, or people are standing on the sidewalk infront of the house, ANY suspicious activity, I usually grab a gun and can't concentrate on whatever I'm doing cause I'm too busy listening for a door to open or something....

I wanted to explain that first, so here's all the facts and stuff:


Switched from Ritalin to Adderall about 4 months ago, started on 20mg XR.  I stopped noticing the effects of it, and told my psychiatrist, and she gave me a scrip for 10mg IR to take with the XR.  Then about a month ago I mentioned that I've been getting distracted easily at school, so now I'm on 30mg XR/10mg IR everyday.  For the record, I'm 6'1"/220 lbs, a pretty big guy... I only say that cause I know body weight has alot to do with med dosages.

Other medications:  clonazepam [1mg] (not daily, only as needed for anxiety... usually like 3 or 4 days out of the week) -- Ambien [10mg] for sleep obviously

I exercise almost every day, smoke some pot at night occasionally- sometimes recreationally and sometimes just to get to sleep.  I take vitamins, fish oil when I remember, sometimes take pepcid or whatever is around the house for heartburn...  No medical problems besides sleep and occasional social anxiety, but the anxiety has gone down alot over the last year.  Except for the incidences I'm talking about.  And I only see my psychiatrist for medication refills/check-ins, it's only a 20 minute appointment and I never have anything big to talk about, but I only started seeing a psychiatrist b/c of the anxiety last year, which like I said, has gone down alot.




But these paranoia attack-type things are alot different than anxiety, I get alot of adrenaline when I feel like this...  and I tend to try to get somewhere where I feel safer, which is making very bad changes in my social life.  I feel like telling my psychiatrist next time I have an appt. but I don't want it to be mistaken for depression or anything... I took all types of anti-depressants for anxiety, and none helped, all of them made things worse, until she bumped me up to a benzodiazepine...  So I reallllllllly don't want to be put on antidepressants of any type, eh... I'm not really sure how to describe but whatever.

I mean can the adderall cause these types of side-effects?  And if not, what could be?  I guess I also need to know if this is something to get checked out immediately, I have no clue how serious this is....


Thanks-

[branzzz]

Adderall is not recommended for people with anxiety problems because it generally worsens it.