High Blood Pressure/ADHD

[falcontracker]

I was found to have high blood pressure about 6 months ago; Atenenol was prescribed and works fine. I already take
300mg Wellbutrin and 10mg Valium.
Just a couple of months ago I was diagnosed ADHD, and Vyvanse was prescribed, along with clonidin. I have to really watch my blood pressure now, because if I miss taking the atenenol, my blood pressure will shoot up over 160 really quick.
Is there any solution for people with 2 conditions like this where the medication for one condition diametrically opposes
the medication for the second condition ?
Would some other blood pressure medication work better than a beta blocker ? I just got into reading about different medications, and it seems that ace inhibitors are the preferred medicine for active individuals.

[Douglas Bogart, MD]

Vyvanse is not a good medicine for people with high blood pressure and you might talk with your doctor and see if there are alternatives.  Beta blockers do antagonize the effects of vyvanse.  Maybe a calcium channel blocker or an ACE inhibitor would be better--but first check and see if Vyvanse is a must for you.

[falcontracker]

It seems I'm out of luck then; Vyvanse is probably the mildest ADHD (stimulant) drug used; I'm told that Adderall is quite a bit harder on the cardiovascular system. I've tried Straterra, a non-amphetamine drug, but it didn't work.
My blood pressure was 121/76 this morning before taking anything, and that's an average of taking it 4 times over a 30 min time period. After taking just the 300mg Wellbutrin, 5mg Valium, and aspirin, and 70mg Vyvanse, my pressure gradually started climbing; when it got to 149/89, I took 50mg Atenenol; over a relatively short period of time, it was back down to 129/79, but that's still too high, IMO.
I'll survive without the Vyvanse; I'm going to see if I can't get my blood pressure down to a normal level with weight loss (215 now, should be 190 max) and exercise.
Thank you.

[jameson744]

I had a similar experience and my doctor told me to give it some time so that my body could adjust to the med.  After a month or so, and after upping the dose of atenolol from 50 to 100 mg (I also take 40 mg of Benicar), my blood pressure is in the 120's to 70's range throughout most of the day (lower early in the morning and the evening).  But I also take the bp meds every day.  Could your hbp on vyvanse be aggravated by a rebound effect from not taking atenolol?  Or perhaps you have too high of a vyvanse dose?