Julianna McLeod, 26, had her first psychotic episode while taking Vyvanse for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder last year.
Ms. McLeod, who lives in Ontario, Canada, had taken the drug before but paused while pregnant with her first child and didn’t start taking it again until six months postpartum.
Although the dose was 40 milligrams, she often forgot when she had last taken a pill.
So she took one whenever she remembered — and may have ended up taking more than her prescribed daily dose.
The delusions that she experienced made her feel euphoric and highly energetic.
In her mind, she was a “super detective” who was uncovering the people and organizations that were secretly engaging in child sex trafficking.
But these side effects are considered rare — experienced by an estimated 1 in 1,000 patients — and have not been extensively researched.
A new study published on Thursday in The American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that dosage may play a role.
It found that among people who took high doses of prescription amphetamines such as Vyvanse and Adderall, there was a fivefold increased risk of developing psychosis or mania for the first time compared with those who weren’t taking stimulants.
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Because of her attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, 26-year-old Julianna McLeod experienced her first psychotic episode last year while taking Vyvanse.
Ms. The medication had been taken by McLeod, a resident of Ontario, Canada; however, she stopped taking it during her first pregnancy and resumed six months after giving birth.
Her last pill-taking date was frequently forgotten, even though the dosage was forty milligrams. Hence, she may have taken more than her daily allotment since she took one whenever she remembered to.
She felt ecstatic and incredibly energized during her delusions.
As she put it, “It felt like connections were blowing up in my brain.”. She had an imaginary identity of a “super detective” who was pursuing the individuals and groups involved in the covert trafficking of children for sex.
She even started to suspect that her child and she were being drugged.
The FDA has added warnings to stimulant medication labels stating that they may cause symptoms such as hallucinations, delusional thinking, or mania. Psychosis and mania are both known side effects of these medications. However, these side effects are not well studied and are thought to be uncommon, occurring in about 1 in 1,000 patients. Someone’s full recovery may take several months.
According to a recent study that was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry on Thursday, dosage might be an important factor. It was discovered that compared to those who did not take stimulants, there was a five-fold higher risk of psychosis or mania in patients who took high doses of prescription amphetamines like Vyvanse and Adderall.
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