Adderall and Trichotillomania: hair loss / skin picking

My step brother had it REALLY bad. Bald spots all over his head..he has autism but I don't think that's what made him do it. I actually think I used to when I was in elementary school. So you're deff not alone.

Aww you are not alone. Adderall can make you nervous and make you pull your hair out and pick your face. I would be honest with your Dr. and ask him to switch you back to Nuvigil.

i have struggled with trichotillomania for twenty years.

not caused by stimulants, i started pulling long before i was diagnosed with narcolepsy.

i still pull, but i have been free of bald spots for a few years now.

try a different stimulant or dose. ritalin, at any dose, caused me to pull and pick like crazy. had i been on that for more than a few days, i would've been bald with no finger nails. i'm on dexedrine now and do not have that problem. i noticed it coming back on a higher dose, but it was manageable and not as obsessive compulsive as it was with ritalin.

I think this might be a coping strategy to deal with the anxious feeling that the adderall gives you. For instance, I kick my foot constantly to calm my nerves even if I don't consciously realize it

My daughter tested positive for one of the MTHFR genes. She also picked at her hair and had a small bald spot. She now takes Methylfolate (Deplin), Methyl B12, and N-Acetyl Cysteine. She started the first, used two weeks, did the next two weeks with the 1st, then started the third after 2 more weeks. After about 3 weeks of the 3rd, she noticed that the wanting to pull out her hair was diminishing. This was while we thought the issue was depression and anxiety. I AM going to keep an eye on now that she is starting the Adderall and make sure that it doesn't resume. These are all over the counter, I get the supplements at a compounding pharmacy as they are sure that what is said to be in them, is in them. Walmart or RiteAid....studies I have seen say that anything could be in those supplements.

have sleep isolated trichotillomania. I don't do it all the time. It seems to flair up for a night or two every few months. I have found braids, a hair cap, etc. Do help slow me down.

you are not losing your mind, adderall definitely increased my dermatillomania/ compulsive habits. made it much more consistent. during sleep attacks without adderall i would often go into dazes where i'd lose time and pick at my skin, but now it's more frequent. painting my nails helps. so does not looking in mirrors. but i'm not so sure about trichotillomania. just letting you know it's not just you and it's so stressful

I've had trich since around 12-13, which is a normal onset age for it. This was before onset of narcolepsy, or obvious signs of narcolepsy. I feel your pain. There are places where hair will no longer grow so I wear headbands, I've had my eyebrows done because the little amount of hair and I don't even try and bother with makeup because it seems like it would take so much and when I'm yawning all the time and eyes watering from that, makeup stings.
I heard that behavioural therapy works the best but all my energy goes into work and sleep. No time for anything else.
Sorry I can't send you a miracle cure, just knowledge that you aren't alone and everything you feel is normal.

I've always picked my skin. I thought it has to be related to tric after watching a few YouTube videos about hair pulling. My 2 year old niece pulled almost all of her hair out. It's a comfort mechanism as she sleeps....me...I mostly pick where it can't be seen.

maybe ask if you could add something mild that helps complulsive problems like fluoxetine (lexapro). I noticed when I added 15 mg to my regimen when I was on Dextro I did not have such nervous tendencies as before...for me it wasn't pulling hair out, but other embarrassing fetishes that I felt made me look strange to others.

My niece has that issue. Badly. She does it constantl . She even eats it. I have a few large alopecia spots underneath my hair, but it's not from picking at it. And they're getting pretty big...one is bigger than a 50 cent piece. Probably should talk to dr about it today.

OMG.... I thought I was going crazy over here. I've gone pick crazy with my skin. Any lil bump is picked at. I try to fight it but I've found myself even doin it in my sleep. I didn't want to tell anyone but I finally became concerned when a couple spots almost got infected. So I confided in my momma. She freaked out and wants me to go to a dermatologist in case it's skin cancer

Get thyroid checked. I had clumps fall out and it was bc my thyroid wasn't working. Been on adderall for a few months and have had no problems

Yes, it made my hair really thinned out and my skin was horrible, especially noticeable on my face. My pores were huge. I had to get off of it. Loosing my hair made me more depressed.

I have allergies also and lost a lot of my hair as I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough water. It's stopped falling and looks like it might be growing back slowly. I'm on Modafinil though. No thyroid issue. I also stupidly was doing the bicarb soda hair washing - doctor suggested this might also have to do with it. I've started looking after it better now and cut a lot ofit off and it's much more nourished and alive looking now.

Yes, this happened to me when I was on adderall. Now, I'm on vyvanse and it works so much better. You still experience the slight decrease in appetite, but you still get hungry enough that you have to eat, unlike the adderall for me. I lost so much weight. It was bad, and my hair was so gross.

I've been on Adderall for about 3 years...main things I notice is the rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), fine tremor in hands and wanting to smoke non-stop... All fairly common with an amphetamine.
I took Provigil years ago...seemed to work at first, but then suddenly quit altogether...
Hopefully you'll have better luck.

I have had N. since 1967. I have been on Dexadrine for 19 years and Desoxon for 25 years before. I have not worked since 2004, but I still take my meds. I was married for 10 long years, and now 37 short years. I have 3 kids that have done well, and I just turned 76 and am doing well. I can't do a lot anymore and my joints hurt when I do. My wife is diabetic so we eat healthy. If I had to quit my meds for 1 month, I would be looking for a way out. The meds made my life liveable!

My story is similar to Ted's -except I'm not 76- just 67. I started with Desoxen in about 1967 and some time in the 80s changed to Dexadrine (I think it had to do with cost). I still take that. It almost completely controls my N--luckily I'm retired so can nap when I want. Not a lot of side effects, probably my dry mouth--and I always believe my short, weak fingernails. Since Narcolepsy has been controlling most of my life, it's hard to seperate what's me and what's N.

I've been on stimulants for over 20 years!! My hair falls out, however other conditions may be cause too. I have low thyroid, fibro, RA, Chiari #1, degenerative neck disease, herniated sciatica. So fatigue has me riddled me with itself. So is my Ritalin not working or could it just be the fatigue?? Just tired on 3 x 20 mg daily.