Amphetamine / Dextroamphetamine Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 8, 2024.

Applies to amphetamine / dextroamphetamine: oral capsule extended release, oral tablet.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for any unwanted effects.

Do not take amphetamine and dextroamphetamine combination with a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor (eg, isocarboxazid [Marplan®], phenelzine [Nardil®], selegiline [Eldepryl®], tranylcypromine [Parnate®]). Do not start taking this medicine during the 2 weeks after you stop an MAO inhibitor. If you take them together or do not wait 2 weeks, you may develop confusion, agitation, headaches, restlessness, stomach or bowel symptoms, a sudden high body temperature, an extremely high blood pressure, or severe seizures.

This medicine may cause serious heart or blood vessel problems. This may be more likely in patients who have a family history of heart disease. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a fast, irregular heartbeat while using this medicine.

You or your child will also need to have your blood pressure and heart rate measured before starting this medicine and while you are using it. If you notice any change in your blood pressure, call your doctor right away. If you have questions about this, talk to your doctor.

Tell your doctor right away if you or your family notice any unusual changes in behavior, including an increase in aggression, hostility, agitation, irritability, or suicidal thinking or behaviors. Also tell your doctor if you or your child have hallucinations or any unusual thoughts, especially if they are new or getting worse quickly.

This medicine may cause some people to feel a false sense of well-being or to become dizzy, lightheaded, or less alert than they are normally. It may also cause blurred vision or other vision problems. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

If you have been using this medicine for a long time and you think you may have become mentally or physically dependent on it, check with your doctor right away. Some signs of dependence may be:

• A strong desire or need to continue using the medicine.
• A need to increase the dose to receive the same effects.
• Withdrawal effects after stopping the medicine such as mental depression, nausea or vomiting, stomach cramps or pain, trembling, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

This medicine may cause slow growth. If your child is using this medicine, the doctor will need to keep track of your child's height and weight.

This medicine may cause Raynaud's phenomenon, which is a problem with blood circulation in the fingers or toes. Tell your doctor if you have tingling or pain, a cold feeling, paleness, or skin color changes in the fingers or toes, especially when exposed to cold temperatures. Call your doctor right away if you have unexplained sores or ulcers on your fingers or toes.

Symptoms of an overdose include: agitation, blurred vision, change in consciousness, chest pain or discomfort, confusion, dark urine, diarrhea, dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position, fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse, fever, headache, inability to speak, loss of consciousness, muscle cramps, spasms, pain, or stiffness, nausea, nervousness, overactive reflexes, pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck, pale, clammy skin, palpitations, pounding in the ears, seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there, seizures, shivering, slow or fast heartbeat, slurred speech, sweating, talking or acting with excitement you cannot control, temporary blindness, thirst, trembling or shaking, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting, or weakness in the arm or leg on one side of the body, sudden and severe. Call your doctor right away if you notice these symptoms.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are using this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

This medicine may increase your risk of having seizures. This is more likely to occur in patients with a history of seizures or heart rhythm problems. Check with your doctor right away if this happens.

Check with your doctor right away if you have anxiety, restlessness, a fast heartbeat, fever, sweating, muscle spasms, twitching, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or see or hear things that are not there. These may be symptoms of a serious condition, called serotonin syndrome. Your risk may be higher if you also take certain other medicines that affect serotonin levels in your body.

Avoid drinking alcohol while using this medicine.

Use with medications that increase stomach or urine alkalinity, including sodium bicarbonate should be avoided.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbal supplements (eg, St. John's wort), and especially those for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, allergies, or sinus problems.

Serious side effects

Along with its needed effects, amphetamine / dextroamphetamine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking amphetamine / dextroamphetamine:

Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur while taking amphetamine / dextroamphetamine:

Symptoms of overdose

• agitation
• blurred vision
• change in consciousness
• chest pain or discomfort
• confusion
• dark urine
• diarrhea
• dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• fever
• headache
• inability to speak
• loss of consciousness
• muscle cramps, spasms, pain, stiffness, or twitching
• nausea
• nervousness
• overactive reflexes
• pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck
• pale, clammy skin,
• palpitations
• pounding in the ears
• seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
• seizures
• shivering
• slow or fast heartbeat
• slurred speech
• sweating
• talking or acting with excitement you cannot control
• temporary blindness
• thirst
• trembling or shaking
• trouble breathing
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• vomiting
• weakness in the arm or leg on one side of the body, sudden and severe

Other side effects

Some side effects of amphetamine / dextroamphetamine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to amphetamine / dextroamphetamine: oral capsule extended release, oral tablet.

Metabolic adverse events

• Very common (10% or more): Appetite loss (up to 36%), weight loss (up to 10%)
• Frequency not reported: Anorexia^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Very common (10% or more): Dry mouth (up to 35%), abdominal pain (up to 14%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia
• Frequency not reported: Unpleasant taste, constipation, other GI disturbances^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Very common (10% or more): Transient blood pressure elevations (up to 35%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Tachycardia, palpitation
• Frequency not reported: Cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, Raynaud's phenomenon^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Very common (10% or more): Insomnia (up to 27%), nervousness (up to 13%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Emotional lability, agitation, anxiety
• Frequency not reported: Psychotic episodes, irritability, euphoria, dysphoria, restlessness, depression, aggression, anger, logorrhea, dermatillomania^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Very common (10% or more): Headache (up to 26%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Somnolence, dizziness, twitching, speech disorder (e.g., stuttering, excessive speech)
• Frequency not reported: Overstimulation, paresthesia/formication, dyskinesia, tremor, exacerbation of motor/phonic tics and Tourette's syndrome^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Photosensitivity reaction, sweating
• Frequency not reported: Urticaria, rash, alopecia, serious skin rashes (e.g., Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis)^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Common (1% to 10%): Decreased libido, dysmenorrhea, impotence
• Frequency not reported: Frequent or prolonged erections^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Common (1% to 10%): Urinary tract infection^[Ref]

Other

• Common (1% to 10%): Fever, infection, accidental injury, asthenia/fatigue, tooth disorder (e.g., teeth clenching, tooth infection)
• Frequency not reported: Sudden death, bruxism^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Dyspnea^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Frequency not reported: Hypersensitivity reactions (e.g., angioedema, anaphylaxis)^[Ref]

Ocular

• Frequency not reported: Blurred vision, mydriasis^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Postmarketing reports: Rhabdomyolysis^[Ref]

See also:

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Further information

Amphetamine/dextroamphetamine side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

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