Dextroamphetamine Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 20, 2024.

Applies to dextroamphetamine: oral capsule extended release, oral solution, oral tablet.

Other dosage forms:

• transdermal patch extended release

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 use this medicine if you are using or have used an MAO inhibitor (MAOI), including isocarboxazid [Marplan®], linezolid [Zyvox®], phenelzine [Nardil®], selegiline [Eldepryl®], tranylcypromine [Parnate®]), within the past 14 days.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth while you are using this medicine.

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, or fainting while taking 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.

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 or your child know how this medicine affects you.

Check with your doctor immediately if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. Your doctor may want you or your child to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

Tell your doctor right away if you or your family notices any unusual changes in behavior, such as 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.

If you or your child 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. Some signs that you may be dependent on dextroamphetamine are:

• A strong desire or need to continue taking the medicine.
• A need to increase the dose to receive the effects of the medicine.
• Withdrawal effects (for example, mental depression, nausea or vomiting, stomach cramps or pain, trembling, unusual tiredness or weakness) that occur after the medicine is stopped.

Symptoms of an overdose include: aggressive, agitation, angry, 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, pains, or stiffness, nausea, nervousness, overactive reflexes, pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck, pale, clammy skin, palpitations, panic state, pounding in the ears, restlessness, seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there, seizures, shakiness in the legs, arms, hands, or feet, shivering, slow or fast heartbeat, slurred speech, sweating, talking or acting with excitement you cannot control, temporary blindness, thirst, trembling or shaking of hands or feet, 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.

This medicine may cause slow growth in children. If your child is using this medicine, the doctor will need to keep track of your child's height and weight to make sure that your child is growing properly.

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.

This medicine may cause Raynaud's phenomenon, which is a problem with blood circulation in the fingers or toes. Tell your doctor if you or your child 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.

Check with your doctor right away if you or your child 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.

If you or your child will be taking this medicine in large doses for a long time, do not stop taking it without first checking with your doctor. Your doctor may want you or your child to gradually reduce the amount you are taking before stopping it completely.

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

Avoid use with medications that increase stomach or urine alkalinity, including sodium bicarbonate, acetazolamide, and some thiazide diuretics (water pill).

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

Serious side effects of dextroamphetamine

Along with its needed effects, 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 dextroamphetamine:

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

Symptoms of overdose

• aggressive
• agitation
• angry
• 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
• fainting
• fast breathing
• fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat
• 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
• restlessness
• seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
• seizures
• shivering
• slow or fast heartbeat
• slurred speech
• stomach cramps
• sweating
• talking or acting with excitement you cannot control
• temporary blindness
• thirst
• tremor
• 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 of dextroamphetamine

Some side effects of 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 dextroamphetamine: oral capsule extended release, oral solution, oral tablet, transdermal film.

Metabolic adverse events

• Very common (10% or more): Decreased appetite, reduced weight gain, weight loss
• Common (1% to 10%): Anorexia
• Frequency not reported: Acidosis^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Very common (10% or more): Insomnia, nervousness
• Common (1% to 10%): Abnormal behavior, aggression/hostility, excitation, anxiety, depression, irritability
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Psychotic episodes/psychosis
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Suicidal behavior (including completed suicide), mania, hallucinations
• Frequency not reported: Overstimulation, restlessness, euphoria, dysphoria, confusion, dependence, emotional lability, impaired cognitive test performance, altered libido, night terrors, obsessive-compulsive behavior, panic states, paranoia^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Common (1% to 10%): Arrhythmia, palpitations, tachycardia
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Angina pectoris
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Cardiac arrest
• Frequency not reported: Blood pressure and heart rate changes (usually elevated), cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, chest pain, cardiovascular collapse, Raynaud's phenomenon^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Abdominal pain and cramps, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth
• Frequency not reported: Ischemic colitis, unpleasant taste, diarrhea, constipation, other gastrointestinal disturbances^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Common (1% to 10%): Arthralgia
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Growth retardation
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Muscle cramps
• Frequency not reported: Rhabdomyolysis^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Vertigo, dyskinesia, headache, hyperactivity
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Tourette syndrome, tics, exacerbation of pre-existing motor and phonic tics, convulsions, choreoathetoid movements, intracranial hemorrhage, cerebral vasculitis and/or occlusion, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)
• Frequency not reported: Dizziness, tremor, ataxia, dysgeusia, concentration difficulties, hyperreflexia, stroke^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Rare (less than 0.1%): Rash, urticaria
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Erythema multiforme, exfoliative dermatitis, fixed drug eruption
• Frequency not reported: Sweating, alopecia^[Ref]

Ocular

• Rare (less than 0.1%): Visual accommodation difficulties, blurred vision, mydriasis^[Ref]

Other

• Rare (less than 0.1%): Fatigue
• Frequency not reported: Hyperpyrexia, sudden death^[Ref]

Hematologic

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Abnormal liver function ranging from hepatic enzyme elevations to hepatic coma^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Frequency not reported: Impotence, libido changes, frequent or prolonged erections^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

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

Renal

• Frequency not reported: Renal damage^[Ref]

See also:

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Further information

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.

Medical Disclaimer