Mixing Adderall And Ativan: Dangers And Side Effects

Many people take Adderall for ADHD and Ativan for anxiety, but these medications work in opposite ways on the brain and nervous system. Adderall speeds up brain activity to help with focus, while Ativan slows down the nervous system to reduce anxiety.

Combining these drugs can be extremely dangerous and is sometimes done to get high or reduce unwanted side effects from either medication. This type of drug mixing puts people at serious risk for harmful reactions and health problems.

Is It Safe To Mix Adderall And Ativan?

Mixing Adderall and Ativan is never safe, as any abuse of prescription drugs carries serious risks. When these opposing medications are combined, they can hide each other’s side effects, which may lead people to take dangerous amounts of either drug before the first dose wears off. This creates a buildup of medications in the body that greatly increases the risk of overdose.

The danger becomes even worse when people crush and snort these pills instead of swallowing them, causing the drugs to hit the system much faster than they were designed to work.

How Adderall And Ativan Work

Ativan is classified as a benzodiazepine, anticonvulsant, and antiemetic. It is prescribed mainly to people who have insomnia or an anxiety disorder because it has a sedative effect on the body’s central nervous system. Adderall is an amphetamine, which works by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine.

Adderall causes neurotypical people to feel energetic, anxious, and aggressive, but Adderall actually has a calming effect on someone with ADD or ADHD, allowing them to function with more ease.

Reasons People Mix Prescription Drugs

People abuse multiple prescription drugs at the same time for several reasons. Some people engage in polysubstance abuse to extend or intensify the high or feeling of euphoria they get from one of the substances they are taking. Others believe that taking one drug will mitigate the negative side effects of the other.

For example, amphetamines, like Adderall, can cause a person to feel tense and anxious. They might take benzodiazepines, like Ativan, with amphetamines because they believe this counteract the anxiety.

Side Effects Of Adderall Abuse

Adderall is an amphetamine, so it is classified as a stimulant. When Adderall is used as directed, it helps people with attention disorders concentrate. When abused, it excites the central nervous system, causing a high.

Adderall abuse can cause the following adverse side effects:

• hallucinations
• mania
• high blood pressure
• tachycardia (increased heart rate)
• aggression
• insomnia
• sweating
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• paranoia
• hostility

These dangerous side effects show why Adderall should only be taken exactly as prescribed by a doctor. Abusing this medication puts people at risk for serious physical and mental health problems that can be fatal.

Side Effects Of Ativan Abuse

In contrast, Ativan (a benzodiazepine) works to depress or slow the central nervous system. Below are some of the most common side effects of Ativan misuse.

Ativan abuse also causes severe side effects, such as:

• trouble urinating
• fatigue
• diarrhea
• bradycardia (slowed heart rate)
• tremors
• shuffling when trying to walk
• dry mouth
• constipation
• kidney failure
• memory loss
• internal bleeding
• confusion
• seizures

Use of benzodiazepines can lead to physical dependence and psychological addiction.

Dangers Of Mixing Adderall And Ativan

One of the most common misconceptions about mixing Adderall and Ativan is that the opposing effects of the drugs will cancel each other out. This is far from the truth. Adderall and Ativan only mask each other’s side effects, giving the illusion of cancellation. This increases the risk of overdose because people don’t feel the symptoms that tell them they’ve taken too much.

Another danger of mixing Adderall and Ativan is that the medications have a long half-life in the body. Ativan stays in the body for about 12 hours. Adderall wears off in about 14 hours. When the medications are taken together, the heart, lungs, and brain stay stressed for nearly half a day, as they get pushed and pulled in two different directions.

Developing Addiction And Dependence

Both Adderall and Ativan are potentially addictive. One of the most dangerous parts of taking either medication is that they can cause physical dependence very quickly. Physical dependence occurs when someone’s body becomes so used to having a drug present that it begins to adapt all of its important systemic responses to adjust to the changes.

Neurochemicals in the brain and functioning of the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing are all altered accordingly. When someone tries to stop taking the medication, this causes severe withdrawal symptoms until their body is able to reestablish normal operations again.

Increased Risk Of Overdose From Ativan And Adderall Abuse

Combining Adderall and Ativan greatly increases overdose risk. People often try to balance out unwanted effects by taking more of the opposite drug, using extra Adderall to fight off sleepiness from Ativan, or taking more Ativan to calm down from too much Adderall.

Treating an overdose from this combination is extremely difficult because doctors cannot give medications to reverse the effects until both drugs wear off completely. The only option may be pumping the stomach to remove undissolved pills, but this only works if the medications haven’t been absorbed into the body yet.

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Options

You can find treatment at a drug rehab facility today. There are many effective treatment options available that can help people overcome addiction to medications such as Adderall and Ativan.

Treatment options include:

• inpatient rehabilitation programs
• outpatient treatment programs that allow people to live at home
• medically supervised detox to safely withdraw from medications
• individual counseling and therapy sessions
• group therapy with others facing similar challenges
• dual diagnosis treatment for people with co-occurring mental health issues
• case management services
• medication-assisted treatment when appropriate
• family therapy to rebuild relationships and support systems
• aftercare planning and long-term recovery support

Taking the first step toward recovery can feel overwhelming, but treatment centers have the expertise and resources to help people safely overcome prescription drug addiction.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff