Anyone get seriously raised heart rate due to ADHD medication? (methamethylphenidate)

[LimitIsUp]

20 year old dd currently undergoing medication titration for ADHD and has been put on methylphenidate. In two weeks she has lost 2kg, her bp has gone up (not dangerously so as yet) and her pulse rate has increased from around 67 bpm to 102 bpm

Have put in a call to the private provider and am awaiting a call back from a clinician - they said 'hopefully today'

Anyone got any experience?

Pulse is certainly expected to go up with methylphenidate, but I couldn’t say how much is considered ok.

Weight loss is a consequence of the appetite suppression and needs to be strictly managed. Consistent weight loss could lead to your daughter being taken off the meds (which I expect she wouldn’t want).
Basically she needs to eat a large high calorie breakfast (eat like a glutton in other words) - eg add a Danish pastry to her usual daily breakfast.

Find something of a few hundred calories that she can force down for lunch on a regular basis eg protein shake, meal replacement shake. And expect to eat a large calorific tea, aiming for more calorie dense goods that we might usually avoid.

My suspicion is that as well as appetite suppression calorie intake needs may increase slightly due to higher metabolism.

It’s normal to lose weight in the first instance but on reaching the 2kg mark she needs to get on top of it and at least maintain. After losing 2kg my teen managed to gain 10kg over 2 years with careful management and willpower.

So am before meds is 75bpm, first dose 110, second dose 125. Evening 75-85bpm

Thank you - we will aim for calorific rather than just healthy

Just to say - are you okay with the pulse rate over 100? I know google is a dangerous thing in the hands of lay people, but i have read online that a pulse rate over 100 on a regular basis is potentially a concern and needs medical attention?

DD's pulse rate measured 102 this morning before she took this mornings meds - but then she is very anxious atm

Does she wear a Fitbit/other pulse tracker that monitors her all the time and tells her what her resting heart rate is?

Otherwise I find that just thinking about my heart rate increases it!

Yeah, I think we need to get her one. Currently we are using the finger on pulse and counting method

The resting hr when taking certain meds (like these) is expected to increase (like in this case), so you can’t look at norms on Google as they won’t apply.
You clinic will be able to tell you what is reasonable.
A cheaper but non-continuous solution for checking hr is a £20 b/p machine which always takes hr as well.

OP hope you don’t mind, Im curious what your clinician said about the testing hr

Sorry - of course. He said with all the other stuff going on (she's had a flu like virus this week and also her anxiety is through the roof) it might not entirely be the meds. He wants her to record her pulse rate every day at the same time for the next 10 days and send it to him, and if he is concerned he will take her off it.

Meant to add, he said if her pulse rate was over 110 consistently then he would take her off it