60 replies to this topic

[dragonfly]

Hey guys! Glad to be back in action.

~ this is happening to me and I want to know if anyone else is experiencing this~

I started taking Adderall about 3 months ago and it completely changed my life for good. About 2 weeks ago I started to have alot of pain in my jaw and my front bottom teeth, within 2 weeks my front bottom teeth have shifted so much that my husband freaked this morning. He could not believe the movement! I have had considerable pain from my jaw and my teeth movement, its UNBEARABLE. Went to the dentist and he said I have a VERY healthy mouth, NO gum disease , cavities, etc. He cant tell me why my teeth have moved so much but he says my jaw pain is from grinding and clenching and it might be the reason for the teeth moving. Anyways, I am going to see a cosmetic dentist on Tuesday to see about bonding (I have had braces 2x's and will not do that again) but in the mean time I was wondering if this has happened to others, I am 100% sure it has something to do with Adderall or the generic version (which I take 30 mgs a day)

Thanks!

[downonupside]

Well, the jaw clenching and grinding of teeth is a known side effect of Adderall.  It seems a little odd to me that you've been on adderall for 3 months and just started having this side effect 2 weeks ago, though.  Was there a recent dose increase? 

When I first started adderall, I experienced the jaw clenching, but it was odd, because I didn't realize I was doing it while I was doing it--I didn't know it was happening until my jaw muscles started aching.  So it can be kind of tricky to pinpoint, I think.

Are you on any other meds?  An SSRI with adderall might increase this side effect.  My suggestions are: 
1.  Decrease or end caffeine intake, if this is something you use.  This reduced jaw clenching and muscle tension from adderall significantly for me.
2.  Consider adderall XR.  Am trying this now, and for some reason it seems to cause less jaw clenching/muscle tension/sweating.  However, also seems a tad less effective, but I'm going through other med changes to it's hard to say.
3.  Get a mouth guard to wear at night.  I tend to clench my jaw and grind my teeth in my sleep even without meds, and it can cause damage.  Your dentist can fit you for a mouth guard, or you can buy a kit to fit yourself (less expensive but lower quality).  Definitely look into this--you can try to stop your jaw clenching during the day, but at night you're unconscious and you need some protection since this is obviously happening.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

[ldo]

I wonder how much relaxaton exercises would help? It seems to me that Adderall would increase one's ability to do that sort of thing.

[dragonfly]

Yep, dose increase 5 mgs. I am wondering if its been going on for the whole time but I just started really noticing when the teeth started shifting. It really freaks me out! I cant wait till my appt. Tuesday. I take Xanax as needed for anxiety and it also helps with the muscle tension.  What are Beta Blockers?
I did the Adderall XR and didnt like it, I think its a control thing. I am wondering if the muscle tension is more with generic then Shire though, I have to get (per insurance) generic (Barr) for the IR version. I didnt experience this on the XR but as I said I might not have noticed until it was too late. I just hope the Dentist can give me some insight and some new teeth.
Thanks guys!

[Velvet Elvis]

Somthing I wish someone had told me earlier is that stims cause drymouth which in turn makes your teeth rot at lightning speed.  Brush 'em at least twice a day or make sure you have a good dental plan.

[roxyhead]

3 months, eh?  It was about 4 for me after starting Dexedrine (changed from Ritalin) that I started having jaw clenching and headaches and whatnot, which went away pretty much for good after about 6 months, though it turned into grinding then, did the mostly grinding only stuff for a year and a half, then last fall pretty close to two years after it first started it hit again, lasted about as long, went away but this time only stays away with loads of muscle relaxants at night and I'm still grinding...nobody knows WTF is up and I've started on the anticonvulsant med-go-round (can't take beta blockers due to asthma) with Keppra now...and have to have a tooth I broke (while on Valium and wearing my mouthguard) fixed tomorrow...

Eat calcium and/or magnesium supplements, if they don't screw with anything else you're on, until you figure out WTF is going on.  Maybe have them check minerals/electrolytes/whatever would tell you if you're deficient next time you have a blood test?  When you do figure it out, let me know!

Also, I'd avoid sinking any money into cosmetic dentistry until you get this stuff sorted out, so you don't destroy any work that you have done.

For the record, mostly stopping the Dexedrine for several months didn't stop the grinding or prevent me from chipping a tooth two years ago.  And it's the Flexeril to stop the grinding/clenching that causes the dry mouth, for me, not the stimulants...

[ldo]

I find that Biotene mouthwash and sugarless gum really help in coping with drymouth. Hard to come across as sophisticated while chewing gum, tho. At least it's something to absorb some of that excess jaw energy.

[roxyhead]

I find that Biotene mouthwash and sugarless gum really help in coping with drymouth. Hard to come across as sophisticated while chewing gum, tho. At least it's something to absorb some of that excess jaw energy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't chew gum because I don't want to make my jaws unhappier by working them too much, seems to make them more sore.  I have Biotene, but it's so expensive I don't get around to using it as much as I should...it's the only mouthwash I actually like and will ever use, though.  Hate mint, but it tastes more like candy canes than the "let's see who can make the most vicious new kind of mint!" competitions toothpaste and gum manufacturers seem to get into...

[ldo]

I got a fairly large bottle of Biotene from the pharmacy. I think it cost me $7 or $8 US. Lasted a month or two, and as time goes by I need less.

[dragonfly]

Okay, went to my appt. today and the dentist said that I am definatly clenching but I am not grinding but that I am putting so much force on my jaws from clenching that he thinks its moving my teeth rapidly. He compared my xrays from 2 weeks ago to today and was very surprised (and a little perplexed) at the rate of movement. He said I was very special, not in a good way I have a very healthy mouth in general but some messed up jaws and teeth crowding. Anyways, he said to cure would be surgery on my jaw but I said no so he took some teeth casts and told me to come back in 2 weeks to make more casts and compare them. He's scared that if we do a ton of cosmetic work without research on the movement it will be wasted money.
Gum is great for the saliva production but it also strengthens your jaw to the point of excessive strength which contributes to the clenching and grinding. I went to Walmart and got the generic mouthguard (the dental one is $500. the one at Walmart is $20.00) if anyone is having jaw pain they need that guard for sleeping and/or just during the day.
Im going to go get that Biotin stuff tomorrow, I will let you guys know more as I find out.
thanks!

[Sunshine]

I like those little Listerine pocket pack things. It takes a while to get used to the taste (blech!), but they are pretty effective at getting rid of that yucky taste in your mouth.

[anothercrazychick]

I've also had the jaw clenching thing.  (My molars are cracking -- really super.)  It got significantly worse when I was also taking generic wellbutrin (it's sold either as bupropion or budeprion).  Actually, everything about the Adderall got worse with the generic bupropion -- shakiness, anxiety, body load, mouth sores, you name it.  I started to look and act like a meth addict.  I'm back on the brand name Wellbutrin and it got significantly better in literally days.  So you might want to look at adjusting your other meds, if any.

The other thing I've noticed is that the jaw clenching is worse when I'm really tired.  Even when I haven't take the adderall for many hours (and I take the regular, not the XL), I'll find myself doing it.  My dentist told me that aspirin is actually the best thing for the pain, rather than tylenol or ib, and to keep sipping a hot drink to loosen things up.  I go back and forth on the gum thing.  Oh, and good job on getting the generic mouth guard -- I managed to chew through my custom one in about three weeks.

[roxyhead]

Okay, went to my appt. today and the dentist said that I am definatly clenching but I am not grinding but that I am putting so much force on my jaws from clenching that he thinks its moving my teeth rapidly. He compared my xrays from 2 weeks ago to today and was very surprised (and a little perplexed) at the rate of movement. He said I was very special, not in a good way I have a very healthy mouth in general but some messed up jaws and teeth crowding. Anyways, he said to cure would be surgery on my jaw but I said no so he took some teeth casts and told me to come back in 2 weeks to make more casts and compare them. He's scared that if we do a ton of cosmetic work without research on the movement it will be wasted money.
Gum is great for the saliva production but it also strengthens your jaw to the point of excessive strength which contributes to the clenching and grinding. I went to Walmart and got the generic mouthguard (the dental one is $500. the one at Walmart is $20.00) if anyone is having jaw pain they need that guard for sleeping and/or just during the day.
Im going to go get that Biotin stuff tomorrow, I will let you guys know more as I find out.
thanks!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have a quick google on the NTI mouthguard, fits over your top front teeth and is said to prevent clenching.  Then go to a local craft store, find some friendly plastic (that plastic you put in boiling water and it melts, they come in sticks, for art projects), and try your hand at making something similar, though I find they stay on better if attached to the front four, rather than two as the actual NTI does I think, top teeth.  It won't be perfect, but there's a good chance it'll be an effective temporary solution compared to doing nothing, or standard boil & bite mouthguards.  If you make it right, the only place your top and bottom teeth can touch each other is that spot at the front.  Granted, I've got a "permanent" retainer glued behind my bottom teeth to keep them from moving, so I don't know what the pressure, if you continued to clench like mad anyways (as I learned to do), would due to your bottom teeth if you didn't have one.  Try and see, I guess.

Guards like sports ones, that cover all your teeth, aren't going to prevent clenching, may actually encourage it because of the nice padding, and while they'll help grinding, if you grind so hard you move your teeth around, they won't help that either.  And the softer the guard, the higher the chance of you flinging it halfway across the room in the middle of the night.  (which is why bright colored ones are better than clear, if you've got a choice, easier to find in the morning!)

I haven't slept without a mouthguard in over three years...before my TMJ hit bad, I was waking up with morning tension headaches and a sore jaw, and was wearing a boil & bite standard issue one to bed for protection, even though back then the headaches would go away with one or two Advil Liquigels, about 10 minutes after taking them I'd have forgotten I ever had a headache...those days were good!  <g>  Now, I alternate between my custom hard plastic flat nightguard, and my friendly plastic no-clenching creations, depending on what's been hurting when I wake up, what seems to need the most protection at any given time. 

[roxyhead]

I've also had the jaw clenching thing.  (My molars are cracking -- really super.)  It got significantly worse when I was also taking generic wellbutrin (it's sold either as bupropion or budeprion).  Actually, everything about the Adderall got worse with the generic bupropion -- shakiness, anxiety, body load, mouth sores, you name it.  I started to look and act like a meth addict.  I'm back on the brand name Wellbutrin and it got significantly better in literally days.  So you might want to look at adjusting your other meds, if any.

The other thing I've noticed is that the jaw clenching is worse when I'm really tired.  Even when I haven't take the adderall for many hours (and I take the regular, not the XL), I'll find myself doing it.  My dentist told me that aspirin is actually the best thing for the pain, rather than tylenol or ib, and to keep sipping a hot drink to loosen things up.  I go back and forth on the gum thing.  Oh, and good job on getting the generic mouth guard -- I managed to chew through my custom one in about three weeks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hard plastic?  You grind ridges right through it, or did you crack it?  Mine's got a few cracks in it, but none that have made it actually fall apart, partially due to my not wearing that one all the time...

[dragonfly]

Hey Agentelle and Welcome!
Try the mouthguard before switching off generic ($500 Yikes!) also a muscle relaxer may help, I am going to talk to Dr. about that at next appt. I have xanax for anxiety which I have taken when the jaw is bad but it makes me lethargic and with 3 kids that sucks, so I heard there was a nonsleepy/lethargic muscle relaxer that I want to check into, cant remember the name though but I will let you know what the Doc says. Good Luck!

[anothercrazychick]

Hard plastic?  You grind ridges right through it, or did you crack it?  Mine's got a few cracks in it, but none that have made it actually fall apart, partially due to my not wearing that one all the time...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, it was the flexible kind.  And I just ground right through it.  Of course, the dentist would be more than happy to replace it for me, but the insurance will only pay for one every so often.  So I just live without it. 

About the WB generic vs. brand -- I brightened up really fast, like in days, and I'd been fairly stable on the brand before.  So if you're worried about it, maybe the doctor could give you a bunch of samples before you spring for a whole script.  Deductibles do suck. 

[roxyhead]

Hard plastic?  You grind ridges right through it, or did you crack it?  Mine's got a few cracks in it, but none that have made it actually fall apart, partially due to my not wearing that one all the time...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, it was the flexible kind.  And I just ground right through it.  Of course, the dentist would be more than happy to replace it for me, but the insurance will only pay for one every so often.  So I just live without it. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Get a hard plastic one, it'll take much longer to chew through it, mine cost me about $300 and my insurance refuses to cover anything that remotely comes close to the TMJ department (which is true of most plans, it seems, since my current provider is different but won't cover anything TMJ related, either), so that was all out of pocket.

[Velvet Elvis]

This talks about the effect of meth on teeth, but a lot of what they are talking about is true for all amphetimines:


http://www.nytimes.c...9b59a60&ei=5070