Cat Ate Adderall – What You Should Do? (Solved & Explained!)

Adderall is a type of amphetamine that helps individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. Although Adderall is helpful for many humans, it is incredibly toxic to cats and other household pets. If your cat ate Adderall, it’s important to act quickly.

As soon as you notice that your cat has ingested Adderall or shows signs of it, take your cat to a veterinary hospital right away. Without proper treatment, cats can experience organ damage and even death. The good news is that the outlook is optimistic if you get your cat the treatment it needs.

Because it is so dangerous for cats to ingest Adderall, it’s important to know all of the information related to outcomes, symptoms, and treatment. Keep reading to learn exactly what you should do if you believe your cat has ingested Adderall.

Is Adderall Harmful To Cats?

ADHD is not a disease or illness commonly diagnosed in cats. As a result, just a little bit of ADHD medication can cause serious problems for your pet. The reason behind this is that ADHD is an amphetamine, which is essentially a stimulant.

As you probably know from your own pet experience, dogs and cats do not need stimulants. They are already pretty active and require a lot of care. So, ingesting a stimulant is very dangerous for dogs and cats, even if only a little bit is ingested.

Ingesting Adderall can cause cats to either increase movement or sit still. However, what’s going on underneath the fur is what really matters. Cats can experience increased heart rate, increase blood pressure, and high body temperatures. Without proper care, cats can develop serious side effects that are sometimes fatal.

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What Happens If Cats Ingest Adderall

After your cat ingests Adderall, symptoms can begin within 15 minutes of ingestion, but they can sometimes be delayed for a few hours. Once the symptoms begin, they can continue for another 24 to 72 hours. Symptoms will continue to get worse if your cat does not get the treatment it needs.

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Even just a 120-milligram tablet can put your cat’s life in danger. 20 milligrams is perfectly safe for an adult human, but it isn’t for cats. Some of the most common side effects include behavioral changes, such as agitation and aggression.

In addition to behavioral changes, your cat may also experience diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, and seizures. Seizures and tremors are the most severe side effects, and they occur whenever the drug hits your cat’s nervous system.

If the cat receives treatment right away, these symptoms can be minimized, and your cat may be able to get back home within a couple of days. Unfortunately, the cat can experience severe organ damage and even death if it ingests too much Adderall or it does not receive the proper care it needs.

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Is Adderall Exposure Treatable?

The good news is that Adderall exposure is normally treatable in cats. The key is getting medical attention as soon as possible. If your cat gets to a vet fast enough, the vet can make your cat throw up and get the drug out of the cat’s system before it does any real damage.

Even if you do not get to a veterinarian fast enough for induced vomiting, your vet can use intravenous fluid therapy, machines, and medication to stabilize your cat’s vitals until it makes a full recovery. In either case, your cat can be successfully treated after ingesting Adderall.

That being said, if your cat ingests Adderall and you do not realize it, the consequences may be irreversible. For example, your cat may develop brain damage from the seizures if it ingested enough of the substance. Still, that can help to save your cat’s life and allow it to be as comfortable as possible.

What To Do If Your Cat Ate Adderall

As soon as you notice your cat ate Adderall, take it to a veterinary hospital as soon as possible. The sooner your cat can seek medical attention, the better. In fact, it’s best to go to an emergency clinic instead of your regular vet to make sure your cat can be seen ASAP.

If you do not see your cat eat Adderall but it is demonstrating any of the symptoms above, take your cat to a veterinary hospital anyways. The veterinarian will be able to diagnose the problem and treat it accordingly.

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Never try to treat your cat after ingesting Adderall without the help of medical care. Over-the-counter treatments will not be effective enough to keep your cat in healthy condition. Always take your cat to a veterinarian or an emergency clinic after ingesting Adderall.

Keep Your Adderall Up

Because of how serious Adderall ingestion is for cats, always keep the medicine in a cat-proof container so the cat cannot get to it. Even a little bit of Adderall can do a lot of damage to your pet. Preventing your cat from eating Adderall is the best way to keep it safe.

Final Thoughts

If you or someone in your household is on Adderall or any other amphetamine, be extra cautious to keep the medicine put up and out of your cat’s reach. Adderall is incredibly toxic to dogs and cats, even in small doses.

Some signs of Adderall ingestion in cats include behavioral changes, vomiting, increased blood pressure, and seizures. If you see your cat ingest Adderall or your cat is developing these symptoms, take your cat to the veterinarian right away. The sooner your cat can get treatment, the better. Do not even waste a second.

If you can get your cat to an emergency clinic fast enough, recovery is completely possible and likely. Only in severe cases is Adderall ingestion fatal in cats. The best way to keep your cat safe if you take Adderall is to keep the medicine in a cat-proof container where the cat cannot get to it.

Just taking a few extra seconds to properly close the Adderall container can help save your cat’s life!