Adderall is an amphetamine used to treat ADD/ADHD.
Like many pharmaceutical medications, some of the side effects include loss of appetite and weight loss (particularly in adolescents).
Prescribed for Weight Loss
A CNN story has highlighted the ethical concerns surrounding a doctors decision to prescribe the drug for the purpose of weight loss.
Ziai’s [pediatric endocrinologist[ approach to treating obesity — he says he has prescribed Adderall for weight loss to about 800 children and teens — raises an important ethical question:Has the obesity epidemic among children become so severe that it’s OK to prescribe a drug not approved for weight loss when the drug can have serious, sometimes life-threatening side effects?
This is a question that needs to be asked. The article mentions a 17 year old boy who was on the drug from the age of 11 (followed by 18 months off the drug). His parents are happy with the results and would “give their son Adderall again”.
The Costs of Using Adderall
Children or Adults using adderall could be getting a little more than just weight loss by using the drug.
Other side effects can include;
- Constipation
- diarrhea
- dizziness
- dry mouth
- headache
- nausea and vomiting
- nervousness
- restlessness and trouble sleeping
- weakness
Here we need to ask: What are the health problems that arise from obesity, and do they compare with potential risks or side effects from being on such a drug for years?
The Easy Way Out
Any weight loss drug can be tempting for dieters looking for an easy, quick fix.
However, all the research shows that the most successful at weight loss have been able to address emotional eating issues as well as have learned to eat a healthy, calorie controlled diet.
What do you think? Should adderall be prescribed for weight loss?
I have had ADHD my entire life – I am now 43 years old. I have never taken a medication for it. My parents thought I could cope without being drugged. I could not look at a book or article or test without the page almost swimming in circles. I could not keep still or keep my mind still enough to ever listen to a lecture. I have set up many systems for remembering things and keeping schedules and appointments. It is exhausting to keep up with my spinning head. After much thought over many years I decided to start adderall about 2 weeks ago. I am finally seeing the light of how other people think, of maybe being able to have a job I can do well in because I can remember what needs to be done, to not forget important peoples birthdays! I feel this medication is necessary for ADHD children and adults. I am praying as time goes on this drug can just help me be me, not a confused hyper mess
My daughter was an honor student in high school, on the swim team and everything seemed to come easy for her.She then went off to college. She struggled and by the end of her Freshman year she said she didn’t want to go back to University. She married a little over a year ago and started taking online classes. She kept getting an extension because she couldn’t focus enough to finish. She finally got in to see her dr. and she referred her to a psychiatrist. He prescribed her Adderall. She told me just last month that she’s been taking it for a few months and is able to accomplish what she needs to get done. I asked her if she struggled with this before and she said yes but that she knew my husband and I were always against medicating children so she didn’t want to bring it up. I felt so guilty not seeing that my daughter could have gotten help years ago had I just learned to understand medication like this and the benefits. I have recently started taking the medication as well and I can’t tell you how great it feels to feel normal. I can actually read a book now and comprehend what I read. I still believe that too many people take this for the wrong reasons and it is abused by many, but for me and my daughter it is a blessing.
WHAT THE HEll. I’m almost 15 and got ADHD and Dislexcea. Wht will military school help me with. I’m glade I don’t have you for a parent and that my parent love and care about me that there willing to send me to a good school were I’m lerning how to reed. Plus I’ve got an 11 year old sister who has ADD and I have a brother how is 9 years old. I’m even more happy that there is no JEWISH ORTHODOX military school.GO TO HELL.
Yes but if she can focus its a mean thing to do. I had the same problem but fought through it and I was younger and gust moved to a new country about 6 month a after I started taking it.But if you what to keep her on it I suggest having her eat at night.Give her a big dinner after her medication wheres out and let her eat all she whats at night. I know most people say its very bad to eat at night but she will gain all the wight she needs to gain. Gust to let you know I’m 14 almost 15 years old and I’m saying this from my one experience and form helping my little sister with it. And if it dos not work you will hate me for suggestion this one of my teachers did this to me last year and I hate her for it (she thought I was anorexia)stand over her and make her eat (NOT by shoving food down her throat but gust stand there and don’t let her get up until she is don.
I’m 14 almost 15 Me and my family moved to Israel (pleas no comments about Israel. You don’t live there you don’t know anything about it. I’m Righting this because there are a lot of people who think they know everything and hey don’t)when I was going in 3ed grade.In 2ed grade I was diagnose with ADHD put on Ritalin and it saved my life (in 3ed I was put on concertina). Before the meds I could not reed or spell or sit in class for the mater of fact. By the end 3ed /begging of 4th grade a could reed at college level. In 8th grade I was dingos with dyslexia. How I lured to reed is abnormal and no one nos why. I tack this gift of being able to reed in English very happily and with no complaints. The reason I did a test is because of my spelling and reading in Hebrew which I’m incapable of.I was falling and if I was not falling I would be up to midnight or later tiring to concentrate and understand the language. My old high school sed they will help me but that was a lie they made my LIFE A LIVING HELL. Now I’m in a new high school that finally understand my problems and are taking care of it (its a high school for girls with learning debilitates but with a high IQ). Now to get to school my mom drives me to the bus stop which is 30mins away at 5:40am (the first bus from my hose levees at 6:40 and I’ll get to school at 9:30 or 10:00 and school starts at 8:10. They gave me permission to come up to 8:30) on the way home my only bus home comes the at 1:40pm,5:00pm, 8:30pm,and 11:00pm (on Sunday my mom drive me to school Monday i finish at 4:45 so I normlliy sleep out that night. Tuesday and Wednesday I finish at 4:00\3:45, and on Thursday I finish at 3:45. If I leave at 3:45 I can make my bus any latter I will most likely miss my bus and have to get on anther bus that I have to what in between buss for 45min) I also have a righting problem so they let me bring my laptop to school. So gust to let you all know it also depends on the school if the school can help or there gust saying it so you will keep your child in there school or they think they can but cant. In my old school I started starving myself and I wold cut myself with my ruler and wold right on my arm and my school books I what to die and I wold skip a lot of my class and go home early because my stomach and head hurt, and I wold lie to my parents and teaches (I stile do but les and because I’m a teen and I can)(I’m fine now). My parents only fond out wen I broke down and started crying. SO for all those parents to your kids and see if there all right. Because I don’t what another person i the world like me. And for all anti-meds people SHUT THE HELL UP med saved my life (I don’t mean to be mean).
I have a 10 year old daughter with ADHD, She is taking Adderall, Not for weight loss but for the ADHD, She has lost an awful lot of weight, She only weighs 45lbs and she is almost 11, I am worried, I took her off the medication, and I made a appt with her doctor, which wont be in a couple weeks, Her bones in ger back are showing and ribs.. She has no appitite at all, and she also has problems sleeping.. Is it okay to just take her off the medication?
Adderall is NOT a good idea for weight loss at all. My first psychiatrist prescribed it to me. I’ve always suffered with major depression and anxiety. I guess he prescribed it to me to give me energy for my shift because depression sucks the life out of me. I knew nothing about Adderall before he gave it to me. I immediately loved how it got rid of my depression, gave me energy, made me feel on top of the world and I loved how skinny it made me. I always had a distorted body image, so I thought I was fat when I was 130 pds. at 5’7″. Within a few months, I was 117 pounds on Adderall. Because of my depression: I ended up admitted into a hopital, lost my job and had no insurance. I wasn’t able to see my psychiatist anymore, so I had to stop the Adderall. I’m so fat now because of antidepressants and this time it isn’t my imagination. I’m over 200 pounds now and my last shrink put “obese” as one of my diagnosis. I feel awful and I’m crying. Those antidepressants make you eat and eat, then to be labeled as “obese” on top of all my mental issues, is the worst pain. My point is: Adderall may be a temporary fix, but it is not healthy and it is not the right decision for weight loss. You will gain all the weight back and then some. I wouldn’t wish my misery on anyone. Oh btw, I tried going back on Adderall years later after I was on it, but it stopped working. Instead of making me feel good like before, it made me feel sick and I couldn’t even think straight. It was dreadful and I lost another job due to my inability to function. That’s my experience anyway.
Why use these things that are bad for u I know of stuff with no side effects to help u lose weight not a pill u have a goal let me help u make it a reality
I have been taking Adderall XR 30 mg and Adderall 10mg everyday for the last 7 years…it was working great for me in the beginning but now I feel like its taking a toll on my body..I barely eat..can’t sleep…I get bad migraines when I start to come down from it and because it fairly new there hasn’t been funding to to studies on how Adderall will effect you later on in life..the side effects are crucial and I recommend people that are on it or thinking about taking it to do a little research on the mediation. Its also very addictive and if I go 1 day without taking it I am miserable and just want to slum around all day..its a terrible feeling.
ok brie first of all i want to put it out there that ever since i was four i have been diagnosed with adhd “adult defecit hyperactive disorder” i am now nineteen. when i was twelve i was diagnosed with depression and then bipolar disorder and later paranoid skitsophrenia and recently ive been showing signs of aspergers. second of all YOU DO NOT NEED NOR DO YOU DESERVE THIS DRUG. And also i would like for you to tell me the true meaning of depression dont go look it up on the internet explain to me the feeling of being awake at one o clock in the morning not having slept for two weeks because you are upset crying and sick with yourself over your grandmother that died when you were two and your grandfather when you were five and not being able to contemplate or really grasp what death is and feeling like its your fault that they are dead and that youre the one that killed them simply because you were born completely “different” from every single one of their other grandchildren. and also since youve done so much research on how adderal makes you lose weight, why dont you look up what side effects a drug can have on you if you take it when you do not have the problems it was made for. it wasnt made for weight loss, and it wasnt made for some person named brie to lose weight on. if youre in that much of a need to lose weight then push back from the table and exercise. and another thing obviously youre not worried about the side effects you will get for taking it when you dont have the problems it was made for because, excuse me, you have your head up your ass thinking about that “amazingly great body you will have, and how much it will get you through med school” well youre really going to be thinking about that when youre laying in a casket with all of youre family and friends crying their eyes out while a preacher is preaching a sermon about you all because you took medication you dont need and dont deserve that was made for adhd and add when you dont have either one.
I dont understand why people take an ADHD med for weight loss. There are real rx for weighloss. There’s one called Adipex. Its a weight loss med. I know folks that use it and it works wonders. So, why they go the dr and ask for Adderall instead of Adipex or some other rx diet pill is beyond me.
If u say u have ADD, they test u for it, so it may not be easy to fake.But since Adderall has a side effect of weight loss, then just be honest and ask the dr. All they can say is no, right?
Changes1, I actually posted to a comment left earlier, and I do feel what you’re going thru. I have 3 boys and I felt the same way. I used to give myself a list of chores to do on any given day, but by that night, the chores would not be done. i used to take my boys swimming, hiking, shopping, but it all just changed and i lost my drive. I went to a psychiatrist and he gave me Wellbutrin. He said i wsnt depressed either, but needed something to give me focus and energy. I used it and all i can say is that ‘i felt happy.’ I completed all my tasks at work with time to spare, i came home at 7pm and cooked dinner for my boys. we even went to the movies in the evenings. my energy level was through the roof. I didn’t get upset as much and i loved my life. Up until tonight, I didn’t know adderall was used for ADHD in adults. I just thought it was for kids, as my son is on that right now.
And this is just coming from me, but i personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a friend kind enough to share a med with u just to see if it works. Its not like ur taking the whole bottle and chasing it with vodka. If u try one or two and u don’t like it, then that’s it, but if u like it, then at least u can ask for a rx to try it out on a regular basis. the good thing about commercials is that they practically let you self diagnose. u go to ur dr, say u saw a commercial and think u have the symptoms of so and so and u’d like to try a med. they’ll evaluate u of course, but if ur a candidate, they’ll write the rx. if u don’t like it, call em back and try another one. Medicine is there for us. Its been around for ages to help us. dont be afraid to speak frankly wth ur doctor. It may change ur life for the better. Best of luck to you, and I hope you find a way to claim your life back…esp with a little one depending on you.
There was a comment postd by someone named “SL” that said,
“So: if you have ADD as a child, that is no excuse that you should do any less well than another other child. You fight through it and succeed. There’s no such thing as ADD, depression… etc in this world.”
That is completely insensitive thing to say. I have a son who had behavioral issues since he was 4. He is 10 now and for 5 yrs, i refused to believe that he had behavioral issues. It wasnt until he began hitting teachers, pushing students, and just hiding his homework from me that I had to either take him to the Dr, or let him get suspended from school. Upon taking him to his Dr, I filled out a questionaire and every answer was marked YES. I felt very bad and i felt like a failure as a mother. My son was a gentleman at home, but was a complete stranger at school. He had a comfort zone, and it was at home. Once he left my side, he changed. Now, how to u tell a child as young as 4yrs old to “fight through it and succeed!!?” If you can do that, than i welcome you into my home so we can test that theory.
Depression, bipolar disorders, ADD, ADHD and Adult ADD etc are REAL CONDITIONS and NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Since my son has been on adderrall he has received Good Citizen awards, Most Helpful Awards, and was on the A B Honor roll. The only thing I feel bad about now is that i couldnt afford his rx before he took his end of year test, so he failed it by 4 points. His Dr was actually upset with me because she knew he wouldnt succeed without the meds. She was right. She told me that If i wantd him to pass the retest, that I should put him right back on it. And I did.
NOW, if an adult has ADD or ADHD, feel free to tell them to just get over it, but there’s no way Im gonna look at my sweet little boy and tell him to just deal with the fact that he cant read without comprehending, or that he cant complete a task without being told 5 times before he gets it done.
The ONLY complaint I do have with adderall is the appetite loss. My son is already a little boy, now he’s a little smaller, and he has lost some interest in his skateboarding and other activities, etc. But he’s a perfect gentle at home and at school, and I can trust him to control his actions when he gets upset.
I’m all for the use of medication when it is necessary. My Pediatric Dr has been there for me for over 13 years and I trust her to do whats best for my child.
I was diagnosed with depression about 2 years ago. I am beginning to think there is something else wrong. I have no motivation whatsoever to do even the every day things such as dishes and laundry. I feel like i could just lay around all day and do nothing. This is not the person i used to be, and it is seriously putting a huge damper on my life. My fiance thinks im just lazy but its not the case. I wake up knowing what needs to be done and just cant focus or get motivated to do any of it. I do believe i had trouble being able to stay focused in school but it never became a known issue. Anyways a friend of mine has seen how bad i have become and suggested i just try her adderall for a couple days. I immediately researched it and i cant believe that this whole time i could have ADHD. I see a psyciatrist next month but i must say the past 2 days on Adderall im feeling like a whole new person and by that i mean i actually feel normal. This is the first time ive ever researched ADHD and im looking for advice, could this be my problem? And i know most of you are prob thinking i should not have even tryed the meds without consulting a physician, but when i say i didnt want to do anything….I mean anything!! I have a 6 month old son and i was desperate. For those who are educated on this i would appreciate your input.
I feel like my life has been a sham until now.
My head was CHAOS. That is the only way to describe it. Totally jumbled my entire life. My parents suspected ADD. They took me to the primary care doctor and he told them that ADD didn’t exist, so I just lived my life in a jumbled chaotic mess and thought that is just how it was going to be.
My new shrink originally diagnosed me as bipolar 2. I never told him about my chaotic brain as I was still embarrassed about the Dr’s visit 20 years ago.
Eventually I told him. He gave me a test to take home. I lost it. He gave me another test to take home. I lost it too. Finally he had to read me the test and I had to answer them in his office. I scored off the rails positive for ADHD.
Started on 10mg this week and I feel somewhat calmer, more collective. My appetite is gone, but I have NO jitters, no anything. I am looking forward to seeing how this is going to affect my concentration at work and other tasks.
I DO NOT think I am bipolar. I believe I have been misdiagnosed for EVER. I am going to talk to him about weaning off the bipolar drugs. I cannot stand popping all these pills, especially since the bipolar pills never seemed to do anything.
adderall gave me permanent psychosis and schizophrenia, do not try adderall!
I have had a 4.0 and higher all throughout school. I’m currently going to college(and doing GREAT) and eventually grad school. I do everything asked of me at work and in school and then more. This was before I was prescribed Adderall. I’m driven and truly want be successful. I was given meds for depression for years, because once I got home from school I would ball for hours and was unable to concentrate, this made it really difficult to be as successful as I have been. I haven’t been chasing drugs my whole life, if I was prescribed something and it was ineffective or made things worse I discontinued use, I actually hated taking stuff cause of people like you that made me feel unworthy because of it. Staring something and sticking to it was very difficult and would take me all night when it would take someone without ADD an hour. I could never focus in class cause of all the people talking and noises going on around me, it would make me cringe and give me a headache DAILY! Also I was never flippin slacking and avoiding the work, I just could not focus to the point that I was in tears. When I finally finished I was so drained all I could do is sleep or cry. I drank coffee and tried energy drinks and even vitamins that are supposed to help with focus and never EVER claimed that I had ADD. I personally thought only people with druggie parents or inattentive parents are afflicted with ADD, well I was proven wrong. It has to do with brain chemistry, just like the chemistry in your brain that make you act like a jerk. I was rude like you once too, then I realized you can’t control everything, and I was wrong with my accusations. Maybe one day you will get some crappy disease or affliction and everyone will tell you that you suck and are a slacker, and that you don’t deserve help. So with all due respect stop being a pompous jerk.
Thanks for that Ellen, Missy, and Sam. I am also doing much better and have had issues since I was a child. Without Adderall my life was not as manageable. I have work, school, and doctor appts since a car accident. My stress and health is better, and I have been told by many family and friends im more pleasant to be around. Not as if I wasn’t before, but im calm cool and collected. I love that im not impulsive anymore either, I never released it wasn’t just who I was..its was a unhealthy thing mentally, I have sleeping better and keeping on schedule with maintaining a more organized life also. Cognitive Therapy has also been doing wonders, that im teaching other people how it can help and be applied to their life also!
mommo3 OMG!!! Your life sounds exactly like mine. I go tomorrow to pick up my persciption for adderall. My house too is a mess, I am constantly forgetting things all the time (we’re taking about things I was told an hour ago), I too have been making lists (lists for cleaning, list for stuff I need to do, ect…ect..ect…) I too am overweight because you do just tend to mindlessly eat. My doctor told me I have all they symptoms of ADD and he too said it should help with both. I can do the weight loss on my own (joined weight watchers), I’ll just be happy if it helps me to get my mind right. I’m tired of forgetting to pay this or getting upset with my kids and my hubby thinking I just stopped caring too. It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one going through this.
Also if you have ADD and you take it, you actually feel really calm and in control. I feel jittery and high all the time when I don’t take it. It makes you very chill and not so reactive/oblivious to everything, it’s like your vision clears, metaphorically. And I’m not a bad student, I was still a learner and I loved to thrive before I was even diagonosed. However, even though I loved learning and had the moivation, I couldn’t get any work done. I couldn’t absorb much in class, I felt as if though I was always two steps behind. ADD people who take drugs are not getting an advantage, they’re catching up.
This medication is not a quick fix of a diet pill and caffeiene combined. It doesn’t just make you lose weight, it makes you hate food and become miserable. I have to force myself to eat, I can’t even smell food, it tastes like rubber or plastic. And then I get so exhaused because I can’t eat properly and have a hard time getting any excercise. It’s like your heart and brain are on overdrive, and your muscles turn weak and your stomach just lurches and hates you. It’s only in the morning before I take it I can manage to eat properly. Otherwise it’s shoving food down your gullet and then you feel sick. Loss of appetite and weight loss is not fun or good. I dropped to dangerously low levels, and became hypoglycemic. I would become dizzy and my vision would go blurry and I would sweat terribly and shake. Often I had to excuse myself out because I felt as if I would hurl any second.
Now I somewhat have gotten used to it, I can hold down some small meals and no longer to dangerous levels, but it’s really forced. I only take ti because it is perscribed and I can’t get any work done otherwise. It’s as if you forget what you were going to do every 10 seconds and you’re stuck in a fog without it. Hopefully as time goes on I can take lower doses. But it’s not a drug off the counter. It really can suck.
Please hang in there, Mommo3! Getting the diagnosis is the first step. Read lots online about other ways to cope in addition to the medication. Just don’t expect it to all disappear as soon as you take the pill. Don’t get me wrong, that helps a LOT as you will start to feel a little better almost immediately, but there is more to this problem than the medication alone will cure. Things will get better, you’re on the road. Try looking at TotallyADD.com and ADD Crusher on Facebook for some helpful tips.
Actually Lindsey, I am an adult with ADD and have just gone on Adderall XR, however I’m not experiencing a “high” on it. You what I’m experiencing? Normal life. The ability to get through the day without the constant struggle it’s been for the past 40+ years. With Adderall I get what the rest of you got every single day of your lives. Those of us that actually have ADD/ADHD and taking medication are not getting a boost from it, or a high, we are getting a level playing field.