Adderall as a Weight Loss Drug

Randy, you are an ass.
You try reading paragraphs 5 or 10 times because every time you start to read, you start thinking about something else.

I was diagnosed with ADD when i was 8 and beleive me it's not easy to live with.
I'm not taking medication because hard work and dedication can help me get A's.

Yes, it would be easier with medication but the fact is they wouldn't create a mediaction for something that doesn't fricken exist and you saying it's in our heads in insulting.

My mother cried herself to sleep wwhen I was 8 out of anxiety because it took me 8 months to learn how to do long devision.

I'm not stupid, I'm taking all AP classes & in the 10th grade and make straight A's. Don't say I'm stupid. I jsut have to work harder for it than everyone else. But it's worth it .

I was prescribed Adderall along with my bipolar medicine to keep me focused & perky.I actually like the Adderall although I do not like some of the side effects.One being diahrea.Weight loss is another side effect,but as long as you eat a healthy diet you won't get anorexic looking.Its the people who dont make themselves eat who lose sooo much weight.I agree that they give this medication out to quick though.But you have to think about the positive effects that go along with the negative ones.Everyone is different & no pill is going to be perfect.

I grew up on Dexedrine (for ADHD), a 'sister' of Adderall and always had weight loss when I would take it because I wouldn't eat. I get that from any stimulant medicine (even the Focalin I take now). It is a side effect of the drug that takes time to develop a tolerance to. I have lost a lot of weight on these meds but it stops after awhile and I stay at that weight.

Obetrol, the original Adderall from the 70's failed miserably as a diet pill. Dexedrine was more effective, heck even as an ADHD drug Dexedrine is more effective.

I need an opinion:

I had never taken any kind of chemicals before and I tried aderall from a friend.
He gave me a 30mg pill, which I cut in 4 pieces and took one of those pieces per day for 4 days ( so 7.5mg a day)

The first two days I didn't feel anything.

Then the third day at work I was wired. I was like a machine at my job, and I barely ate the whole day. The around 4pm it all worse off and I kind of crashed.

Felt very tired, did not work out for thos 4 days straight (I normally work out 6 days out of the week). Was starving later but was so listless and depressed feelig didn't want to eat.

I am surprised I had such a reaction from taking such a small dose. Maybe it's a warning. I have always had mood and depression problems and though about going to a doctor for meds but never got around to it.

I feel like that tiny bit of Aderral made my moodiness worse. I've had literraly the worst week so far except for that monday when I got a shit ton of work done.

What do you think??

Ive been taking adderall for about six years now. about ten to 20 mg a day. I break a 20 pill in three pieces and take it that way.
I have had a bought with a bug called H Pylor, it causes ulcers. I went thru a regimine to get rid of the bug. and the cure hurt me as much as having the darn things did. I was left with chronic gastritis. Ive had numorous surgeries to correct reflux as well.
does anyone know of any foods, or any other drugs to take with adderall to lessen the stomach effects. It will hurt my stomach if I dont eat something and then it still irritates it.
I hate to go off a drug that has done so well for me. It still works, only I have all these stomach problems now. reflux, cant eat any fatty foods ect.
would love some advice on this.

I have a 10 year old sister who I care for and she struggles with school. Her teachers say she is always disrupting class because she can't sit still, talking to the other kids around her and not doing her work because she says her teacher moves too fast and she doesn't get it. She is not a bad kid and doesn't get into trouble often, she just struggles with her school work. Do you think I should talk to her doctor about getting her on adderall?
PLEASE HELP! I'm in desperate need!
Cat

Im 30 and take Adderall 30 mg once a day (supposed to be twice) but I have terrible reflux with the medicine and always feel like there's something in the back of my throat that I need to clear. Does anyone else have this problem? I take it for narcolepsy and secondly for weight loss. Ive tried taking ranitidine (Zantac) for the reflux but it doesnt work. I always feel like vomiting because the reflux is so bad.

To the guy with the pesticite problem:

Oh man I am sorry. Not really any sure things to eat but what NOT TO EAT
grapefruit juice -- apple instead
hot sauce/hot pepper/garlic --- no, use parmesean cheese instead

drink milk -- no carbonation... all these things will sooth ur tummy and help you build mucouse back -- i think the cure probably took out all your good stuff too :(

good luck.

i take adderall. stay away from the caffeine too...because...ya know.

Anyone have any extra they don't want? I am one who eats on it, am not a minor, but like them for energy. I be sure to eat every 1.5 hours, but have no issue with weight.
If you're in Mass let me know...I think they're great!

I HATE ADDERALL. Im going through withdrawal symptoms right now and its horrible, no matter how tired you are you just cant sleep! And I have to force myself to eat. Im completely paranoid and im getting constant anxiety attacks, its not fun. Im crazy about quick fixes to lose weight but I would NEVER turn to this stuff. Im miserable.

Just wondering, since everyone seems so opposed at the person who suggested discipline.

Have you ever wondered why Asians don't get diagnosed with ADD (esp those still in Asia)???

When I was in HS, under the burden of tons of expectations and work, I discussed this with my friend. And we realized that in Asia (and a lot of us in the states) there is no such thing as failure. You succeed at everything, or you die, figuratively and/or literally (as shown by the huge number of suicides by kids and parents).

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.

I'm not saying that this extreme form of discipline is a good thing. I hated it as a child. But I'm just wondering if you think that it should be used as a brain-booster OR a weigh-loss solution since with these two options, it IS the easier way out.

What made me think of this is that a guy one year above me when I was in college killed himself the week of his graduation because he thought he did bad in one of his classes. When my mom heard, the first thing she said to me was: what a terrible son, causing his parents such pain when they put so much work into him. Nothing about the parental pressure that pushed him to this, or how he might have been depressed or anything. Just that even to his final act of discipline he was still a failure.

It made me really sad.

I was addicted to adderall for almost 2 years. During those 2 years, all I could think about was adderall. I would wake up, pop 2 or 3 30mg pills (yes, a total of 90mgs at once), and if I wanted to pull an all-nighter (which happened about 3 times a week), I'd take 3 more pills when the first 3 wore off 12 hours later.

And I thought there was nothing wrong with this! I was so, so stupid. People, please: I've been diagnosed with ADD all my life, and while adderall was a godsend for awhile, it didn't take much at all for my life to spiral out of control once I was put on it.

I've been adderall-free for 7 months now, and I went from weighing 95lbs at 5'5", to now weighing 115lbs. And believe me, I'll take these extra couple pounds over what I went through with adderall! IT IS NOT WORTH IT.

Well i am now out of highschool, but in my junior year i started taking adderall. Im not goin to lie i took it one night to stay with this girl, found out i loved it. After hanging out with the girl i stayed up and detailed my truck, let me tell you, it never looked better. Come to find out i went to the doctor and i had ADD. I told him the whole story and he prescribed me 20mg. I took the xr's. at first I LOVED the feeling. i was already skinny and worked out three times a day, so i didnt really notice any weightloss, but after awhile, my mom told me i was almost lookin like a zombie. At the time i moved up to 30mg. If i went one day with out taking the pill, i would like flip out and could NOT stand still. I ended up getting addicted to the stuff and had to go to rehab. The two weeks i was in there, i slept. THE ENTIRE TIME. i dont even remember being there. It was like a haze, almost like a dream. Again they did just completly take me off, cold turkey. Adderall is a great pill, if used correctly. Make sure you dont have a dose that is to much, you will get addicted and not even know it.

I am 37 years old and could never do the job without adderral. Mutitasking would be a problem without it. I have been on ritalin,concerta, etc. I see no problem as long as you do not abuse it.

I was prescribed to adderall right before my freshman year in college, and it was great at first. It made a world of a difference in my school work and my room would always be clean and organized which it never was before. It definitely suppressed my appetite and I went from 140 to 125 in a very short amount of time. Of course I loved the way that I looked, but one other side effect I experienced was that around 5 in the afternoon I would become irritated of everything and everyone for absolutely no reason. I hated that I would constantly be annoyed of everything so I eventually would only take it on the weekdays that I had to. On the weekends I would not take it and crave everything because I had been deprived of everything during the week. Then eventually I wouldn't take in on the weekdays unless I had a paper to write or a test to study for because I just hated how it made me feel. Now I rarely take it and have just been switched to Concerta to see if that drug makes a difference with how I feel when the medicine starts wearing off. The only thing I regret about taking Adderall is that when I was on it every day and barely eating it completely destroyed my metabolism, and as soon as I started eating regularly I gained over 25 pounds in one year. So if you are going to take Adderall you should really make yourself eat at least healthy food even if you don't feel like eating anything (which you wont), so you do not ruin your metabolism like I did. Good luck!

This has to be said. I have adhd, I also suffer from compulsive overeating. I don't understand how anyone on here can say it is "wrong" to take it to control your eating, but okay for adhd. It is one thing to take this pill if you're just being lazy and you don't want to work at losing weight. But someone like ME, who has tried for 7 years straight to lose weight and has yet to reach their goal...adderall would be just as helpful as someone who cannot concentrate. Telling someone to just "eat healthy" that has an overeating problem, would be like telling someone with adhd to just "try harder" to concentrate. I have struggled with my eating for most of my life and it has left me miserable, and isolated. I have tried everything to help myself with this and nothing has worked. Again, I have adhd as well and I am currently not on any meds (but am seeing a doctor soon). But even still, my eating problem is just as big if not a BIGGER problem than my adhd problem. This pill was after all a weight loss drug before it was an adhd pill. I am not saying it is the easy way out for those who don't want to diet. But for those who CAN'T control their eating, it can be a life saver.

i'm curous about adderall. i have a problem with my weight and need something to help me with it..is this the right thing for me?

Okay, i am a freshman entering into a very good school. i'm smart but i've never studied in school. i went to a small, really quite easy school and i could get by with not studying. my grades were barely enough to get in to this school and i come from a family that has a history of not making it through college. i really want to succeed in college and i know i cannot rely on my smarts alone like in high school because i've always had such a problem studying or completing assignments. call it lazy or whatever but i've never been able to force myself to completely focus enough to get it done. would something like adderral be helpful to me??

Hey you might need to consult your psychiatrist he may be Bi-polar, honestly this is a serious mistake doctors make Im telling you the symptoms that they diagnoise are terribly similar to those of ADD OR ADHD. That needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Its very crutial if thats the case with your grandson you may want another professional's opinion and possibly if you are able to go or make note of anything mention Bi-polarisiam. Thats a really sensative case I have seen this happen several times, or its even his does for his medication he is taken is not enought to settle his effects and then they will worsen once the medicine wears off through out the day. I hope this help's you

My roomate took aderall to lose weight and lost a lot. She started at 120 and now she weighs 95 and its been 4 weeks

Lauren,

Did your roommate abuse adderall and take more than she was supposed to, or did she just lose weight naturally on them at the recommended amount. A lot of people lose weight on this drug, but I find most people who lose major weight are people taking more than they should which basically is turning them into a junkie.

I had just recently taken a sleep study and was diagnosed with Narcolepsy. I have been taking adderal for 1 month now and lost 10pds and this is not water weight. It is an amazing feeling being able to not feel like im draging my butt everyday. The whole thing with children taking Adderal for weight loss, I dont think its that crazy with the mass amounts of children with obesity. I think that it should be studied and approved as a safe regimin for weight loss. Even for adults. But as we all know we have pill poppers who take it just for the fun of it so its kinda scary to just hand it out to someone who says they want to drop a few pounds, oh well.

Hello All.

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as a mid 20's woman who had misused/abused adderall. Although I rarely ever took more than the amount prescribed, the prescription was not my own. And if it may be any bit of saving grace, I am almost certian that I do indeed have ADHD, but am afraid to see a doctor as I may find out more than I want to know (a strong history of mental 'instability' runs in my family).

The first time I had used adderall the buzz/high was amazing. The friend that had given it to me said that it was comparable to coke (a drug that I refuse to touch). I had taken adderall steadily for probably a good 6-9 months. Doctors are prescribing Adderall like candy. I had gotten mine from a friend (a different one than the friend mentioned above) who is prescribed both the Adderall XR (20 mg extended release once daily) as well as the tablets (Im not sure of the precise dosage), so she has an entire presciption bottle to spare.

My main purpose to use adderall was to maintain focus and boost my mood. My work was completed HOURS before the end of the day, my house was alway clean, my laundry was always done, and I had such a great patience when dealing with not-so-pleasant people in my office. And as a wonderful surprise, I started losing weight.

I was on top of the world. I was so accomplished and looking phenomenal. I was also in denial. The side affects of adderall (for me) also included heavy mood shifts, extreme irritibility, and even paranoia. I would try to convince myself that my sudden bi-polar-like mood and fly-off-the-handle disposition was due to where I was in my life and some recent events that had taken place. Which, some of it may have been. However, these occurences were most severe during the times that I had run completely out of the drug and was waiting for a refill.

I want to stress that this was an addiction. Im sure both mental and physical. I had suffered through a nearly dibilitating withdrawl, and swore to myself that that is a phase that I would never come to again...

However, 6 months later, I find myself with half finished projects all over my house, 20 pounds overweight, and with an unopened bottle of adderall in my pocket.

I am considering to yet again dive into the world of this enticing drug. I feel that a lot of my downfall in my prior experience was due to the fact that I had been swallowed into a dark hole without a plan or a care, and with an ever increasing dosage (again, I had followed the 'prescription' that was meant for my friend). Knowing what I know now, I think that I would be able to take on adderall with control and an educated mind.

Earlier in the post I had read the following suggestion for adderall users:

Cut your dose in half for two days
On the third day, do not take the medication
This will minimize withdrawal effects
Spend the rest of the week off of the medication
Start again at your normal dose.

In addition to taking only 20 mgs of Adderall XR once daily, and for no more than a consecutive 4 months at a time, with at least a full 2 months supply at hand prior to beginning to use again (stocking up to avoid sudden cut off/withdrawl) I would like to incorporate the above suggestion. My question is when should I do this? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month?

Please do not misinterpret what I have to say as a condolance to the misuse or abuse of this drug. I hope that many walk away after reading this that this drug is to be taken VERY seriously. I realize that I may be a hipocrite - but I are only human.

I greatly appreciate your time not only to read my entire rant, but to leave any suggestions, and yes, even concerns. Thanks again.

i'm 13 and i take addrall, and i hate it.
i'm always in a bad mood and i dont eat at all that
whole day, i have ADD and addrall helps me alot,
but the side affects are way to much for me.

I'm 16. I have ADD and was on adderall for a while when I was 9 or 10 years old. I have always been very thin... that is, up until about two years ago when I stopped taking stimulants and gained about 30 pounds. I am currently 5'9" and about 130 pounds. I know this is sort of thin, but I hate my stomach so much because it so much fatter than everything else. I just recently lost 10 pounds by eating about 1100 calories a day. I started taking adderall xr again, prescribed for my ADHD by my docter. When I was younger, it really suppressed my appetite. I can tell that it is working now, too, but I still eat about 1200 calories a day and get painfully hungry if I ate less than 900 calories the day before. On these days, I will still be able to eat a TON... back to my sugar and chocolate bingeing before I lost 10 pounds. I still love the taste of chocolate and still have to work hard to not eat it. I thought the adderall would make me lose weight even if I eat this way, as it did when I was younger. Can the adderall make you lose weight if you don't eat less?
Also, I have been having really bad heartburn (while eating very healthy) and a very strong heartbeat--it feels like my heart is jumping out of my chest--since I started taking adderall three days ago. Is this normal, and what about the weight issue?

Ok this is my deal with Adderall. I was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary and obviously Dr.'s do not perscribe Adderall to children that young they do use Ritalin which is also a stimulant drug used for ADD/ADHD. Well my parents just thought I needed to get out and play more, which I didnt understand because even as a young child I was always in the "popular" group in school and was always doing thing. I didnt sit around the TV or play video games all the time. I played sports from elementary school through college. My parents refused to put me on any kind of medication for my ADHD and my grades suffered very bad. I was constantly having to go to summer school because I always failed my classes. Finally I turned 18 I had my own job with benefits. I went back to the Dr. who diagnosed me with the ADHD and explained that nothing had changed, I could not concentrate, I was getting ready to take the ACT and I needed something to help me because I needed an high score as I was trying to get in to Harvard Law. My Dr. gave me a perscription for Adderall 30 mg/2 daily. It worked great!!!! I could concentrate, study and my grades went from D's and F's To A's and B's. I also suffered from the weight loss side effect. Yeah I will be the first one to addmit I was super skinny and HOT even after having a baby. (no i didnt take the adderall while i was prego) I liked that side effect so much I started doubling up my dose to 60mg/2 daily(STUPID!!!) Well my Dr. and I have always been pretty open with each other but he noticed after three months of me calling him one to two weeks early with random excuses so I could get my Rx filled early he realized I was highly addicted to the drug. He immediately called my husband, who is a cop, and made me tell him that I was addicted to a drug. My Dr. then told my husband that I would need to go through detox. Trust me on this one but the last thing a cop wants to hear is his wife needs to go through detox. My Doctor then asked my husband to come down to his office so we could all talk about this situation. When my husband arrived my doctors medical assistant came into my room and told me that my husband was there and he was in my doctors office talking to him. About 20 mins later both the dr and my husband came into my room. My dr explained to me that he told my husband that I would need to go through a detox program and he told my my husband about a home detox I could do where I would be taking a drug called Lybrium but I would need 24 hour supervision. The Dr also told my husband about a hospital in my area that did a 7 day detox program that was totally inpatient. Well my husband told me that I was going to the 7 day inpatient program to detox from adderall. Once I had been detoxed all of my ADHD symptoms returned. My Dr tried numberous non-stimulant medications that did not work at all. My Dr went out on a limb and perscribed me Adderall again just a few weeks ago. So far so good no feeling of addiction. How ever my dr has cut my dose way back to 20mg/ 1 time daily. I feel like it has helped my ADHD quite a bit. My advice to others that are taking this medication or are thinking of taking this medication is DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN WHAT YOUR DR HAS PERSCRIBED TO YOU!!!!! once you start doing that and become addicted it is almost impossible to come down off the medication by yourself and you end up in a detox program and if you have never been in one you dont ever want to go there it is the worst thing ever!!! If this helped at least one person all of my blabbing did something good. I will get off my soap box now and I hope all of you make the right decision in your health care

Hi, Let me tell you I have lost about 65lbs and the best way to do it is this:
1) Take the hard way i.e. stairs, park far from the door at the mall, walk to the mail box etc.
2) Listen to the voice in your head that says, "Hey! You don't eat that whole cake just take a bite and put it away;" He never lies to you.
3) Fad diets are just like any other fad. If you can't stickwith it don't do it. Ask yourself if you will be willing to do the diet for life? Think of it like a pair of stonewashed jeans. LOL
4) Run Forest Run.... running/jogging is the best way to lose weight and feel great. The same feel good receptors that go off when you eat chocolate go off when you jog.

Good luck and listen to Nancy Regan and just say no to drugs!

I've been taking adderall for almost a year and have lost only 10 pounds. When I first take it, I'm not hungry for hours and hours. Then I crash and eat a lot of calories at once. Nothing like I used to though. I like that it helps me make more rational food choices. It helps with my chronic fatigue as well. My only issue is that it makes me really moody at times and other times really mellow and boring. I have to be careful about how I take it and when. I don't take too much if I know I'm going to a social event. I tend to drink more alcohol on it which isn't a good side effect too and may be part of the reason why I haven't lost that much weight.

I am another Adderall success story.

I am 36 years old and started taking Adderall about 6 months ago. As a child i was diagnosed as being hyperactive. I wasn't allowed to have chocolate, sweets or any other types of sugar. Of course they knew very little on how to treat ADHD back then. I was bored in school and often drifted off into my own world to get the mental stimulation I needed. At the age of 25 I discovered pot. I've learned from my Doc that many people with ADHD/ADD cling to pot, because it stimulates our mind and actually allows us to focus on one thing at a time. Of course, the lack of motivation side effect doesn't allow you move ahead in your life. I had been smoking pot for almost 10 years and had given up on being able to stop. Every time i tried to quit I would get depressed and completely numb to everything around me. After just 3 months of taking Adderall, I quit smoking pot and don't feel the need. I never would have thought I could function without it. I have never felt better. I get plenty of sleep and never feel jittery or strung out. I can accomplish what I start, and don't have 15 different projects I'm trying to do at once. Of course, I am following my recommended dosage. If you start taking it as a pick-me-up you will regret it. I tried this a couple of times, and the after effects or come down was unbearable. Panic attacks, angry and irate for no reason. I feel Adderall is a almost a Godsend, but only if used properly and not abused. My family has noticed a complete change and couldn't be happier. They say I am more enjoyable to be around and that I am more engaging in conversation and appear more inteligent. I know my inteligence hasn't changed, I just know how to express it now. I have always felt like I was walking to the beat of different drum and was misunderstood. That has all changed now. Adderall has definitely worked for me. If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD/ADD then I suggest you get all the info you can and give it a try. If it doesn't work for you, you'll know it pretty quick. If it does, then congratulations on finally being able to start your life. I am working hard to catch up to where I should be, and enjoying doing it. Hope this helps someone.

I am 26 yrs old and have been on adderall for over 10 years. I take a relatively high dose (80 mg/day), but I've found that after a while my appetite came back like normal. When taken appropriately, the drug can work miracles for those with a chemical imbalance in their brain (like me). Adderall is not an evil drug. Sure, some people abuse it, but then again some people abuse over the counter sleeping pills. The point I'm trying to make is that people are responsible for their own actions, and we shouldn't condemn somethhing that helps so many just because some misuse it.

Hey everyone . Well i'm 16 and in 10th grade and i take aderall xr about 40 mgs a day. I have to problems; it's benefited me so much academically(for the first time I'm doing well) but it kills my appetite and sometimes i don't eat for days at a time, but not because i don't want to i kind of just forget. I play football i wrestle in the winter and lacrosse during the year and the weight loss isn't really helping me out. I love all these sports so much but i also enjoy doing well in school but i obviously can't do both. Anyone have suggestions?

well I started taking adderall at the age of 8 i am now well in the 7th grade any who i only weighed 60 pounds in the third grade and my doctor said i was really skinny i mean i never ate any food i was pratically starving myself and i couldnt prevent it it was because of adderall and yes it is very un healthy but it does help you lose weight

I am 17, and I've been taking the medication for about six months now. I had originally been prescribed concerta to treat my ADD about a year ago. The medication was so uneffective on me, that I swore it was a placebo. So, after six wasted months, I was prescribed adderal (for the record, adderal is the medication I felt was best for me from the beginning, based on my own research). So, after six months, I can honestly say that addedal has changed my life. Before, my ADD was crippling to me. It affected all aspects of my life, not just school. Now I can function the way a person without ADD can, and life I no longer am at a disadvantage. As for it's use as a weight loss drug, I see no harm in it. People are doing just as much damage to their bodies by drinking a cup of coffee every morning as they are taking a safe dose of amphetamine salts. In fact, I experience worse negative side effects by drinking coffee or an energy drink than I do taking this medication. Though I am against its use without consulting a doctor, I believe if a persons overall quality of life can be improved safely with this medication, than it should be prescribed to that person without question of malpractice.

Sorry this comment got long :)

Brian

I've been reading everyone's comments and I am thuroughly impressed with the breadth and depth of this on-going forum conversation.

I am a 5th year senior in college and will graduate soon this semester. Throughout my life I have had feelings of being overwhelmed by daily activities and school work. This has caused me to procrastinate and make careless mistakes/bad decisions on the fly. Before I was 7, I was diagnosed with the hyperactive form of ADD but now I have noticed I have the opposite; ADHD- inattentive form. I have less energy than ever before in a time when I need to be focused the most in my life. Even now, as I know I should be reading my college assignments I'd rather read this forum. Again, another sign of my distractibility issues. It's even worse when I realize I'm not focused.

This coming monday I go to the doctor to see if I can get adderall or some type of help to ease my problem. I just want to say that after reading everyone's stories I feel more confident than ever before about my condition and am glad I have a chance to change things for the better so early in my life. If only I would have started taking adderall/or medication back in high school, where would I be today?

I have asked friends for help in my final examination studies before. A few gave me a few Adderall 20mg's to help. After I took them I felt so confident I could write my large final essays and got right to work. I also noticed a very authentic personality being portrayed to others and I could carry on conversations that were not jumbled. It's at times like those, when you notice something seems a bit off in your regular life.

As far as the million dollar question: Adderall for weight loss? I'm not sure how to answer that in my opinion. I think that doctors should be more careful in prescribing this drug for weight less, especially in children. I was thinner when I was younger and the thought of me being even more skinny is rediculous. I'm currently average weight 165-170 5'10" and if I lose a few pounds if prescribed adderall, I will feel even better I'm sure. I love food so much that I could see myself still eating regularly even I did not have an appetite.

Sorry this is long, hope this gives insight into someone who thinks they might need help too.

PS: the lady wanting to send children to military school....ummm NO. Maybe this would work with disobedient/problem childs who harm others at school...but to recommend this for kids with add/adhd this is insane.

As a teacher who was diagnosed with ADD as an adult, I must say that Adderall has completely changed my life. For years, I struggled with thoughts and ideas that whizzed through my mind so quickly that I could never pin them down and make any of them a reality. Even though I was a success throughout elementary and high school, once I entered college, I could no longer achieve. I was completely helpless when it came to creating my own structure and would simply "lose" the hours between classes.
Once I graduated from college and entered the workforce, I continued to struggle and to stay focused at work. I had always been under the impression that I was great at multi-tasking, but it turns out that I had just grown accustomed to thinking about too much all at once.
I married, took a break from the workforce, and found myself spiraling out of control as I could never accomplish anything at all. This made me feel like a complete failure and I would regularly lash out at my husband. (I knew I was creative and intelligent, but I didn't know why I couldn't use this to become successful. I am incredibly detail-oriented while still being able to see the big picture, but I could never figure out how to get started or how to finish anything.)
I associated marriage with my failure and even considered filing for divorce. I felt that it must be my husband who was "bringing me down." My husband forced me into seeing a psychiatrist because I was becoming an unbearable spouse. I agreed and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and with adult (overfocused) ADD. I was prescribed Adderall and my life began to turn around for the first time ever.
As I was finally able to add some meaningful structure to my life, I started to feel good about myself again. I found that I wasn't at my best from ages 6-18 and that I had the potential for success. My uplifted spirit has stopped the panic attacks and has allowed me to complete some of the projects I had been "planning" for YEARS. I expect that someday, I WILL be the successful entrepreneur that I have always hoped to be.
My one regret with Adderall is that I didn't find it sooner. (However, I was always such an excellent and well-behaved student, there was little chance anyone would find something "wrong." When I was in elementary school from 1989-1996, the kids on ADD/ADHD medications were the "hyper bad kids.") There were so many opportunities in college I could've taken advantage of had I been able to focus and organize myself enough to start. (I had always felt as though there was a mysterious, invisible wall preventing me from accomplishing anything. I would press and press against it to no avail. Now, that wall has crumbled.)
I guess I may be the exception, but I haven't lost any weight really (sadly, I was hoping for at least 10 much-needed pounds to go...haha.) I also don't really feel "euphoric" after taking the medication. I just feel the way I have always wanted to feel. I feel more like myself than I ever have.
I also don't think I could teach without it. Prior to Adderall, I couldn't effectively finish any story I was telling someone. Now, I can teach a lesson, stay on topic, and do so within the designated time slot.

I take Adderall for ADD - 30 mg a day total taken in three or four doses. I've been on it for about four months and am coming up on 30 lbs. lost. This is about a third of what I need to lose.

Overeating was a way for me to increase dopamine levels (although I didn't know it at the time) - now that I take Adderall, I have no desire to overeat. I can eat small healthy meals and don't think about food much at all, which is a total turnaround from before. I spent most of the first four decades of my life literally being a slave to food.

The main reason for taking Adderall for me is the ADD itself - which it has helped tremendously - but the weight loss is a huge perk. And I have had virtually no unpleasant side-effects.

I know it's not for everyone, but when I hear people say that "there's no magic pill for weightloss," I can't help thinking that to a certain extent, there is. It seems nearly criminally irresponsible to me that the medical establishment isn't prescribing this for weight loss (and maintenance) more widely. It absolutely can be used responsibly and unless misused (taken in ever-increasing amounts to get high) the risk of addiction is actually quite, quite low.

I went to a physchiatrists for the first time Monday, March 1 09, and he prescribed adderall to me. I have now been taking it for 3 days. I am taking 15mg. I am much more alert. It is easy to focus in my classes. I notice that in the afternoon, I get very irritable. Scary. -Caroline

I can completely relate to this. It has changed my life and helped me live up to my potential and also has helped me become more of the person I see myself as. My only regret is that I didn't seek treatment sooner. I was always a really smart kid in grade school, did really well on all the standardized tests etc. As I got to high-school it became harder to cope with the symptoms and I ended up skipping school a lot and almost dropping out. My saving grace was that my parents made me go to a smaller private school to for 11th and 12th grade where the rules were much more strict and the school was very small (I hated it at the time, but I thank them now). I pulled myself together and was able to get into college, but I always felt like I had to work a lot harder than everyone else. College took me 5 1/2 years to graduate because there were some semesters that I just got so overwhelmed and lost interest and stopped going. I was very irresponsible (partly because of the ADD) and let my "incompletes" turn into "F's" which can still come back to haunt me today because I have several of these on my transcripts. When I got out of school, I was easily bored with work, so I had 5 jobs the first 5 years I was out of college.

I was finally sat down my one of my supervisors and told "you are one of the brightest and most creative people here, but you are easily distracted, and your time management skills are horrible". That is when I sought help and suspected that I may have ADD. I was subsequently prescribed to 30mg of Adderall XR. In hindsight, the symptoms were always there but because I was always a pretty bright kid, I was able to compensate for them until I got older. I was also raised in a family where any type of psychological condition was stigmatized and my parents thought that there was some conspiracy to pump America's youth full of drugs or something.

Since I have been taking Adderall, I have gone back to school and am getting straight A's well into my second semester while also working 40 hours per week. My confidence is sky high and it shows as people look to me as a leader in school and at work. I feel like I am in complete control of my life. Before taking adderall I was extremely frustrated because I wasn't getting anywhere in life and was chronically underacheiving. As far as weight loss goes, when I first started taking it I lost about 10 pounds and then just stayed at that weight as I got used to the medication.

Sorry for the long post, but my point is that Adderall is a powerful amphetamine and can be very beneficial to those who have ADD. If you have some of the symptoms described in this forum, get it checked out, it may be the best thing you ever did. However, Adderall is a schedule II controlled substance, the same class as cocaine, and has similar properties to cocaine. It is not a drug that should be handed out to children like candy and people shouldn't take it unless they are under a doctor's care.

My dauhter have just ben diagnosed with ADD. After doing extensive test her doctor now have her on Adderall RX 5mg (once a day). I was a little reluctant on giving her any meds she's only 11. I have prayed about it becuase I don't want her to become addicted to anything. I just want my daughter she be able to focus and get to her potential in grades at school. I have cried and had many restless night due to my concern. I've read a lot of stories about weight loss because she's husky but, my concerns is constant weight loss. Though the doctor only percribed 5mg he want to observe her to see how well she does before even considering a higher dosage. He doctor is very personable and requested I call once a week and well as she on her own to see how she progessing, what doctor does that? He is truely about her well being and for that I'm grateful.
I just want my little girl to focus, become more active, and keep friends.

Okay, I am a sophomore in college and I was just diagnosed with ADD today. I have to go to the doctor in 3 days to get my prescription. I have been researching different meds for the disorder, and I was just curious if anyone had recommendations for a certain med that I should ask my doctor about?? Like, which ones to avoid, and which ones are good....thank you for your help!!!