Adderall and weight loss? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

alexisvk · 12-18-2005, 11:59 AM

I have just been prescribed Adderall and have seen the posts surrounding weight loss. I am pretty average in size. Im wondering if I were to suffer weight loss....how rapid would it be and how quickly would it happen? Is this something the doctor could monitor by lowering the dose or is there another med that could be prescribed? Anyway, I wouldn't mind losing 20 lbs or so but anything more than that would put me below an healthy weight. It's very important for me to regain focus and to get control of the whole ADD situation. But, at the same time I dont want to turn into a skeleton. Any thoughts?

MommaBee · 12-18-2005, 02:06 PM

My son was on Adderall for ADHD. He has lost weight and about 20 lbs. and is the reason I don't have him on it any longer.
To help with your losing weight, you might get some extra calories from drinks like "Boost". It helped my son keep some weight on. He is now taking Strattera instead.
Good luck!

PatriciaB · 12-18-2005, 07:35 PM

My 16 year old daughter was prescribed 20mg a day about a month and a half ago. The effects as far as her adhd were great but I could definitely see a loss of appetite. At her 30 day follow up, the doctor freaked out. She had lost 7 pounds in 30 days and she really didn't have it to lose.
They decreased dose down to 15mg with instructions to return for a weigh-in at 2 weeks which will be this coming Wednesday. The doc told us that if she loses as much as half a pound in that 2 week period, they would take her off the med altogether.
The lower dose isn't quite as effective as the higher but her appetite has increased enough to a level I am comfortable with. Doc told me to weigh her every 2 days at home and so far she has not regained any of the weight she lost but hasn't lost any either so I'm not sure what they will do. I don't want her off the med and she doesn't want to be off of it either. School has been so much easier since she started on it.
I guess as with any other drug, there are trade-offs. Having tried Dexedrine (sleepless nights) and Straterra ( 24 hour nausea), we don't have many alternatives left.

cbeavers · 12-19-2005, 09:41 AM

i lost 12 lbs in two weeks and had to get more calories in so i went to my local health/fitness store and got this stuff called excel which is 900 calories per scoopl, taste good to but i work out alot and its still very hard for me to gain weight( i take three shakes a day on top of eating three meals a day and have only seen a 6 lb gain)

addgirllll · 01-01-2006, 05:10 PM

I started adderall XR 20 mg. last year at this time..i went from 226 lbs to 146 lbs in a year..I feel great but still have no appetite..im wondering if anyone else never got there appetite back and what should I do.I dont want to develop an eating disorder!!