Does Adderall cause weight gain or loss?

Adderall can cause weight loss. It is a combination of amphetamine stimulants that is medically used to treat ADHD. When properly used as prescribed, Adderall can be a life saver for people diagnosed with ADHD. But how much Adderall does it take to lose weight, and when does use become abuse? Guest writer, Lee Weber, from Addiction Blog investigates here. Then, we invite your questions about Adderall in the comments section at the end.

Can you lose weight on Adderall?

Yes, you can lose weight while taking Adderall, In fact, you can lose a lot of weight if you are constantly taking Adderall over time. Some experts estimate that you can lose up to 40 lbs within a couple of months period after daily use. And excessive Adderall use, such as binge use over a period of about 2 weeks, can make you 20 lbs lighter.

However, weight loss is only one of the side effects you may experience when taking Adderall. Let’s not forget that Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant that causes significant effects to all body systems. Heavy Adderall abusers have reported turning to sleeping pills administration in order to “fight” or offset stimulant effects. Additionally, Adderall can be habit forming. It causes physical dependence in regular users, and can trigger cases of psychological addiction. Further, Adderall is medication that can result in serious adverse effects caused by interactions with other medications.

Other effects of Adderall

Weight loss is not the only effect Adderall has on the gastrointestinal system. When taking Adderall, your mouth may be dry and you can experience an unpleasant taste. Diarrhea and other disturbances are also possible. In addition, Adderall use can speed unconscious body functions and can increase heart rate. As a drug which causes euphoric effect, Adderall abuse can also leaad to psychological dependence, also known as addiction.

Furthermore, be aware that if you are taking Adderall while you are pregnant, you increase risk of complications. Infants born by mothers dependent on amphetamines have increased risk of premature delivery and low birth weight. These newborns may also experience symptoms of withdrawal as demonstrated by dysphoria, agitation and lassitude.

Adderall weight loss effects on children

Dextroamphetamine and amphetamine can slow children’s growth or weight gain. Your child’s doctor will watch growth carefully if s/he is prescribed Adderall . Talk to your child’s doctor if you have concerns about your child’s growth or weight gain and about the risks of administering dextroamphetamine and amphetamine.

How much Adderall to lose weight?

People taking Adderall to lose weight administer up to 100 mg of amphetamines salts per day. However, this type of use is not medically sanctioned and is termed “drug abuse”. Any course of treatment using Adderall for longer than 6 weeks is definitely not recommended due to the highly addictive characteristics of amphetamines. We repeat: ADDERALL IS NOT PRESCRIBED FOR WEIGHT LOSS and when you take Adderall to lose weight, you are breaking federal law which can be reported to the authorities.

How is Adderall a drug of abuse?

There are many ways Adderall pills are abused. In general, Adderall doses are prescribed according to age and vary between 2.5-10 mg/day. Anything above the recommended is considered drug abuse, as well as increased frequency outside of a prescription. Tablets are usually taken 2 to 3 times daily, 4 to 6 hours apart, with or without food. So, higher or more frequent dosing is the first sign of Adderall abuse. Still, somestimulant users begin taking Adderall via oral administration and progress to snorting, smoking, or intravenous use…clear signs of problems with Adderall.

While Adderall is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for specific use, this medication is often distributed under-the-table, using fake drug prescriptions. Pills are sold for around $10 each on the street. The latest trend of Adderall abuse includes grinding and snorting the content of Adderall XR, or wrapping a crushed pill in toilet paper and eating it to avoid the bad taste. All of these actions are taken in order to increase the rush and to maximize the appetite suppression.

Who abuses Adderall?

Women are more likely to abuse Adderall for intentional weight loss, however, males are also not excluded from Adderall abuse. A high peak for abuse occurs right before the summer bathing suit period. Furthermore, there are users who have reported using Adderall year-round, whenever they feel they have gained weight.

Adderall abuse is often related with other mental and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The power to endlessly control your weight seems to be overwhelming, particularly for young or adolescent girls, which can result in loss of control of drug use.

Alternatives to Adderall

While there are other brands on the market for treating ADHD, Adderall remains a popular drug of abuse because it enhances performance and can cause weight loss. But what about some alternative medications? Given the risks for dependence and addiction, some users may be interested in other medications to treat ADHD or sleep disorders. Strattera is a non-stimulant prescription drug which is also used to treat ADHD. Compared to Adderall, Strattera does not cause euphoric effects, nor suppresses the appetite.

Questions about Adderall for weight loss

Unfortunately one of the main reason for Adderall abuse continues to be intentional weight loss. If you have questions about Adderall, please leave them here. We’ll do our best to respond to you personally and promptly.

Image source: wikimedia.org / chrisphoto @ flick.com

Reference sources:

• NHTSA: Amphetamines and methamphetamins. http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/job185drugs/methamphetamine.htm
• MedLine Plus: Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601234.html
• Erowid: Experiences with Adderall. https://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=29724. http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=56445

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