I just turned 44, was just diagnosed with adult ADD and am on adderal, not the xl, just the plain, I take a 20mg tab twice daily... I do see improvment in my general ability to start projects and see them through which I always had trouble with, procrastination is better now also, plus its really helping me lose weight by making me not as hungry... nothing overly concerning, but more like diet pills make you not as hungry. Aside from that, I cant really tell if my concentration has improved any as I still dont fully pay attention while doing tasks, My biggest problem, and the main one id hoped would be resolved is music... from the moment i wake up till the moment i got to sleep there is constant music in my head, even now as i type i have Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" playing inside my head.. lol I know it sonds kinda crazy but between the adderal, Lexapro and, Lamictal, I cant seem to stop it. My attention skills are still below where i thought they would be and Im not quite sure if i just have a bad memory because I can remember alot of things from childhood and it seems not much from the last few years.. and definetly not much at all from within a few days. another thing that has stopped pretty much is my constant foot wiggeling.. lol (sounds funny i know) when Im sitting, say watching TV, i would just wiggle my feet like a mad man.. lol it has stopped but not my constand "Drumming" with my fingers.. oh well,,, i guess Ill have to see what happens.
I'm 19 and have been on different medications for ADHD since I was nine. All of them made me lose weight at my lowest I weighed 98 lbs. I have found that if you eat in the morning (while you take your pill) you will be hungry for lunch + dinner. Otherwise you just feel like you can't eat. I suggest eating a decent meal while taking your pill it may help.
i've been on adderall xr for some time now. some weight loss is common. i didn't mind losing weight or a little bit of appetite loss. however, like with most meds, but particularly with adderall, you should always eat and not just a bite of something but some kind of meal when you take it. while the xr is a gentle release, there is a period of peaks i have found and during this time period, you don't want to eat, but eat first thing and i am almost certain that your appetite will return. a nurse told me this, not the doc. and it works! also, snack on little bits throughout the day (good for you anyway, if snacks are healthy). you may not ever want to eat huge meal, but that's okay, right?
How long is it supposed to take to tell if the adderal is working. I'm on 10mg xr. My brother i seemed like a zombie . My muscles feel stiff will that go away in time?
I believe that Adderall in any form will cause a loss of appetite. Its not hard to say i may NOT be hungry but i can eat! I take adderall and it jacks me up but helps my ADD like crazy! and ur dose doesnt seem to be an issue it seems that you arent used to the medicine yet and if you are then you need to act like ur hungry a bit. when u go down it may not help ur add. ur doctor monitors ur weight. so yah! keep up the good work! Adderall is a miracle drug for me! T
I am personall perscribed Ritalin, but have tried Adderral in the past. Yes, unless you regulate your eating habits you wil continue to loss weight. Adderrall completely curves your appetite. You are not hungry and could almost quiver at the sound or smell of food. Depending on your dosage and how many times a day you are prescribed to take the medication....you should plan your medication aroung your diet, not your diet around your medication...this is hard to do with Adderrall but completely necessary. I suggest waking and eating a large breakfast BEFORE taking your first dose. Then during the day snack...you dont have to eat an entire meal, but you should eat a piece of fruit or a granola bar hear and there. Then for dinner eat again BEFORE taking another dose. I know it is hard...when I was on it I had to firce myself to eat and it was very uncomfortable...but unless you want to be skin and bones you got to do it. Also, its important what you eat. Dont fill up on junk and unsaturated fats because they exit your system way to fast and have no good benefits. Eat healthy and often.
I'm on Adderall and it does me the same way but I like the fact that it makes me lose weight.
Since you don't, I would definately ask your doctor to lower your dosage because I really do think that would help out a lot.
Since you don't, I would definately ask your doctor to lower your dosage because I really do think that would help out a lot.
Im 23 and Ive been back on Adderall for the past 3 years, I went from 260lbs to 220lbs... not because of Adderall on its own but from diet and exercise as well....
Ive found that you pretty much have to force yourself to eat and because of your lack of appetite I eat for fuel.... I dont eat because Im hungry I eat to sustain myself. Lots of protein and carbs.
I also learned to stay away from Vitamin C it slows the absorption of Adderall into your bloodstream.
Ive also found that eating is a necessity, because if your body is going into starvation mode your metabolism will slow down, thus you will metabolize the drug more slowly thus you end up not being able to fricken sleep at night lol.
This is just my system....
Ive found that you pretty much have to force yourself to eat and because of your lack of appetite I eat for fuel.... I dont eat because Im hungry I eat to sustain myself. Lots of protein and carbs.
I also learned to stay away from Vitamin C it slows the absorption of Adderall into your bloodstream.
Ive also found that eating is a necessity, because if your body is going into starvation mode your metabolism will slow down, thus you will metabolize the drug more slowly thus you end up not being able to fricken sleep at night lol.
This is just my system....
I was on Adderall XR 30mgs for 2 years and lost around 10lbs over the first 6 months. After a year I quit having a lot of the side effects and got my appetite back. Maintained my weight too. I got off of it for about 6 months recently and gained 6 lbs back and was tired all the time so I got back on it a few days ago and concentrating, more alert etc. The only thing is that I'm a little edgy. The side effects will decrease with time or at least mine did.
What type of doctor diagnosed you?
My doctor referred me to a psychologist and he had me do some tests. And that's how I was diagnosed.
I have been on 60 mg of Adderall XR every day for the past 5 years - I'm now 22. Your appetite comes back more the longer you are on it, but hunger is never the same as long as you are on it; hunger just doesn't really bother you... Adderall XR has improved my concentration, productivity, and motivation levels, but if I miss a dose, I'm useless in every way. I can cut back on it slowly and still function on 30 mg, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go below that. I was skinny before I started taking it (6'4" and 180 lbs.), but at one point I got down to about 155 lbs. and had to take an appetite stimulant, which sucked really bad. For a long time I wouldn't eat anything all day until late at night, and then I would eat a ton. What others have said about eating before or while you take Adderall to be able to eat the rest of the day is true. Even then though, you still kind of have to force yourself to eat because you know you need to.
I am 31, back in school to be a Paramedic/RN, and concentration has not always been my strong suit. I had started feeling lazy, withdrawn, hopeless, gaining weight, eating too much and sleeping all the time.
I started taking 20mg XR's in the morning between 7-8, along with 10mg Lexapro, for anxiety, and i feel 100% better then i have in a long time. I am still in the early weeks of adjustments of meds right now. I may need to take a 20 or 30mg XR in the afternoon to make it last long enough to get through my 16 hour days. But now, i am losing that extra weight, i feel better about life, (from the lexapro), i am getting all A's and B's in college, i am eating less, and now i only sleep 8 hours and i feel the same as i did when i slept for 12-13 hours.
Side Effects: So far the only thing i noticed is that i get a bit ansy during the day. Leg is always shaking, and constantly changing positions, But it really doesnt bother me, because im not thinking about it. And the crash at 3-4pm is not great... that is why i am thinking about a lower dose at night to keep me leveled out.
Good luck to you all.
I started taking 20mg XR's in the morning between 7-8, along with 10mg Lexapro, for anxiety, and i feel 100% better then i have in a long time. I am still in the early weeks of adjustments of meds right now. I may need to take a 20 or 30mg XR in the afternoon to make it last long enough to get through my 16 hour days. But now, i am losing that extra weight, i feel better about life, (from the lexapro), i am getting all A's and B's in college, i am eating less, and now i only sleep 8 hours and i feel the same as i did when i slept for 12-13 hours.
Side Effects: So far the only thing i noticed is that i get a bit ansy during the day. Leg is always shaking, and constantly changing positions, But it really doesnt bother me, because im not thinking about it. And the crash at 3-4pm is not great... that is why i am thinking about a lower dose at night to keep me leveled out.
Good luck to you all.
DANG! I wish i could TRY Adderall! But, i know how doctors are and they wouldn't prescribe it! I am 53 now and i am convinced that i have been misdiagnosed all these years! I never have really accomplished much in my life! I always felt well, scatter brained! I will be honest here, in my early 20's i messed around with snorting meth and found that it instantly FIXED my head! Weird way to put it, but, i could FOCUS on 1 thing at a time! I would never ever go back to that life style again!! God ,it was like "everybody" was doing that back then!I used to go to a mental health clinic for depression/HUGE anxiety and i remember 1 doctor telling me that there where some medications that where like stimulants, i never told on myself about my messing around with meth!! I was to embarrassed!! Now, i wish i would have been honest!! Maybe i could have tried the Adderall had i done so! I have taken all kinds of different anti-depressants and always was prescribed benzos like valium, tranxene, xanax, klonopin. I would insist on benzos!! I fell in LOVE with the peaceful feeling they gave me and helped me fall asleep. Now i am 53 and a benzo junkie! Currently taking klonopin for about 7 years. They dont work as good as xanax or tranxene but, xanax WOOOOHOOO man oh man, I learned the HARD way about "withdraw syndrome" Xanax has to be 1 of the hardest benzo's to get off of!! I feel as if though im just taking up space on this planet, i do not funtion well any more. I used to be an early bird person, i would get all my housework/yard work DONE. I have seemed to turn into a "zombie" in that i SIMPLY cannot get anything done, i become overwhelmed with it ,and to many thoughts run through my head as to HOW MUCH work i am behind on and find myself crawling back on that lousy sofa and lay there all flusturated & anxious because i cannot FOCUS!!! This is a horrible way to live! Yes, i am depressed, super depressed! BUT, those stinkin anti's do not work for me. Im the type of person that needs instant results, i cant hang with 2 months before anti-depressant even begin to work! Jeeze, i am rambling on here, i know, it is HARD for me to even sit here and try and think of what the hell to write, i constantly have to go back and re-check what i just typed! Its not an OCD thing, I just cant seem to de-scramble my brain! I am under severe stress due to a rare skin disease, OMG it has ruined my life and that in itself makes it hard to focus on something else instead of the condition. I am in pain 24/7 for 25 years now! I got ssi for this ailment. Well, anyway, im going to stop typing because it is giving me anxiety!! Can you believe that?? :(
Drink ensure shakes. They are designed I think for older people but they give them to chemo patients and stuff too. I have to drink them because I am so thin and take ADD meds. 1 or 2 a day (you can drink before or after your meds when you have a better appetite) helps a lot!