Why do adhd meds decrease appetite

He started falling behind in his classes, but the medication was no longer helping him control anything but his weight. Lara Milbauer, 23, told Mic the unhealthy relationship with food she developed while taking ADHD medication also stemmed from other body image issues she already had. Having a doctor-prescribed tool to restrict her eating pushed Milbauer over the edge, and eventually she viewed the medication that once helped her focus as "completely a weight-loss drug.

It took me a while to put my mental health above my appearance. Relying on appetite-suppressing medication to function means living in a gray area when you also live in a society that validates people for having visible hipbones under their skin. It's fairly easy to hide behind all the more "legitimate" motivations for staying on medication, because those reasons often do carry as much weight as, well, concerns about weight.

There's all the more reason to hide with a condition like ADHD, which is so often critiqued as being over-diagnosed and over-medicated. After all, who would want to admit to taking drugs for a vain, unintended purpose when taking them at all is already stigmatized? A consequence of that stigma, however, is that it can be easy for people with ADHD to lie to themselves about their own motives for medicating, according to clinical social worker Michele Kabas, who specializes in treating eating disorders.

Kabas told Mic the true question of why someone with ADHD wants to take their medication might have a different answer each time they swallow their pills — and acknowledging the honest one isn't always easy. I don't know that it's always so clear if a person feels 'I'm definitely going to be on this [drug] because it's making me thin,' or, 'Oh, this [side effect] is pretty cool,' because of all that societal pressure.

When we capitulate to that pressure, we're not supposed to admit it. It's about controlling everything, but at what price? This is always the question with ADHD medication, whether we're talking about body image or not. Generally speaking, drugs are supposed to make us better, more functional versions of who we already are. We self-medicate to achieve perfection, which often entails skipped meals, frenetic workouts and cherishing a stomach that refuses to rumble.

Back in the s and 60s, doctors would prescribe amphetamines for weight loss. That practice was ended by law when the addictive nature of these drugs was proven. Today, Adderall prescribed for ADHD is sometimes used non-medically for its weight loss support properties.

Adderall amphetamine and dextroamphetamine contains amphetamine and has the typical amphetamine effect of suppressing appetite. Some people turn to this "Adderall diet" or "speed diet" to lose weight, although today no doctors would prescribe the drug for that purpose. Adderall, when used properly and as prescribed, can be beneficial for treating ADHD. Unfortunately, stimulants like Adderall are commonly misused.

Adderall abuse and the misuse of similar stimulants are seen in about 3. Adderall has the effect of increasing dopamine signaling in the brain. This can give a feeling of euphoria and being energized as well as the following physical effects:. It can also have the effect of suppressing appetite, which can result in eating less. People taking Adderall for ADHD may experience weight loss due to the appetite suppression side effect even if they weren't trying to lose weight.

Using the drug for another purpose is not only unwise, but it is also dangerous. When taken at higher than the prescribed dosage, Adderall can be psychologically and physically addictive.

In addition, after long-term use, some develop a tolerance, meaning that they need to take increasingly larger doses in order to get the same appetite suppression effects. As doses increase, some may also turn to other drugs to counteract other side effects, such as taking sleeping pills to offset Adderall's stimulant effect.

It is a better choice to avoid stimulants for the purpose of appetite suppression and rely on non-drug tactics for weight loss. If Adderall pills are taken as prescribed, they slowly and steadily give a therapeutic effect to the brain. When used at higher doses and when people misuse them by taking them through different routes, the effects are larger and more immediate, which is believed to increase the risk of addiction.

Loss of appetite is among the most common side effects of stimulant for ADHD. Weight loss is also quite common, as are digestive problems [3]. But why do stimulants change the way we go about eating? And what could this tell us about ADHD itself?

Appetite can arise in response to physical cues, such as an empty stomach or low blood sugar. Psychological cues can also influence our appetite; for instance, we may get hungry when we watch other people eat, or when we are bored. For most people, eating is a pleasant and rewarding activity. In the human brain, pleasure, reward, craving and, thus, appetite, have everything to do with dopamine.

More specifically, with dopamine levels in the striatum, a cluster of neurons at the very base of the forebrain. The striatum is strongly connected with the prefrontal cortex. Interestingly, ADHD also has everything to do with dopamine and the striatum. As a result, people with ADHD feel a higher urge to seek pleasant experiences, and less prefrontal control over this urge.