ive been on adderall for a month now... it makes me very hyper..anyways im gaining weight instead of loosing..i dont understand..anyone else havein this problem?
Adderall XR - anyone had weight gain while taking Adderall?
Question posted by fara35 on 2 May 2011
Last updated on 27 March 2024
40 Answers Page 2
Oh my God - I am SO GLAD to see these answers! I thought I was losing my mind. I have been on this drug for less than a year and have put on 20+ pounds - after initially losing 15. The only time I don't eat is when I'm asleep. (I probably dream about it, though) And I eat in a horrible way which I have never done before - if it's sweet, it's in my mouth. I can't stop eating. I'm anxious, sleep like a LOG, - none of the things my counselor told me that this drug would do for me have happened. Well - it's slowed my brain down - WAY down.
I have been taking rapid release, generic adderall for several years. Initially, I lost about 10lbs, was very energetic and able to multi-task throughout the day and actually complete all of those tasks. I was upbeat, focused and efficient. Now, the medication makes me tired and I've gained about 15lbs. I'm very petite so that is significant. My focus is gone along with efficiency, and my mood is ok at best. It's a struggle to even want to do anything. I hardly ever complete a task, even small ones. It takes me forever to do anything, including getting dressed and I'm never on time anymore. At this point, I am going to try and get off this medication. I'm worse off than before I started. Based on all of the similar responses, adderall can absolutely cause weight gain, lethargy, or any other "opposite than normal" response.
The medical community can deny it all day long, but there is measurable and verifiable proof that adderall can have the "opposite of normal" effect on a person. Just read the comments.
I am in the boat too. It is horrible.
I have gained 27 pounds in the 2 years I’ve been on Adderall. It makes me slow WAY down, unmotivated to exercise and more hungry. I am finished grad school in 2 more semesters and cannot wait to get off of this crap!
I have now gained 44 pounds
I have now gained 44 pounds
Yes. It doesn’t make sense to me either but I started it about a month ago and it gives me tons of energy to do things and I feel like I’m active all the time but I’m also hungry a lot and I’ve been gaining weight. The thing is I’m not eating anymore than I was before. I keep being told that iIt’s a stimulant so I can’t make you gain weight but that’s the only thing that I’ve changed.
First off of you have failed the generic but were successful on the brand name medications, yes ALL insurance companies have a mandatory generic policy. HOWEVER you can usually get a Prior Authorization to get the brand name medication. I would advise to go mail order if that is the case.
Now to weight gain... OMG!! I have gained 40 pounds sense being on Adderall ! I am 56 and going thru a divorce but don't eat much as a rule. (ya cheap date) I have an appointment to see my provider on Monday and we are doing a fasting panel on me first. In addition to that it has caused me dry mouth, which has led to a couple thousand dollars worth of dental work.
My experience is horrible on these meds same results with Ritalin, Vyvanse,Concerta and Adderall. None work for the amount of hours stated. As soon as it wears off the hunger is unbelievable uncontrollable , starved for anything high in sugar. Basically not hungry for a few hours but when it wears off watch out. I am gaining weight on any of the above meds all basically the same labeled and packed as time release or not. No matter what they call the product it’s making me fat when I was a thin person. I find urinating more when taking the drug; has more cons than pros. I rather be thin and not focused the trade off is not worth it to me: If you stay on these meds be ready for “fat city”!
I've been on adderall before and lost weight. So I thought it would do the same.. I gained 10 lbs in 6 mth. With horrible side effects. I stopped taking it and my dr prescribed me prozac. She said I was depressed... um I haven't taken it... I told her about the weight gain and told her I dont want to gain more weight. She told me i shouldn't with prozac... sigh... anyways when I stopped taking adderall I become super bloated and it appears my left side, hip look swollen... idk what to do. I feel so uncomfortable in my own body...
Prozac made me have an insatiable appetite while I was on it. I have heard of people losing weight while taking it, but I have also heard of many people gaining weight because of it (myself included).
I’ve definitely had the same experience and I thought it was just me...
I was previously taking 20mg generic Adderall XR and gained 10 lbs in 1 month. I noticed about an hour into taking my first dosage I would start to feel very bloated and uncomfortable (especially if I had ate prior to taking the meds). I tried everything from drinking more water, to completely changing my diet, and nothing seemed to help.
Finally, I was able to get my insurance to partially cover brand name Adderall XR, (paying $90 a month out of pocket), and wow I noticed a significant difference immediately!!!
No nausea, and no weight gain!
I am so grateful for all your answers. I finally know I’ve not lost my mind. Nor am I “just depressed” according to an unnamed physician of mine. My daughters and I have always been on the small side. Ex: my daughters 35 - 88 lbs, 30 is much taller but barely 100 lbs. I am 52 years old, always busy fostering amazing pit bulls after renting from Army. I have do many military injuries, but still pushed them military exercise routine no matter the pain. I’m not lazy!
The doctor just added Zoloft and said, I’ll be fine despite the weight gain. Well no, I am not fine with going from 112 lbs to 154 lbs. in a year!
My daughters and church family have been worrying about me. For the last year I wish I knew what was going on with me. I cannot thank you enough for saving me from this never ending depression.
My doctor prescribed 5 mg Adderall, 3x a day, and within 3 weeks, I had gained 15 lbs. When I mentioned this unexpected weight gain in a follow up visit, I was told “if your body needed it, you will gain-if you didn’t need it, you will lose”. I had never heard of such a thing before, but then, I have to admit that I didn’t know all that much about Adderall. So if that statement is correct, I suppose it explains why people use the drug for weight loss; they don’t really need it, they take the drug, then they lose weight.
Has anyone else been told something similar? I have tried to research this, and I find nothing to back up that statement about the body’s need vs weight gain.
I gained weight simply because I was eating more. Before I'd think about a burger. After taking Adderall I'd actually go out and get a burger.
About 8 years ago I was put on Adderall 30mg twice a day. But almost immediately I began to loose weight. I started to have suicidal thoughts. I ended up in the hospital where they found out that the Adderall was affecting my thyroid and that was causing alot of different issues. My Dr took me off of the Adderall right then and started me on 50mg Vyvanse. It has worked out great for me. Different things work for different people!
I think I'm having thyroid problems too from adderallxr 30mg I'm also taking Prozac 20mg. I'm eating like crazy and tired all day and the adderallxr makes inside my left ear down to the left side of my throat hurts. I feel horrible. Anxiety is through the roof. Drinking so much caffeine during the day (coffee) just to get me through the day before I crash. Idk what happened. When I first started off I felt amazing great energy losing weight getting things done now I'm lazy tired asl eating for comfort. Don't want to clean want to sleep all day but I can't. And I have toddler twins that I'm raising alone. I'm losing it. I miss how affective the meds was my first 2 months. I'm scared about this thyroid thing. Im finding bald spots in the top front of my head. I hope to find a medication that will help me be the best version of me. Not depressed and over weight and lazy. Adderall makes my sleepy.
I have gained 30lbs in the last 2 years.
Yes, I have been on Adderall XR for 5 weeks and I have gained about 5 lbs. Seems like I can't get enough to eat and I am always tired too. Dr says they never heard of it. I have had adverse reactions to different medication and this one seems like one. What causes this and wonder what I should take. I won't keep taking it if I'm going to keep gaining.
I have been taking Adderall for ADD for just over a year-I previously took a different medication. Since taking Adderall I’m tired and hungry a lot!! I take generic Adderall and am going to try non-generic to see the difference. I don’t see that it is helping my ADD at all.
Yes! My daughter is in this and I hate what it's doing to her health. She's under 18 and we moved to another state where the drs here weren't comfortable keeping her on the ADHD med, Strattera (80mg), she was on for over 5 yrs, which really worked for her. Instead they put her on 20 mg Adderall XR where she has gained about 46lbs now in under 5 months! We've brought it up to the doctor and are told "she just needs to be more active". She is no different than what she was before and has issues already (pre-diabetes,high cholesterol, etc) since she was 4-5 yrs old and we've kept up pretty good with things. The doctor then tells us "it doesn't cause weight gain but can cause weight loss so it's not the medication". I took her today for an infection to see pediatrician & spoke with them about it.
They would like to see her back on what she was on before,since it worked,and have ordered extensive labs too because with the other issues she has this can be the culprit, especially since she's done so well in almost 11 yrs and this is the only change. They also want her to see a different endocrinologist but I'm still skeptical plus I have in my head what the endocrinologist told us back where we are originally from in regards to the doctors here in certain medical fields including psychiatry & endocrinology. So far I'm finding her to be very correct & it's sad. We are in the southeastern part of the US and originally from the very northeast. Hope this helps. I would suggest also maybe keeping a food diary/log of sort as well to show them. My daughter's eating habits have not changed & she does not eat candy, etc. We rarely have any junk food in the house. I wish you the best of luck.
Related topics
adderall, adderall xr, weight loss (obesity/overweight), weight
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