Weight loss on Adderall: Is it safe?

Table of Contents

Adderall is a prescription drug used primarily in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) and narcolepsy. It contains two stimulants called amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. These stimulants affect chemicals in the brain resulting in a loss in appetite as a side effect.

This side effect is what gave rise to its use as a weight loss and anti-binge eating medication.

In this article we’ll take a look at weight loss on Adderall, the drug’s effect on your body, and why it affects your weight, plus a comparison of this drug and two other similar medications namely Vyvanse and Wellbutrin.

The side effects of Adderall.

Adderall is a prescription drug which means it’s not expected to be used unless prescribed by your doctor. The therapeutic effects of the drug build up gradually when taken as prescribed.

It’s often on an abuse of the drug the side effects manifest and these may include:

• Loss of hair,
• Tachycardia,
• Nervousness,
• Insomnia,
• Low sex drive,
• Depression,
• Loss of hair,
• Increased blood pressure,
• Palpitations,
• Stomach ache,
• Dryness of mouth,
• Changes in personality,
• Blurred vision,
• liver toxicity or damage,¹
• Slowed growth in children,
• Reduced body mass index in children: Studies have found that this reverses later in life. The kids who once had to take Adderall which led to a drop in their body mass index (BMI) went on to have higher BMI than their peers who didn’t take the drug.²
• Anorexia: this point is the exact reason for the abuse of the drug in meeting weight loss objectives and control of binge eating.

When the drug is taken with certain medications, a condition called serotonin syndrome may result. This should serve as an additional reason why it shouldn’t be taken without a prescription. Serotonin syndrome is characterized by fever, nausea, hallucinations, stiff muscles, and even coma.

As a central nervous system(CNS) stimulant your body’s tolerance to the drug could result when used outside prescription. What this means is that the effects of the drug wear off at the present dose you were consuming.

When this happens, you’ll have to take higher doses to feel the effects. This inadvertently leads to undesirable side effects. Abuse of this drug is known to be common among teenagers.³

Apart from weight loss needs and anti-binge eating, there are other reasons for the abuse of the drug. People are known to take the drug for improved energy. Students are notable among those engaged in the abuse of the drug.⁴ Back in my days at the university, students abused it for memory enhancement in the hope of boosting academic performance which often resulted in mental disorders.

Why would people subject themselves to substance abuse disorders when a little bit of daily coffee could’ve taken care of such physical and mental needs? I take just one small sachet of 1.5g of coffee daily which contains a little above 50mg (much less than 25% of daily value) of caffeine and it keeps me going all day.

1.5g sachet of Nescafe coffee — 1.5g coffee sachet

The simple reason for weight loss on Adderall.

The reason why Adderall could trigger weight loss in users isn’t far-fetched. This is due to its ability to substantially reduce your appetite for food. One word for the mechanism that makes it possible is Anorexia which medically is often associated with the presence of a disease.

With the lack of appetite for food, you typically will start eating much less food and by extension fewer daily calories. When your daily caloric intake is less than your daily need your body will start making use of its energy stores to make up the difference.

When this situation is sustained over time gradual weight loss results. The reverse is usually the case if you were to consume more calories than your daily requirement. The excess caloric intake undergoes a physiological conversion that enables its storage in the body for future use.

Reduced appetite also helps to control binge eating and that’s another reason why Adderall is sought after outside of prescription and recommended medical usage.

None of these is a recommended use of Adderall though your doctor can prescribe it off-label for these purposes when he deems it necessary. However, you must stick to the prescription and the duration of usage to avoid undesirable consequences.

Apart from the loss of appetite, other side effects of Adderall that contribute to its weight loss effects include stomach upset and diarrhea.

A capsule of Adderall
Credit: Twirligig under CC

Dangers on the use of Adderall.

Perhaps one reason you must avoid the use of Adderall for purposes outside the approved usage is the possible dangers associated with its use.

1. Death: The drug could result in sudden death. If the rest of the reasons given below can’t deter you from abusing it this one should make you think twice.

2. Addiction: The drug can be addictive. It can increase dopamine signaling in the brain thereby making you feel good and energized. Unfortunately, studies have revealed more people take it for this purpose than for weight loss.

This is similar to the effect of a couple of other addictive drugs out there and as a result just about as addictive as them.

3. Cardiac problems:⁵ It’s particularly not safe for people with cardiac (heart) conditions or at risk of developing them.

Weight loss Adderall vs. Vyvanse.

These are two drugs with quite different chemical compositions but very similar effects on the body.

Whereas Adderall consists of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, Vyvanse is composed of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate which is a type of sympathomimetic amine.

They are both used for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) and can result in weight loss as a side effect. Vyvanse⁶ can lead to quite similar side effects as Adderall including addiction

Below are some of the differences between both drugs.

	Adderall	Vyvanse
Composition.	Amphetamine plus dextroamphetamine.	Lisdexamfetamine dymesylate.
Time of approval.	1996.	2007.
Duration of action.	4-6hrs. 12 hours for extended-release.	14 hours.
Availability.	Widely available.	Less available.
Rate of abuse.	More likely.	Less likely.
Generic version	Has.	Doesn’t have.

Above all, it’s important to state at this point that taking both drugs together as some people do will increase your risk of coming down with the listed side effects.

Weight loss with Adderall and Wellbutrin.

Wellbutrin tablets.
Credit: Credit: Сергей Фатеев under CC

Wellbutrin is an aminoketone antidepressant. Its generic name is Bupropion and has found additional use in helping smoking addicts quit through the reduction in cravings and the undesirable effects of withdrawal. This is particularly important for women who are known to find it more difficult to quit than their male counterparts.⁷

It also has some effects in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) but hasn’t been approved for this purpose.

However, for a depressed patient who also has ADHD, Wellbutrin could be administered if the patient for any reason couldn’t tolerate the use of Adderall though it isn’t as effective as the latter. This decision lies with your doctor who is conversant with your medical history and any other drugs you may be taking.

Though Adderall and Wellbutrin have similar effects⁸ on the body, they fall into quite different classes of drugs so can’t be reasonably compared. That said, the combined effect of taking them together may pose some serious health concerns such as:

Liver damage: People with a history of liver issues are to proceed with the use of either drug with caution. Since both individually possess the capacity for liver toxicity and damage, a combination of both drugs poses an even increased risk of liver damage.

Malnourishment: Whereas most other antidepressants could see you add some weight, Wellbutrin stands out as about the only one that has been associated with a drop in weight.⁹ Adderall has a significant effect on weight loss.

Combining these two medications could lead to such drastic weight loss that the patient could become malnourished. Usually, you are considered to be malnourished when your BMI drops well below 21.

Seizures: Among all antidepressants, Wellbutrin places you at a couple of times greater chances of having seizures. In combination with Adderall, the risk rises so much higher, that someone that may never have had seizures from taking either drug could have one by taking both.

Severe cardiac complications: Wellbutrin may not be quite safe for people with certain types of heart diseases. Adderall also has some effects on the heart which when combined with Wellbutrin could result in very serious problems including a heart attack.

Keep in touch by signing up for our newsletter.

Conclusion.

Weight loss and physical fitness can be very easy to achieve if you are determined. The strategy isn’t rocket science either. You don’t have to put your health at risk by going after drugs that could result in life-threatening conditions.

I can assure you, not just as an experienced healthcare provider but as someone who had dropped about 20 pounds of own weight over weeks this year. Furthermore, I did it lazily but without drugs. Below is my story.

I have a family history of type 2 diabetes so have been careful not to come down with the disease. I’ve had my blood sugar under tight control by cutting down on carbs.

Over time I may have become a bit careless with my meals without even realizing it. There came a day when I was trying to trim my toenails. They were so tough I mistakenly cut myself while trying to apply a little bit more force.

The injured toe started bleeding. Ordinarily, I was supposed to clean the blood but something struck my mind. Why allow all this blood to waste when I could use it to run a few tests on myself? My glucometer was handy so I picked it to check for my random blood sugar.

I did and the result was nothing to be happy about. I was in the prediabetic range once again and was angry with myself for allowing it to happen. There are many things people take to help with their blood sugar control efforts but what works best for me is the combination of cucumber and peanuts¹⁰ and I love the taste of the combo.

Cucumber and peanuts have a low glycemic index and glycemic load such that you could literally eat so much of them without experiencing a spike in blood sugar. Click To Tweet

What I do is reduce my portion sizes and make up for it with cucumber and peanuts. The less carb in your meal, the lower your post-prandial sugar level. This expectedly results in lower blood sugar levels generally.

There are times I take a boiled egg with cucumber and peanuts for dinner. There are also times when it doesn’t feel like I’ve eaten anything after a meal and for a sense of satisfaction I simply take my cucumber with peanuts.

This has not only been effective in blood sugar control but weight loss as well. Before embarking on it my body mass index(BMI) indicated I was overweight but right now I have quite a normal body weight after shedding nearly 20 pounds. I feel lighter, healthier, and more agile.

It wasn’t even that I was exercising during the period because most times I’m either right here with you or elsewhere on the internet. Imagine if I had combined that passive diet-based effort with exercise. I definitely would have burned a lot more calories, which would’ve resulted in greater weight loss.

My point is this, why would you put your life at risk by taking drugs to do something you could conveniently achieve with diet and exercise? That should serve as food for thought.

You may also be interested in knowing an effective weight-loss exercise¹¹ and fruit that helps burn fats¹²