Posted by Katalina on May 13, 2002, at 10:15:25
In reply to Adderall Weight Issue, posted by Rakken on May 10, 2002, at 22:21:01
> I have the exact same issue but I think I know what the problem is. Adderall ups the amount of adrenaline in your system and definitely ups your blood pressure. Even if you just take one dose in the morning, I have found that my heart beat really gets going in the afternoon sometimes and always goes crazy after any exercise. I too have been asked "Wow. Did you lose a lot of weight?" And have also actually been told "You looked cracked out." Eating 2000 calories a day is very difficult for someone whose appetite is suppressed. Even when the Adderall wears off it still is in your system. I find that unless you stop taking it for a day or two, you won't get complete relief of its effects. I think that Adderall's appetite suppression eventually causes the condition "Ketosis" where your body turns into a constant fat burning machine. Even when you sleep, fat,carbs,and calories are being burned. Say you manage to force yourself to eat three generally large meals in a day and you gain a few pounds. The next day you may lose those few pounds and another pound as well if you don't pack enough calories into your body. I took 20 mg Adderall in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. Recently I've cut it to just the morning dose. I also take 1 mg of Klonopin in the afternoon. It doesn't help appetite, but Adderall causes anxiety in some (me) and the Klonopin takes care of it decently. I hope to add in a morning dose of Klonopin to help moreso. Just so you know, I'm an 18 year old male ~5'10 and currently 134 lbs. Usually I weigh 129 lbs and could realistically be back to that weight tomorrow. If you want my opinion, don't take Zyprexa. It sounds like a very sketchy drug to me. I drink at least two Ensure Plus and Boost Plus shakes a day as well as trying to eat as much else as possible. And so far I have only maintained the weight (sometimes I've gained a few pounds, but often fall back if I don't eat enough one day). I'd recommend buying a weight gainer powder shake mix. They don't taste that great, but they definitely work better than Ensure Plus or Boost Plus. Boost and Ensure are aimed at the buyer who wants to "Maintain" or Gain Weight. In my and probably your case, they don't help gain anything. Don't worry about the crackhead look. It's not your fault and its correctable. You could always try as well, switching over to Dexedrine which has less blood pressure raising side effects in comparison to Adderall. I'm guessing that like me, you had a good metabolism before the Adderall (could basically eat what you want without worrying about gaining weight). Write me back and let me know what you think.
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Rakken,
Thanks so much for your post. I'm curious to know if the adderall is increasing my blood pressure. Last time I had a dr. appt. is was at 8:00 a.m. and I hadn't popped my morning dose of adderall yet. I have an appt. in 2 weeks and will take my 20 mgs. prior to going to see what the difference is.
I'm also weaning myself off of Effexor and have been eating a lot the past week. I look much better and have probably gained 3-4 lbs. I think getting off of the Effexor will also help. I lost quite a bit of weight on that before adding the Adderall. The thinness doesn't bother me as much as the vein issue. My calves have major bulging veins in them. It looks absolutely disgusting. I don't know if its phlebitis or what, but if I don't get rid of it by packing on a few more pounds I won't be able to wear shorts all summer!
I'm also leary of telling my pdoc, as the Adderall is the only thing that has ever let me participate in life as fully as I have since starting it. I tried reducing my dosage and I just felt like my old tired apathetic self. I can't bear the thought of living like that again.
Well, thanks again for your input, I'm probably going to pick up some weightgainer fuel the next time I'm at the healthfood store!
Katalina
poster:Katalina
thread:105335
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020510/msgs/106181.html