Am I missing something in the macro-view of all this … Adderall (and other stimulants) prescribed for ADD/HD have the opposite effect, i.e., helping the ADD-er harness scattered attention and quieting the need to keep moving and easing agitation?

If used by non-ADD/HD, Adderall will have the typical stimulant effect, with souped up energy, discordant thinking, anxiety … and weight loss. Appetite/weight should not be a significant issue in a correctly diagnosed patient? Did I get that right?

If yes, then the focus of concern needs to be redirected to the diagnostic process: Give stronger definitions of symptoms, do proper testing by qualified professionals to narrow the gap between subjective conclusions and objective evaluations, and exercise more diligence in tracking down the sources of the prescriptions being passed out for … how shall I say this? … “off-label use.”

Abuse by people who are using it as a “beauty aid” is a whole separate issue. Abuse of stimulants for weight loss has been around since Ritalin and Dexadrine were born.

To stir it together with evaluating the effects of legitimate medical use is as nutty as looking at abuse of thyroid meds for energy and Mr. America muscles in the same light as watching thyroid patients for side effects.

June Stevens at UNC finds use of Adderall for weight loss “particularly troubling.” Excuse me? It’s a life-threatening state of affairs. It took years for the FDA to finally get Ma juang/ephedra out of “dietary supplements,” but she finds Adderall abuse troubling? I don’t get it.

I agree. People who are driven by a need to lose weight had a problem long before they swallowed the little blue pills.

The societal attack against Adderall and other amphetamines is quite disturbing. Amphetamines have been used for over 60 years to treat ADD and ADHD as well as to treat weight problems. These drugs, when used responsibly are miraculous. People who have struggled with weight issues are able to keep their excess weight off and people with attention difficulties are enabled to accomplish their goals with this drug. The ignorance concerning amphetamines including methamphetamine, dextroamphetamine, levoamphetamine, etc. is unacceptable and people who use these drugs for their proper use are feeling marginalized. I have ADHD and used to have weight problems and Adderall has proven to be a miracle drug for me. When I was 9 years old I started drinking coffee to control my symptoms, and by the time I was in high school I was drinking 2 pots of coffee a day. I did not know that I had ADHD, and the stigma of using a drug such as Adderall scared me incredibly. Finally, when I was in college and I started using this drug, my world cleared up, and I was finally able to think. I am now a neuroscientist, and I study amphetamine compounds. Amphetamine is only dangerous in amounts that are equal to taking about 45X the prescribed dose. The difference between adderall (which is dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine) and methamphetamine is in the functional group attached to the amphetamine molecule. Methamphetamine is more lipid soluble due to the methyl- group attached to the amphetamine, which means it has much better access to the brain compared to adderall. However, methamphetamine is a useful and beneficial medication for some people. The real moral of the story is that there is no such thing as a safe drug (this goes for ANY drug), just safe dosages. Anything that is abused has the potential to cause harm, whether it be alcohol, marijuana, information, influence, or amphetamine compounds.

I don’t usually comment to a blog but I liked your post therefore I felt forced to do so. Straying away from the subject slightly, what do you think concerning walking? It is generally being put forward as the best exercise to burn fat.

Thank you for discussing this alarming problem. The more people talk about it, the better.

so does it make you loose weight?

Well i’m not a doctor but it’s so obvious that this is going wrong direction… a medicine intended for something ends up taken for totally different purpose. How can that be? The celebrities are not even thinking that Adderall can have far serious side effects in the long run. Well all i can do is just shake head and watch in disbelief how uneducated we humans, sometimes can be.

Regards,
Robert

Hmm … a drug that was designed for one purpose, but is being used to treat another purpose?? Sounds familiar … can you say “VIAGRA”???

Yes, folks, Viagra was originally prescribed for cardiac purposes … but now every guy who thinks that he has erectile dysfunction (or some idiot who wants a never ending erection) takes the magical blue pill. It’s only because this society is so male dominated that it’s okay.

Like someone mentioned above … there are side effects and ill use to almost every drug.

I don’t get it, they take anti-depressant drugs and market them to young “rising stars” who need to keep their weight down? Have you ever heard of exercise or not eating. How about taking some responsibility here and call a spade a spade. These are addictive drugs!