Hey, question to all of the knowledgeable people out there. I just learned about stimulants in one of my classes; Aside from the appetite change caused by adderall, is it likely that weight loss occurs/can occur from it's chemical effect as a stimulant (ie- increasing metabolic activity) so even if a person's appetite wasn't effected, it is possible to experience weight loss because of the metabolic effect?

thanks!

This is my experience-I started taking stimulants during June, 2004. I was in a very high stress, intense education program. In 1994, I started taking SSRI's, prozac, zoloft, effexor-whatever the doc prescribed when one didn't work that well. During the first 2 years of treatment, I gained over 50 pounds-meds, depression, fibromyalgia, hysterectomy-can't link an absolute cause, but SSRI's and depression can cause significant weight gain and sometimes hysterectomy. My normal weight beforethis was about 125-135-I am 5'7". It was depressing to reach 190 pounds especially since my sister is quite obese-but most of the family is on the thin side.

Sooooo-when I started teaching and taking stims-ritalin and now on larger doses, I lost 45 pounds in the past two years. I think several things contributed to this.

I rarely sit down when teaching-get more than 10,000 steps in during school day.
My first year of teaching was totally off the stress chart-and I was undermedicated
The weight dropped slowly-about 20-25 pounds each year
Second year of teaching was great until the last 3 months (another story) and super high stress-stim dosage increased-but no real change in weight.
Since stopping the SSRI's and switching to Wellbutrin, I have lost about 5 more pounds.
I am not regaining the weight!!!!
I have seen my appetite improve some-but never have been a big eater.
I don't want to be so skinny again after seeing old pictures, nothing but bones and big hair-and want to maintain my weight at the 140-150 range and it is staying there as of now! I really think the stims helped jump start the weight loss, but the increase in physical activity, and especially stress were also major contributors.

If you want to lose weight, don't depend on the stims-many people on the forum mention that they weigh more than they would like to so it probably depends on more factors than what meds you are on. The biggest problem is when children lose their appetite and don't consume enough nutrients to grown at their normal rate. This is documented-a google will give you the info. If anyone knows of any studies of weight-loss in adults taking stims, we would all be interested.

RADD-an anecdotal story, but I need to buy new pants because the one's I bought 10 months ago are 1-2 sizes too big!

possible to experience weight loss because of the metabolic effect?Good question. Yes it's certainlly possible.

For me, I do not think they ever really did that. I did experience some weight loss in the first few years due to the anorectic effect, but I guess after 16 years of taking prescription stimulants I have gotten quite tolerant to that side effect.

Even when I lost a little weight early on, it was not really significant.

The increase in metabolic activity is very minor; I'd guess about 3% at a theraputic dosage. In studies, the vast majority of the weight loss was due to the anorectic effect alone.

this must vary a lot for different people? .. i've been forcing myself to eat a lot, but have lost somewhere around 15 in under a month and thus am trying to eat even more to not lose much more (granted, the first week i didn't eat much and lost most of it then) ... i was assuming it was metabolic changes? but perhaps not? ... but maybe it's stress ... the studies mentioned here really only found a minimal metabolic effect? does anyone have references for those? i'd be really curious to read more.

OK guys...Here are some answers for you curious types---Based on extensively researching this drug, I found a number of things that DO point to it causing weight loss beyond appetite suppression. First off, drugs that increase the amount of norepinephrine in the brain cause glycolysis--which, essentially the use of stored carbohydrates in the muscles for use as energy. Also, amphetamines are beta-1 adrenergic agonists--these prevent the reuptake of norepinephrine in the brain and are direct cause fat lipolysis (release of fatty acids) due to their effect in increasing the heart rate and cardiac output of the individual.

Norepinephrine is the key in all of this. It plays a large role in attention and focus (hence why it is helps people with ADHD)...Its the main catecholamine that Adderall effects (Adderall has very little effect on the other catecholamines--epinephrine, serotonine or dopamine.)

So, basically, YES, Adderall, or any drug that has the potential to hold more norepinephrine in the brain and/or increase heart rate/blood pressure *can* cause the body to use more energy and thus provide weight loss. Everyones bodies are different, and each person adapts differently. But, in technical-scientific terms, Adderall does have the potential to stimulate weight loss beyond simply decreasing ones appetite.

Hope this helps you out a bit. :)

And and personally, at 5'9, and 125 lbs before starting Adderall last April, I was already underweight and didnt have much to loose. I did loose about 5 lbs though, even though experiencing barely any appetite supression whatsoever. I only take 10mg or 20mg/day...with many breaks for drug holidays...

whooaa Justin! thanks for the explanation. We learned all about that stuff in the class that prompted this question, so I was able to string it together piece by piece (though it took a while to make sense of it haha) I tired looking up some info on PubMed but couldnt find much; where did you find the research? Thanks again!