Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know that Dexedrine is working wonderfully for me. 10/10 versus Adderall, which is junk in comparison :cool:

Anyway, I'm not very educated on the subject of hypoglycemia but from what I gather it is an effect of not eating enough and blood sugar levels dropping. My family has an extremely bad tendency to be hypoglycemic. My mother cannot drink soda's or eat sweets due to the rebound effect it gives her. I am beginning to show the same tendencies, and if I don't eat at least a little bit every couple hours on days without my meds I get extremely light headed/nauseous/shaky. This is not a problem when I dont take my meds of course because I eat like a horse.

Now I know the answer here is "just munch down on something when you take your dex", and I do. The problem is that I literally have to eat every 15-30 minutes or so when I take Dex to avoid this hypoglycemic feeling, versus every two hours or so when I don't. I feel like I am constantly stuffing food down my throat to keep from feeling shaky, despite eating a balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I am not overweight, nor underweight. I am 160 lbs and 5'11'' and generally eat well (bananas, spaghetti, roast beef sandwiches, salads etc.) but I just seem to get this hypoglycemic feeling MUCH faster and more often on days that I take my meds. The onset is almost instantaneous, one minute I feel fine and the next I feel weak and sick, so I go to the kitchen and grab some more food and it only tides me over for about half an hour.

It is extremely annoying to say the least, and even last night I ate a huge meal of steak, chili and all the fixings and before I went to bed I found myself at the refrigerator again ~ 2 hours later.

Even when I was going through growth spurts I never ate this much, nor this often. I didn't find hypoglycemia bothered me until recently, actually.

Anyone else have experience with this?

I'm in the same boat, looking for answers.

Amphetamines by nature of what they do increase the metabolic rate, heart rate, attention, awareness, etc... which would explain why you are burning through glucose levels much faster.

If you don't want to be eating every 2 hours then you could use glucose tablets or hard candy. You also might want to consult an Endocrinologist if the problems persist.

J

Eating high fibre foods at every meal will help level out your blood sugar levels. The fibre ensures the sugar is released more slowly and consistently then simple carbohydrates. There's a reason they say oatmeal sticks to your bones :)

Most diets don't come anywhere near the recommended 25 grams of fibre, even if they do outwardly appear to be balanced. If you increase your fibre make sure you increase your water otherwise you'll be very constipated! Also, before you start to eat first have something to drink. It's easy to confuse thirst and hunger, and satiate thirst by eating.

Also, increase your protein intake. An easy way to do that is simply having a large glass of skim milk with your snacks or meals. If you need a snack, go for the cheese or plain yoghurt or meat.

Many doctors recommend four smaller meals a day, rather than one small (breakfast), one larger then the largest at the end of the day. Some people reverse the order. Experiment to see which feels best for you.

Note glycemic (http://www.glycemicindex.ca/glycemicindexfoods.pdf) indexes of different foods. Bananas are a fruit that is metabolized quickly so they'll cause a quicker spike then drop in your insulin levels. How something is cooked makes a difference as well e.g al dente pasta has a lower glycemic value than overcooked. Always be aware of hidden sources of sugar and avoid them. Eating white bread is almost the same as candy :(

It may difficult, but consider removing all sugar from your diet for a good period of time (a month at the minimum). Your tastes will change as may your appetite.

If you keep finding the same problem, book an appointment with your doctor.

I have been hypoglycemic for years (not on an ADD med yet, but considering Dexedrine). What I understand and what works for me is not eating any sweeteners. No sugar, no honey, no maple syrup, etc. I use a bit of rice syrup, stevia, and natural fruit as replacements. Eat whole grains and complete carbs/proteins. Quick sugars get burned up too quickly, (maybe more so with a stimulant?) and then you crash and need to eat again...

Don't stimulants (sympathomimetic drugs) affect various sympathetic hormones and neurotransmitters?

e.g. Stress hormones can affect BS, iirc.

But I *think* they tend to drive it UP, not down.

Or maybe people are not eating enuf on their meds (most people on stimulants seem to drop weight/meals.)

Talk to your doc?

Dextroamphetamine -> stress response -> cortisol released -> increased blood sugar