Why aren't "weight loss pills" working for me?

ahowe07
ahowe07 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I have ADHD for which I've taken Adderall for almost 15 years. It was giving me stomach pain so I switched to ritalin. THEN I started to take wellbutrin to quit smoking. It also turns out that the dull discontent feeling has gone away so I think I'm gonna stick with it. Both of these pills have been shown to cause weight loss in users.... why aren't they causing weight loss in me? Is it because of being on Adderall for so long?

I had surgery and gained some weight I can't get it off and my post workout appetite is out of control.
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Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Speak to your Doctor
  • moviestarsara
    moviestarsara Posts: 66
    I believe that a decreased appetite is a SIDE EFFECT of some of the medication you listed. This particular side effect can result in weight loss. Side effects vary for everyone.

    Also, don't depend on any medication to help you lose. Eat at a deficit. Then you will lose.
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    because you are eating too much.
  • ahowe07
    ahowe07 Posts: 12
    I've never had weight problems until my surgery. I am an active person and I had to take 6 weeks off. Now that I'm back working out I feel like a beginner and I cannot control my post workout hunger.
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
    Why does it matter? If you want to get healthy then you shouldn't be focused on whether or not pills are not helping you lose weight. You need to develop healthy habits and stick to them.
  • ccf_trainer
    ccf_trainer Posts: 86 Member
    All you are doing is damaging your digestive system, and not to mention raising your blood pressure. If you are still using them, I advise you to stop using them, and you should see a doctor. I am a personal trainer and health coach, and weight loss pills (or diet pills, if you will) are the LAST thing I would recommend. Instead, focus on the nutrition. Good nutrition will help you. Diet pills are not a good strategy, and the results you see from others who have claimed to use them are not always the truth.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Everyone I know who takes Adderall says it makes them have no appetite. So that is why people lose weight. However, going all day without eating because you have no appetite isn't the right way to lose weight.

    The most common side effects of Wellbutrin are weight loss, dry mouth, nausea, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, sore throat. Just because weight loss is a side effect doesn't mean YOU are going to lose weight. Some people lose weight, others don't.

    The real reason you aren't losing weight is because you consume more calories than you expend.
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,363 Member
    1. You only have 8 pounds to lose, so that makes for a slower loss.
    2. We can't see your diary, so we don't know how much you are eating.
    3. If you really are ADHD, the drugs you are taking have a "paradoxical" effect. That is why stimulants like Ritalin calm down people with hyperactivity and would send someone like me flying instead.
  • moviestarsara
    moviestarsara Posts: 66

    All you are doing is damaging your digestive system, and not to mention raising your blood pressure. If you are still using them, I advise you to stop using them, and you should see a doctor. I am a personal trainer and health coach, and weight loss pills (or diet pills, if you will) are the LAST thing I would recommend. Instead, focus on the nutrition. Good nutrition will help you. Diet pills are not a good strategy, and the results you see from others who have claimed to use them are not always the truth.
    I don't ever understand what the point of saying that is. Do you think it gives you more credibility?????

    The best part is that OP is not even taking diet pills.
  • ahowe07
    ahowe07 Posts: 12
    Thank you all for your replies and your concern. These pills are vital to me. I don't even have the capability to drive safely without my ADHD pills, plus I need it for school. I tried to go off of it on school breaks but realized my brain was a jumbled mess. I have excellent blood pressure but a high heart rate. I just find it weird that these are side effects but aren't effecting me! I guess it's normal because all the other side effects I'm not experiencing so I guess I am not going to experience the weight loss either.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    They MAY cause weight loss in a SMALL PERCENTAGE of users. Not everyone. Not guaranteed.
  • bunnerfly
    bunnerfly Posts: 197 Member
    Everyone is different. I have ADHD and was on Concerta for a while. When my dose was too high, I was sleepy, but I dropped a ton of weight really fast. Too fast. They lowered the dose and I didn't lose weight from it.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    Speak to your Doctor

    ^
    Yes
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    The appetite suppressant effects of these drugs does wear off eventually.
  • bunnerfly
    bunnerfly Posts: 197 Member
    Also, I just wanted to add, that one of the perks I was excited about when it came to finally starting my meds was the weight loss. Is there anything wrong with that? No. I have to take them anyway, might as well look at the silver lining!

    ADHD meds are not diet pills. And diet pills should never ever ever ever ever be taken while taking meds for ADHD, especially while taking stimulant meds like methylphenidate (which is Ritalin and, in extended release form, Concerta) because most diet aids also contain stimulants.

    I know stimulants in general do not affect me the way they affect say, my boyfriend, who does not have ADHD. It's a chemical imbalance, and chemicals will cause our bodies to react different. Caffeine helps me focus. Too much caffeine makes me sleepy and chill feeling. I can drink a half pot of coffee and go right to sleep.

    Oh, and Wellbutrin did NOT function well with me. It made me feel totally whackadoo and out of control of my emotions and thoughts. So, different folks will react differently to different chemicals.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Thank you all for your replies and your concern. These pills are vital to me. I don't even have the capability to drive safely without my ADHD pills, plus I need it for school. I tried to go off of it on school breaks but realized my brain was a jumbled mess. I have excellent blood pressure but a high heart rate. I just find it weird that these are side effects but aren't effecting me! I guess it's normal because all the other side effects I'm not experiencing so I guess I am not going to experience the weight loss either.

    The increased heart rate will raise your BMR. But you are likely compensating by eating more, since you haven't lost any weight. So, no magic, sorry. You'll have to go with a good old calorie deficit, just like the rest of us. :happy:
  • bunnerfly
    bunnerfly Posts: 197 Member
    I don't even have the capability to drive safely without my ADHD pills

    On my way home from the psychiatrists office, I was so distracted by the thought of finally being diagnosed with a reason for lifetime of being called a bad kid, spaz, stupid (even though I'm not) etc that I totally didn't realize I was going 45 in a 25 and was pulled over by the military police on base. Yikes.
  • mfp2014mfp
    mfp2014mfp Posts: 689 Member
    All you are doing is damaging your digestive system, and not to mention raising your blood pressure. If you are still using them, I advise you to stop using them, and you should see a doctor. I am a personal trainer and health coach, and weight loss pills (or diet pills, if you will) are the LAST thing I would recommend. Instead, focus on the nutrition. Good nutrition will help you. Diet pills are not a good strategy, and the results you see from others who have claimed to use them are not always the truth.

    Congratulations, you just told someone with ADHD meds to stop taking their pills, maybe you should read the post, Personal Trainer & Health Coach person.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    because you are eating too much.

    ^^

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