Adderall question

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christibam
christibam Posts: 478 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have no clue where to put this. Soooooo it's going here because I need some nutrition help.

I started back on 20 mg of Adderall today after being off it for a year. Before, I didn't really care that I had no apatite and never wanted to eat or drink anything. I figured that since I'm being all super healthy with my food now and being as I know what to eat that it wouldn't phase me as much.

I was wrong.

I looked at the clock a few minutes ago and realized it's almost 7p.m. and I haven't eaten since breakfast at like 8a.m. I'm even having trouble drinking my 3 cup glass of water that I usually drink like 15 million of every day.

I'm now going to be setting alarms on my phone to go off every two hours to remind me to eat and drink something but here comes the other problem... WTF do I eat when NOTHING (and I mean literally nothing) sounds like I want to eat it? I'm not wanting it to remain a chore to eat like it was a year ago when I was taking it but... I mean... geez.

I'm wondering if bulking up on calories would be a good idea or not. Maybe just make myself have two TBSP of peanut butter or avocado twice a day on top of whatever else I can bring myself to not get bored with eating.

Thoughts? :\

(Before someone says, "Drugs are bad, mm'kay?" I like getting straight A's; B's and C's piss me off. Also, it's nice to have a conversation with people and not have to ask what they just said 10 times or rewind a movie because I had another thought.)

Replies

  • messyinthekitchen
    messyinthekitchen Posts: 662 Member
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    I was on concerta for a while and had the same problem. Turns out I didn't have ADD but that's another story. I had to do what you did set alarms and just eat as much as I could. I ended up getting used to it after a bit. When I went off of it however I wanted to eat everything in sight.
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
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    Apparently my ADHD is SUPER bad. I had a screening test done today for the first time (I knew I had it before this though. Anyone could tell by talking to me for 2 minutes.) and the ARNP said that I fall so far into the blue category (ADHD) that it's amazing that I've never failed a class in college.

    I mean, I have stupid amounts of self discipline when it comes to writing EVERYTHING down that I need to do for assignments and I take amazing notes. But it takes about 6 hours a day just organizing everything so that I can get my **** done. Even then, it's difficult to read because my eyes go from the sentence I'm on to the words below it, to the next page, to the page number, etc.

    I feel literally broken sometimes and, I'm not trying to boast at all, but I'm a very intelligent person. I can write just fine as long as I can stay on topic (hard part) and, when I do take adderall, my reading comprehension goes back to where I can read stuff by Stephen Hawking without an issue.

    So, for me, the benefits far outweigh the down side. I just don't want my body to go into starvation mode... because I know it will eventually. :\



    p.s. I can't believe how stupid I was before when I took it that I was actually GLAD I never ate. SMH
  • didyb
    didyb Posts: 19 Member
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    :happy: I really like your idea of setting the alarm on your phone. Since nothing sounds good, why not try the same food every day? You can make a list of what you will eat, balance it out nutritionally, and then just always have the stuff around. Always have water in your backpack (or whatever bag you carry for school). I always have the same breakfast-- every day-- and never grow tired of it. I have the same lunch on days that I work-- and never grow tired of it. Make a few set "meals" and pack 'em up, and go. You'll have a balanced blood sugar, which will help with the ADHD.
    Good luck to you!
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
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    That's a great idea. There are a few things I really love that are packed with protein that I usually have every day.

    lol I was asking my Mom if she remembered if I was ever able to make myself eat like a normal person in Ohio and she said she didn't remember because I was ALWAYS at school. Then I told her everything just tastes like a shoe and she told me to chew on a shoe until I retrain my brain to like food again lmao
  • hollyeverhart
    hollyeverhart Posts: 397 Member
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    I have been taking adderall xr 20 milligrams for about 7 months now. At first I never ate... my husband had to make me eat yogurt at night because food was not appealing at the time.. But now I eat very healthy and normal. It will pass just keep eating when you know you normally would. I'm not gonna lie there are somedays where my appetite is nonexistent but I still get my 1200 calories somehow. I lost 13 pounds in about a month and a half when I started taking adderall and I kept it off so I am happy about that at least! Message me or add me if you have any other questions!
  • numberscolors
    numberscolors Posts: 254
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    i have ADD and take concerta for it. concerta works slightly as an appetite suppressant, but after the first few weeks of being on it, my appetite returned to normal. my body just had to adjust to it a bit. ALTHOUGH, when i took adderall, the thought of food made me feel nauseous... until it wore off at night and i was ravenous! i was on a really low dose too.

    i would suggest waiting it out a couple weeks to give your body time to get used to the medication. consider taking multivitamins and eat a big meal first thing in the morning before you take your adderall. the food in your stomach might slow the absorption of the adderall, diminishing the intensity of the side effects.

    if that doesn't work, consider talking to your doctor about lowering the dose or trying a different medication. concerta has been great for me. it's a stimulant like adderall, but i tolerate it much better! there are also non-stimulant options available like strattera.

    good luck and definitely talk to your doc! :)
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
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    Well that's good to know that it should pass. I was on it for a month, then stopped and then took it for two months early last year. I didn't really have time to adjust then I guess.

    Edit* I did mention my past issues with my eating disorders to the nurse today and she said to keep an eye on that. I'm seeing my ED therapist tomorrow and I'll talk to him about this too.

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