so not hungry on concerta- help!

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tori_anne
tori_anne Posts: 28
in Health and Weight Loss
So,
I just started taking Concerta (basically long-acting ritalin) to treat my depression and lethargy, but one of the side effects (which I've already experienced) is a lack of appetite and weight loss. I am about 110 pounds and 5'6" with a body fat percentage of around 11% and obviously do not lose weight. When I've self-medicated for depression on adderall (don't lecture, i KNOW it's terrible) I've lost copious amounts of weight. I also have a history of an eating disorder in the past that starts from me eating less than usual amounts and gradually decreasing. Does anyone know of foods that would be easy for me to eat that are high in calories? I also can''t eat any kind of meat or fish as well because i'm a vegetarian- I've never eaten meat and am not about to start (plus, my whole family is).

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  • sfulle12
    sfulle12 Posts: 2
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    Cliff bars are great! They have lots of nutrients and protein and they are really tasty. The calories are good calories and they don't make you feel overly full. Good for you for trying to prevent relapse!
  • khskr1
    khskr1 Posts: 392
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    I agree..cliff bars are great! Also think about beans...I made a big batch of hummus last night so you could do that. It's higher in calories and will give you the protein your body needs. Remember that your body is your vehicle to move you through life. You need to fuel it just like you do your car! :) Good luck!
  • pattitricia85
    pattitricia85 Posts: 376
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    Avocados are great, chop them up in a salad, or mash make guacamole w/ them. Also, try using olive oil whenever you can. And for snacks try making yourself a half peanut butter jelly sandwich. If you eat eggs, you can hard boil and have those too!
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    I've got a good veggie chili recipe. It's very healthy, high calorie for the entire meal (will feed your family), and yummy. If you don't mind a lot of chopping, it's pretty easy.

    My awesome Harvest Home Veggie Chili:
    Ingredients:
    rainbow bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, and green, 1 each)
    2 zucchini
    1 yellow squash
    4 potatoes
    1 can kidney beans, rinsed
    1 can corn
    1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use the chipotle chili flavor for extra heat)
    1 can Hunt's spicy spaghetti sauce

    Bring large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile chop/dice/cube/slice potatoes, squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. Throw in pot, add kidney beans. Allow to boil until potatoes are soft. Drain, return to pot. Add corn, diced tomatoes, and sauce, cook until warm. Top with cheddar, sour cream, salsa, and all your favorite chili fixins. Serve with tortilla chips or corn bread. Browned, drained ground beef may be added to recipe if desired.

    Just had another idea. Buy an extra bell pepper & stuff it with any leftovers from the above recipe. Bake for 15-30 mins at 350. YUM!
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    Not wanting to offend anyone. :flowerforyou:

    I thought Concerta was for ADD/ADHD? why not try a anti-depressant? Just curious because my son has been on Ritalin then Concerta for years and when it wears (sp) off. He eats like a horse and makes up for whatever appetite was suppressed during the day. :laugh: If it wasn't for it I think he would be obese by now.

    Maybe you should take it really early in the day.

    I'm going to look into concerta for depression, because I suffer through it :sad:

    Anyway, protein shakes are a great way to gain when you take them and not exercise. So I've heard.

    Best of Luck :flowerforyou:
  • kaytbognar
    kaytbognar Posts: 249
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    Try finding foods high in good fats and nutrients. Avocados, coconut, other nuts and seeds are good examples, you can throw them in a salad and up your calorie intake.

    Vega whole food health optimizer is a good, plant based high protein shake that also provides tons of nutrients and is geared towards plant-based diets (veggies, vegans) -- you can find more info here: http://sequelnaturals.com/vega
  • tori_anne
    tori_anne Posts: 28
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    That chili sounds SO good, and i'm in love with avocados.

    And spicy, Concerta was originally used for ADD/ADHD, but it is also used as a SUPPLEMENT, not usually a treatment, for depression. I'm bipolar 2 so I'm also on a mood stabilizer and small dose of anti-psychotic, but the medicines I was on, although great for controlling my mood, were making my attention span basically reduced to null, I was lethargic, I couldn't remember basically anything and so I was really depressed. I never had the symptoms of ADD before I went on the drugs (in fact when I had full psychiatric testing my concentration was off the charts so ADD was immediately crossed off the list) but now I meet a lot of the criteria.

    Your psychiatrist would probably only recommend concerta as a supplement to other mood stabilizers or anti depressants, and only if you show some symptoms of ADD.

    First day of concerta and I feel fantastic though! All that dopamine and serotonin, yay.
    I'm kind of reluctant to go off it no matter how badly the eating goes because of how happy I feel and how well I'm concentrating.
  • tori_anne
    tori_anne Posts: 28
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    Haha, everyone is telling me to buy lots of chocolate milkshakes...
    Unfortunately concerta is also a diuretic so I've been drinking lots of Koolaid (I know, so much sugar, but I've been addicted to weakly-made Koolaid since I was like, 5 years old).
  • pattitricia85
    pattitricia85 Posts: 376
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    oh and by the way.. tori you are beautiful! Have you done modeling? I only ask b/c my sister is a model and travels all over the world. Some of your pics look like you have had experience in the industry, your look is very international
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
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    And spicy, Concerta was originally used for ADD/ADHD, but it is also used as a SUPPLEMENT, not usually a treatment, for depression. I'm bipolar 2 so I'm also on a mood stabilizer and small dose of anti-psychotic, but the medicines I was on, although great for controlling my mood, were making my attention span basically reduced to null, I was lethargic, I couldn't remember basically anything and so I was really depressed. I never had the symptoms of ADD before I went on the drugs (in fact when I had full psychiatric testing my concentration was off the charts so ADD was immediately crossed off the list) but now I meet a lot of the criteria.

    Your psychiatrist would probably only recommend concerta as a supplement to other mood stabilizers or anti depressants, and only if you show some symptoms of ADD.

    I can empathize with you. My husband was recently diagnosed with ADHD and PDD, and is taking Concerta during the days, and Risperdone and Zopiclone at nights to take him down from his Concerta 'high'. He has no appetite, and I have a hard time getting him to eat. This thread will be helpful for me, too- so thank you!
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    When my Dad was very ill and not able to eat much, they made him drink Ensure. It has lots of nutrients in it and has calories too
  • sunshine1973
    sunshine1973 Posts: 8
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    i take 72mg of concerta.. i eat in the morning before i take it. then I have to muster up the stomach to eat something at lunch.. i usually get something to snack on .. fruit or veggies and lots and lots of water.. by the time i get home i am ready to eat a good meal. There are times that it has me so focused that I forget to eat. I have to set up a reminder on my computer at work to tell me to eat something.

    if you feel that you can drink liquids.. try protein shakes.. its has its benefits. I had gastri bypass surgery and so it is imperative that I eat SOMETHING. and that means even drinking my lunch.

    Hope this helps..
  • rogers8702
    rogers8702 Posts: 533 Member
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    good ole Peanut Butter and Jelly. anything with peanut butter is filling and loaded. most football players and wrestlers in high schoole eat peanut butter to keep there weight class.
  • sunshine1973
    sunshine1973 Posts: 8
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    concerta if alot of people didnt know.. as I have just found out is a form of ritalin. I was really shocked. its the dosage that makes it different in how it acts. I am bipolar II, I also take trileptal 900 mg.. but the concerta is the one that i find to be very helpful especially when I am in school.

    anti depressants have a different affect on everybody and nutrient defiency can play a part to that as well.
  • MadWorld
    MadWorld Posts: 200
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    Ensure or Boost are great ways to get extra cals in.

    As for the concerta, most psychs won't prescribe it unless you have true add/adhd. Some will, of course... but, in all honesty to those of you who are bipolar, be careful as it can cause major mood swings, making things worse. Unfortunately, many of the antipsychotics cause symptoms of add/adhd and even bipolar alone can closely resemble add/adhd.

    I'm not telling anyone to take it or not take it. Your psych knows your history... just giving you a heads up (for those that don't already know).

    I've been on ritalin for "add/adhd" but, quickly took myself off bc it made my bipolar mood swings way worse. I was really mean on it.... even the smallest dose. Plus, it's so easy to abuse and highly addictive.

    Just be careful. Hope I'm not offending anyone here-- just don't want anyone to have to go through the hell methylphenidates put me through.
  • tori_anne
    tori_anne Posts: 28
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    Ensure or Boost are great ways to get extra cals in.

    As for the concerta, most psychs won't prescribe it unless you have true add/adhd. Some will, of course... but, in all honesty to those of you who are bipolar, be careful as it can cause major mood swings, making things worse. Unfortunately, many of the antipsychotics cause symptoms of add/adhd and even bipolar alone can closely resemble add/adhd.

    I'm not telling anyone to take it or not take it. Your psych knows your history... just giving you a heads up (for those that don't already know).

    I've been on ritalin for "add/adhd" but, quickly took myself off bc it made my bipolar mood swings way worse. I was really mean on it.... even the smallest dose. Plus, it's so easy to abuse and highly addictive.

    Just be careful. Hope I'm not offending anyone here-- just don't want anyone to have to go through the hell methylphenidates put me through.

    I actually knew that Concerta causes manic and mixed swings in bipolar, but that's mostly in bipolar 1- I have bipolar 2, so even if I switched to hypomanic, it's.. not really not detrimental at all for me to be hypomanic. The only thing i have to watch out for is panic attacks. Adderall XR and Adderall both gave me panic attacks (I have panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder as well) but with Concerta I've been fine so far! and no hypomania. It's actually calmed me down but made me more alert. Like all meds, it's probably different for every person..

    Thanks for all the ideas guys!
    I tried some naked juice with protein... but that tasted like a meal in a bottle and was hard to get down. I'm going to try fake chicken noodle soup...
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
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    As for the concerta, most psychs won't prescribe it unless you have true add/adhd. Some will, of course... but, in all honesty to those of you who are bipolar, be careful as it can cause major mood swings, making things worse. Unfortunately, many of the antipsychotics cause symptoms of add/adhd and even bipolar alone can closely resemble add/adhd.

    Gosh, you can say that again. My husband isn't bipolar, but when he takes concerta... ick. It's fine if he's at work and has somewhere to channel his energy. But he can't take it on weekends because if he's at home and there's nothing for him to do, he starts acting like a caged animal and gets MEAN. It's really not pretty....

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