Stimulant Meds and Weight Loss/Metabolism?

I was just switched today from Concerta 36mg to Vyvanse 30mg for ADHD-Combined. I don't exactly remember how much weight I lost in WHAT period of time but I was on Concerta for about 6 weeks or so, and I weighed myself one day(coincidentally because I noticed my bras fit weird lately) just because it was there on the floor and I was 120 pounds. I'm 5 foot 7 and usually sitting at about 137 pounds. Somewhere within those 6 weeks I lost 13 pounds. I know that I never got hungry on Concerta, so I didn't eat much. My entire life I've always been naturally thin, never been anywhere close to being overweight and I've also never been underweight either.

I am going to start Vyvanse tomorrow morning for the first time, and I was wondering if anyone has had weight loss problems ***when having a metabolism that is naturally fast*** on ANY stimulant medication for ADHD?

I also don't exercise a lot, if at all, and it doesn't seem to be a problem EXCEPT that I have back pain a lot which my specialist told me is due to not exercising. I'm supposed to be exercising...but I don't want to exercise when I'm already slightly underweight(in my mind, im not at a healthy weight unless I weigh 135-140 pounds, i just feel weird otherwise) and losing weight from being on the medications. I told my psychiatrist about the weight loss on Concerta, and he said "hopefully Vyvanse won't make you anorexic". Yes, he did actually say those words. My thoughts exactly. So unless Vyvanse kills my appetite, I'm virtually screwed.

So, back to my question(s), anyone out there on Stimulant medications that have trouble with exercising and weight loss with a naturally fast metabolism? Could that mean I'll lose more weight, or just that the medication will release and wear off too fast?

stimulant medications are known to either lose weight or gain weight. if you lost weight on concerta, you may also lose on vyvance, although i have no tried vyvance. I lost my appetite when on concerta though. I am 5'6 and weight 120. That is in the ok range I think. The key is to eat healthy snacks (if it is too overwhelming to eat a whole meal) that are full of protien and nutrients. Try a protein smoothie or a granola bar or a pbj.

If you have a fast metabolism (which i certainly do), the med may go through you faster, and not last as long. But it really depends. For me, I was on extended release concerta which is suposed to last 8-12hours I think, and it was gone and out in about 5 for me. Again, never tried vyvance so I can't tell you anything about that.

I was pretty over weight when my ADD was DX'd. I know the Adderall affected my appetite at first, quite a bit. I think my body adjusted to the Adderall and I have had to keep my walking up and control my portions. I believe I self medicated with food all of my life, so maybe I'm not the best to give advise here. I lost about 90 lbs and have maintained the weight for two and a half years.

I don't think the Adderall stops me from eating... Like posted above, I snack on peanuts when I don't feel like a full meal.

Ohh. Yeah I tried Concerta first and felt like it wore off a little too soon somedays. I try to eat even if i dont feel hungry because I know that i need to, but my brain just doesn't like the thought of feeling full. I haven't tried snacking on nut, I have been snacking on cheese lately though. I always tend to get really hungry at night, tonight for example I'm hungry right now, and the past 3 or 4 nights I was hungry at 3am. I just don't want to lose anymore weight because it's not healthy.

Ur probably hungry at night cuz the med has worn off by then. Cheese is great! Also beans, nut, fish, anything with protein and nutrients. Blueberries I think are great... Have u ever tried a zing bar? They are nutritious and full of protien and they taste amazing (and I hate most protien bars).

I've never heard of Zing bars. Are they only available in certain countries though? I live in Canada..

I have no idea. U can order me online as well if u can't get em in stores. Do u have QFC up there? Whole foods? Zing Bar was created in Seattle wa, I don't know if that is close enough to Canada.

U can order em* sry dang autocorrect lol

hi. i am really skinny too and young, so my metabolism is fast. when i started on vyvanse, i did not eat at all. i wasnt even hungry anytime. i lost weight but after like 1.5-2 months, my appetite returned to normal. it seemed like when the vyvanse settled, alot of the "side effects" i had disappeared. now i feel normal, but just more focused and clear. and i eat.

i think you have to give it some time. if you dont want to lose weight, force yourself to snack. im poor so i cant buy alot of cheese because in the USA its expensive, (but i LOVE it!!!).... but i eat peanuts in the shell and peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter and banana

good luck

We have Whole Foods here, but the closest to me is about 3 hours or so, but I visit friends there sometimes. I'll see if they have any, probably won't be able to get them online, thanks for mentioning it!

I have been feeling hungry more now, been on Vyvanse for 3 days now. It's difficult for me sometimes to eat nuts and stuff cause I'm not really a big fan of them. also, I brought some to work today and forgot to eat them! Haha I did try though.

That's great! Ur body is starting to adjust to te medication maybe? Hopefully the side effects continue to disappear

And yeah that sounds like me... Bring it and forget to eat it. Haha try bringing something u enjoy and then u might not forget it... The only issue is that if it's something I love, then I can't save it. I eat it all right then haha

I actually gained weight being on Vyvanse.

I was never hungry on Adderall and had to force myself to eat. When I switched to Vyvanse I felt hungry. Strange.
Vyvanse has been harder to find the right dose and insurance sucks for this med.

Yeah I feel like Vyvanse works well for me...but it's not a strong enough dosage. Unfortunately we are only offered 30mg(im taking that now) and 50mg in Canada. We can't get it in the other doses. Hopefully the 50 will work better.

Oh man I had a huge problem with weight loss on adderall last spring. I lost 10 pounds in about 2 months and got pretty close to an underweight BMI because I'm naturally skinny in the first place. I went off of it this summer but now that I'm back on it I'm trying a few things to help maintain my weight: big breakfasts before I take it in the morning, healthy snacks throughout the day because the idea of eating a full meal is nauseating (I found that carrots still taste wonderful to me on adderall for some reason), and a nice big dinner.

Hope the vyanese works well for you! Keep me posted because I might have to switch if I start losing as much weight as I did before... ugggg.

I started Adderall over three years ago and found that my appetite stablized after the first couple of months. I had been very overweight most of my adult life. I had lost 40 lbs before my ADD DX, then another 55 lbs afterwards. Now I am at a healthy weight (5'-11" at 185 lbs) I've maintained this weight +/- 5 lbs for the last 2 1/2 years.