[Rose42]

I am diagnosed ADHD. Have been on several meds. Strattera caused reaction. Am now on Ritalin and provigil together (Concerts didn't work). Seems to be working okay but weight loss is horrible. Normal weigh is 116-120 and am 5'2". Now I am 102 lbs. Will this taper off? Been on Ritalin since March and provigil this month. Take 35 mg a day of Ritalin and 100mg of provigil. I am now underweight. Female.

[kiwi215]

I can't answer your question in regards to will it taper off, but I take Focalin and have taken Vyvanse in the past. Both suppressed my appetite and made it difficult to maintain weight. As someone who has had anorexia and whose weight is just a little above the underweight mark, suppression of my appetite is really not good. So my psychiatrist has me take Seroquel (which increases appetite) to counteract the effects of the stimulant. There are other meds out there that have the same side effect of weight gain/increased appetite too. I still do have to really stay on top of my eating and still have to eat when I'm not hungry at times, but I'm at least able to maintain. It might be worth asking your doctor about going on a med that can help with appetite. Of course I know that's not an easy decision due to possible reactions, paying for meds, etc, but might be worth a shot. Remeron is an antidepressant that I heard can help stimulate appetite as well. There's also a product called Megace that is specifically used for increasing appetite. And there are some natural ways to stimulate appetite that you can find online.

Also, I'm not sure if the Ritalin and Provigil that you take are long-acting or if they're short-acting like my Focalin is, but personally I've found that taking short-acting Focalin (lasts about 4 hours, 2 to 3 times a day) makes it a little easier to maintain weight than when I was taking the long-acting (one pill in morning, lasts all day) Vyvanse. Maybe because with the Focalin it doesn't stay in my system as long and I can "time" it strategically by taking one pill right after breakfast and then the second after lunch. That way I'm able to get in those first two big meals before the Focalin starts to affect my appetite much.

Anyway, not sure if that's helpful but maybe it can give you some options to consider if you haven't thought of them already. Good luck!

[Rose42]

Originally Posted by kiwi215

I can't answer your question in regards to will it taper off, but I take Focalin and have taken Vyvanse in the past. Both suppressed my appetite and made it difficult to maintain weight. As someone who has had anorexia and whose weight is just a little above the underweight mark, suppression of my appetite is really not good. So my psychiatrist has me take Seroquel (which increases appetite) to counteract the effects of the stimulant. There are other meds out there that have the same side effect of weight gain/increased appetite too. I still do have to really stay on top of my eating and still have to eat when I'm not hungry at times, but I'm at least able to maintain. It might be worth asking your doctor about going on a med that can help with appetite. Of course I know that's not an easy decision due to possible reactions, paying for meds, etc, but might be worth a shot. Remeron is an antidepressant that I heard can help stimulate appetite as well. There's also a product called Megace that is specifically used for increasing appetite. And there are some natural ways to stimulate appetite that you can find online.

Also, I'm not sure if the Ritalin and Provigil that you take are long-acting or if they're short-acting like my Focalin is, but personally I've found that taking short-acting Focalin (lasts about 4 hours, 2 to 3 times a day) makes it a little easier to maintain weight than when I was taking the long-acting (one pill in morning, lasts all day) Vyvanse. Maybe because with the Focalin it doesn't stay in my system as long and I can "time" it strategically by taking one pill right after breakfast and then the second after lunch. That way I'm able to get in those first two big meals before the Focalin starts to affect my appetite much.

Anyway, not sure if that's helpful but maybe it can give you some options to consider if you haven't thought of them already. Good luck!

Thank you. I am on three doses of immediate release and half at night. I think a lot of it has to do with metabolism. I try to force myself to eat but the weight keeps dropping. Did your meds ever stop making you lose weight themselves? Maybe after your body adjusted? I tried the extended but it made me so sleepy.

[Rose42]

Thank you

[kiwi215]

Originally Posted by Rose42

Thank you. I am on three doses of immediate release and half at night. I think a lot of it has to do with metabolism. I try to force myself to eat but the weight keeps dropping. Did your meds ever stop making you lose weight themselves? Maybe after your body adjusted? I tried the extended but it made me so sleepy.

My weight hasn't fluctuated more than about 2 or 3 pounds since I started taking stimulants, but I think that's more because I've been really on top of it and knew that they would suppress my appetite and because my psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel. And also because I take my Focalin pretty sparingly... only when I really need it, which tends to be 6 days a week but not my full prescribed does all of those days. I don't think it's necessarily because my body has adjusted. But maybe bodies do adjust to taking stimulants? I'm really not sure. I do feel like my metabolism has been really "fast" recently though, because I feel like I'm stuffing myself with a lot of food when I'm not hungry but still teetering around being borderline underweight when I'm trying to gain. There are a lot of factors that could go into all of this though... I wish I could give you more of an answer!

[Rose42]

Originally Posted by kiwi215

My weight hasn't fluctuated more than about 2 or 3 pounds since I started taking stimulants, but I think that's more because I've been really on top of it and knew that they would suppress my appetite and because my psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel. And also because I take my Focalin pretty sparingly... only when I really need it, which tends to be 6 days a week but not my full prescribed does all of those days. I don't think it's necessarily because my body has adjusted. But maybe bodies do adjust to taking stimulants? I'm really not sure. I do feel like my metabolism has been really "fast" recently though, because I feel like I'm stuffing myself with a lot of food when I'm not hungry but still teetering around being borderline underweight when I'm trying to gain. There are a lot of factors that could go into all of this though... I wish I could give you more of an answer!

No worries. The results are so different for everyone. I really do appreciate your response.