Adderall and Weight Loss

Many people are interested in Adderall because it helps you lose weight.  At least, that’s what everyone hears thanks to sensational journalism designed to grab headlines. But, does Adderall really help you lose weight? Should you be taking Adderall for anything other than an ADHD diagnosis?

Does Adderall burn more calories than Vyvanse?

How Many Calories Does Adderall Burn?

The truth about Adderall, and the other generic mixed amphetamine salts, is that it does not help you lose weight any more than drinking a bunch of coffee helps you lose weight.  Sure, it revs up your system a little bit, but the amount of extra metabolism one gets from taking Adderall wouldn’t be enough to overcome a single Oreo cookie.  Ephedrine burns off more fat by increasing your metabolism than Adderall does. The amount of calories Adderall burns is insignificant. Sorry.

Losing Weight With Adderall

For SOME PEOPLE, definitely not all people, Adderall suppresses your appetite.  In other words, it makes it so you are less hungry.  In fact, some days, when I forget to take my afternoon dose, I remember because all of the sudden I’m very hungry after having not eaten all day.  Usually, I have to remind myself to eat lunch, so if I’m hungry in the afternoon I know something is up.

That means that if you have trouble losing weight because you find it hard to not eat too much when you are hungry, then Adderall can help you lose weight.  Of course, that will only happen assuming you are one of the people who have their appetite suppressed by it.

But, if you have trouble losing weight because you eat things that you shouldn’t because they taste good, or because you go out with friends for lunch, or because you have a few beers each night, Adderall won’t help you lose weight at all.  Another way to think about it is that if you are at a baseball game in the afternoon and you already ate lunch, so you really aren’t hungry, but you have a couple of hotdogs, some popcorn, and a few beers because you are at the ballpark and it’s part of the fun. Adderall isn’t going to help that at all.  The same thing goes for eating because you are nervous, depressed, stressed, or because you drive past a Dairy Queen on your way home every night.

In other words, Adderall does not burn extra calories, stop your body from absorbing fat, or make a big enough difference in your metabolism to make you lose weight no matter how much you eat.  It can only make you less hungry.  So, if you only eat when you are hungry, the pounds will fall off, because you won’t be hungry while taking Adderall.

Otherwise, get the right meds for your ADD and find another way to lose weight.