Hey guys I have a question. So I have ADD and get prescribed medication that also makes me not want to eat. Because of these weight loss side effects I am taking it more than I otherwise would. I'm feeling pretty guilty about this because I feel like it is pathetic that I lack so much self control over my emotional eating that I have to resort to medication to help me lose weight. Don't get me wrong, I am not ONLY relying on medication. I am making sure to eat 1200 calories a day of healthy food and exercise regularly. However I can't help but shake the feeling that it is somehow dishonorable or shameful to lack such self control that I need medication. Any thoughts?
You seem to be really focusing on the moral dimension of this: that it is 'wrong' not to be able to do it all on your own. I tend to think that guilt and shame about imperfection is unhelpful and that it gets in the way of us making better choices for ourselves. Drop the self-shaming and look at this more productively!
My concern with what you describe is the possible side effects or consequences from over-taking your ADD meds. I don't know a thing about that class of meds so I can't offer any hypotheticals, but if I were you I'd want to know whether taking too many was harmful in some way. There's also the issue of misusing your script.
To summarize: There's no moral problem with taking drugs for weight loss, but there might be other potential problems with your health and your psyche.
I'm certainly not going to judge whether or not this is pathetic, dishonorable or shameful. However, I will say it's very dangerous to over medicate with any drug - both OTC and prescription. VERY dangerous. You're using a drug in a way it was not intended and that's the problem. You are barely overweight to begin with, and you're doing something that is potentially harmful to your health and well being. Be careful.
It's not really wrong-some people take phentermine or even over the counter fat burners to help them gain control.
The main concern is if you will be able to control your eating without the drugs. You said you deal with emotional eating, I know it's easier said than done because I struggle with it too, but eventually you will have to deal with your emotional eating/hunger without the drugs, either they will wear off or you stop taking them.
just be careful about taking more than you should with those medications. The appetite suppressant of those drugs will wear off and you can't just keep taking more without putting your health in danger. besides that sometimes the effects wear off on the ADD and you want to save any dosage increases for what you are really taking the medication for.
I'm certainly not going to judge whether or not this is pathetic, dishonorable or shameful. However, I will say it's very dangerous to over medicate with any drug - both OTC and prescription. VERY dangerous. You're using a drug in a way it was not intended and that's the problem. You are barely overweight to begin with, and you're doing something that is potentially harmful to your health and well being. Be careful.
Lin
I would like to disagree. I am taking this drug in exactly the way it was intended, once every day at the correct time at the correct dosage prescribed to me. And while I might be barely overweight I am being very careful to eat healthily and the correct amount of calories. When I said that I am taking this medication more than I would normally, I meant that normally I would only choose take the ADD medication during weekdays when I have school. I have chosen to also take them on weekends to help me not snack while I study (and again it helps me concentrate). So with that in mind, I disagree that I run any health risks
I have ADD too and when I am on meds I never want to eat anything but cold cereal. What I think you need to remember is that you are medicating to mange a condition not your weight and that weight loss is just a side effect. If you feel like you need to medicate on the weekends to study better the so be it if you loss weight too.
I would like to disagree. I am taking this drug in exactly the way it was intended, once every day at the correct time at the correct dosage prescribed to me. And while I might be barely overweight I am being very careful to eat healthily and the correct amount of calories. When I said that I am taking this medication more than I would normally, I meant that normally I would only choose take the ADD medication during weekdays when I have school. I have chosen to also take them on weekends to help me not snack while I study (and again it helps me concentrate). So with that in mind, I disagree that I run any health risks
The way your original post was written also lead me to believe you were taking it more than prescribed. That's where linJber was coming from with her comment.
It sounds like while you may feel guilty about it you are also defensive about it.
The way your original post was written also lead me to believe you were taking it more than prescribed. That's where linJber was coming from with her comment.
It sounds like while you may feel guilty about it you are also defensive about it.
Sorry I didn't mean to sound overly aggressive. I was just a little frustrated because when I posted I was looking for people to help me address what I perceive as an ethical dilemma. I appreciate linJber's concern but I felt her post was a more accusatory than helpful and I didn't appreciate that.
Vyvanse. It's pretty much just adderall but time released
Um, I didn't mean which drug... LOL. I meant that you directly contradicted yourself by saying you purposeflully take too much, and then saying you only take exactly what you are prescribed.
Ohhh sorry about that, let me explain. According to my doctor this medication can be safely taken once a day every day. I don't hit the books every day so I don't need to take it for my ADD every day. However I still do take it every day because it helps me lose weight. Does that clear things up??
Sorry I didn't mean to sound overly aggressive. I was just a little frustrated because when I posted I was looking for people to help me address what I perceive as an ethical dilemma. I appreciate linJber's concern but I felt her post was a more accusatory than helpful and I didn't appreciate that.
It sounds like you want advice but not if it isn't what you want to hear. And I don't mean that in a rude way at all, but rather in a matter-of-fact kind of way.
Here's the thing, even if you are not OVER taking the drug, if you are taking it for ANYTHING other than what it is meant for, that is misusing it in my personal opinion. Whether or not it is unethical is something you personally have to decide, as every single person has different sets of ethics.
I see nothing wrong with using whatever tools you have available and feel comfortable using in order to reach your goal.
Vynase is awesome! My son was on it for awhile and I tried one pill just to see what it was like. It curbed my hunger and kept me awake for a 3rd shift. It worked so well that after that, I went to my doctor to get a prescription for a shift work medication (which I no longer take since I am no longer working over night).
I have been contemplating getting a medication to curb my hunger. It's just been so hard for me to maintain a low calorie diet. I'm hungry and I eat, but I need to keep my calories at around 1500-1800 in order to lose. Any more than that, and I get nowhere.
It's true we have to be careful about medications and side effects. It's true that we have to be mindful about emotional eating and what got us fat in the first place. It's true that if we stop taking the medication we were using to lose the weight that we could gain it all back.
However, I see it as this. The pill could help me maintain a low calorie diet in order to lose the weight. Once I've lost the weight, it will be a lot easier to control my calorie intake without the use of medications because I will have a lot more calories to work with. This is as long as I have an understanding about my eating habits, and control over my emotional eating and eating habits in general.
Better living through chemistry. If it's working for you, then stick with it. When you reach goal, you can go back to your old dosing schedule where you only take your medication on school days.
Personally, I don't think there's anything morally or ethically wrong with using a medication for weight loss. I, myself, was on a medically-prescribed appetite suppressant for a while to help me curb the overeating tendencies. The only thing I would say is that, like others have mentioned, it's more of a temporary fix. If you have underlying emotional eating problems that cause you to overeat, it's going to be hard to get that under control when/if you go off the medication. I'm personally no longer taking the appetite suppressant, mainly for this reason. It made weight loss easier when I was on it, but ultimately I would go back to my bad eating habits and overeating when I would briefly go off of it. I came to the conclusion that I needed to lose this weight on my own, so to speak, so that I could learn to get a handle on my emotional overeating. I think there's a better chance that I won't gain it back if I lose it this way.
Again, I don't think it's morally wrong, but it may pose a few problems in the long run. It's definitely your decision in terms of what's best for you in your journey. Best of luck!
Weight Loss Drugs
