ADHD meds and bodybuilding?

[calveless wonder]

Just curious as to what effect these drugs have on bodybuilding.

i noticed a slight case of gyno after going back on them for my ADHD. First tried adderall and then switched to ritalin..ritalin seems to be less problematic and the gyno wasn't an issue anymore. My psychiatrist suggested it elevated my prolactin levels...which isn't surprising considering nolvadex did absolutely nothing. keep in my mind i have not done any sort of AAS in 3 years

i'd imagine it has effect on cortisol levels. does anyone know for sure or is in the same boat as me?

i take very moderate doses though....7.5 mg's of ritalin every 3 hours

 

[BigCracker]

I just hope you're trhe 1 in 10 guys that actually benefit from adderall or ritalin. Drs are crooks and the get $ kickbacks annually from Rx companies for "pushing" their products. The more they prescribe, the more $ they get! Most of us were raised to put our health(physical and mental) in the hands of physicians and to blindly follow whatever they say as if it's the word of God. I've found this to be a bunch of bullshit. Keep in mind Dr.'s benefit in no way by curing you. The $ they make lies in the treatment, not the cure. Nobody goes to school 8-10 years not to make as $ cash as possible. I'm not saying this applies to you or your shrink specifically , but you may wanna think about it the next time you're about to pop some pills because you can't handle life without a crutch to get you through the day. Just because these drugs are prescribed legally doesn't make you any less drug dependent than an alcoholic or a heroin junkie.

 

[H_T_]

i've been taking straterra. it supposed to be non addictive, which is bullshit. try taking a med that alters your fucking brain chemistry then stopping it. it's like getting off of the Tilt A Whirl....

 

[calveless wonder]

I just hope you're trhe 1 in 10 guys that actually benefit from adderall or ritalin. Drs are crooks and the get $ kickbacks annually from Rx companies for "pushing" their products. The more they prescribe, the more $ they get! Most of us were raised to put our health(physical and mental) in the hands of physicians and to blindly follow whatever they say as if it's the word of God. I've found this to be a bunch of bullshit. Keep in mind Dr.'s benefit in no way by curing you. The $ they make lies in the treatment, not the cure. Nobody goes to school 8-10 years not to make as $ cash as possible. I'm not saying this applies to you or your shrink specifically , but you may wanna think about it the next time you're about to pop some pills because you can't handle life without a crutch to get you through the day. Just because these drugs are prescribed legally doesn't make you any less drug dependent than an alcoholic or a heroin junkie.

Well....nice rant. i actually agree with you in alot of senses. most americans pop a pill for everything...when the problem is fixable in other ways (cognitive/behavioral therapy etc)but my ADHD Is really severe has been since i been young. In fact, i stopped my meds for years and my life suffered tremendously. since i been back on i've been able to balance things way more.

However,Where you are wrong, and fail to understand.....is that managed care has created this issue. Doctors make almost no money now because managed care has DICTATED the price of health care. It's why america's health care system is so fucked up. So how do the doctor's earn a decent living? yeah, the prescription drug companies. Cause and effect.....it's fucked up, but if i busted my ass for 8 years and was getting jerked by managed care, i'd do the same shit...assuming it was more helpful than hurtful to my patients. I have several doctors in the family and i've heard all sides to this story.


anyways, anyone have an answer pertaining to the original question?

 

[BigCracker]

i've been taking straterra. it supposed to be non addictive, which is bullshit. try taking a med that alters your fucking brain chemistry then stopping it. it's like getting off of the Tilt A Whirl....

This only further reiterates what I was saying. For the majority of people these meds cause them more harm than good. A lot of guys will defend the use of these kind of drugs like a crackhead justifies his addiction. But most people will find that long term use of Rx meds only makes their life's problems worse. Just because your doped up and seem to function more normally on Rx meds doesn't make your problems go away. In fact, the day that you decide to get off of them you'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with. This is just fine for Drs. They'll just write you another Rx which will inevitably line their pockets with more $. Sorry if I seem to be harsh, but judging from your pic you look very young. At age 17 I seperated my shoulder in a wrestling match. The Drs told me if I didn't get an operation to fix it and go through physical therapy I'd never compete in sports again. My parents had no insurance and couldn't afford to pay for the operation themselves, so I accepted their word as fate-and lost a football and wrestling scholarship. A year after graduation I started gaining weight. I said fuck this being a fat ass shit and started lifting weights. By age 22 (after 2 yrs of 6 days/wk in the gym and a year of using AS) I was bench pressing 500 lbs for 2 reps. So much for the operation I "needed" to compete in sports again. 3 years later I won the overall state bodybuilding championships as a heavyweight. My point being, if I had accepted the Drs word as gospel like I did at first, right now I'd be some fat coach potato spitting woulda-coulda-shoulda stories. I truly believe the Dr back then just wanted the $ to perform surgery on me- damn well knowing I could rehab it on my own eventually.

 

[H_T_]

This only further reiterates what I was saying. For the majority of people these meds cause them more harm than good. A lot of guys will defend the use of these kind of drugs like a crackhead justifies his addiction. But most people will find that long term use of Rx meds only makes their life's problems worse. Just because your doped up and seem to function more normally on Rx meds doesn't make your problems go away. In fact, the day that you decide to get off of them you'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with. This is just fine for Drs. They'll just write you another Rx which will inevitably line their pockets with more $. Sorry if I seem to be harsh, but judging from your pic you look very young. At age 17 I seperated my shoulder in a wrestling match. The Drs told me if I didn't get an operation to fix it and go through physical therapy. My parents had no insurance and couldn't afford to pay for the operation themselves, so I accepted their word as fate-and lost a football and wrestling scholarship. A year after graduation I started gaining weight. I said fuck this being a fat ass shit and started lifting weights. By age 22 (after 2 yrs of 6 days/wk in the gym and a year of using AS) I was bench pressing 500 lbs for 2 reps. So much for the operation I "needed" to compete in sports again. 3 years later I won the overall state bodybuilding championships as a heavyweight. My point being, if I had accepted the Drs word as gospel like I did at first, right now I'd be some fat coach potato spitting woulda-coulda-shoulda stories. I truly believe the Dr back then just wanted the $ to perform surgery on me- damn well knowing I could rehab it on my own eventually.

um, the Straterra only got me a buzz the first day or 2 of taking it, but i became addicted to the way it slowed me down, made me much more able to sort my shit. i've been being played by that system for a couple years now, almost to the point of taking a pill for every action i need to do in a day. my last big deal was when my ins. company refused to cover my straterra, which i've been taking for the last 6 weeks. it says not to stop taking abruptly, but when the pharmacy tells you that you need to cough up 277 bucks for a month of this med that i "need", well, fuck. i don't spend 277 on 6 months worth of gear. it's like you said. i am a product. just a unit to them.

 

[BigCracker]

Wouldn't it feel better to be able to conquer life on your own instead of relying on meds? I had an abusive childhood where I was beaten with wooden spoons, paddles, extension cords, closed fists, etc regularly for no reason. I was surrounded by addiction and emotional dysfunction. In fact I'm a walking cliche- because of my fucked up upbrining, bodybuilding probably saved me from prison or death. Yet over the years I've learned to cope with my demons w/o ever being "on" anything to keep my brain in balance. I've had issues with painkillers, but I eventually kicked that on my own. These days I don't drink ever and I enjoy smoking dope before I train. I don't need it. In fact, if I get low on funds the recreational weed use is the first thing to go. I just saying that I don't want anything to be my master-chemical, physical, or otherwise. I want to be the sole master of my life w/o needing anything to keep me on track. Food for thought...I 'll get off my soapbox now. OK, will someone answer this guy's question already?

 

[BigCracker]

um, the Straterra only got me a buzz the first day or 2 of taking it, but i became addicted to the way it slowed me down, made me much more able to sort my shit. i've been being played by that system for a couple years now, almost to the point of taking a pill for every action i need to do in a day. my last big deal was when my ins. company refused to cover my straterra, which i've been taking for the last 6 weeks. it says not to stop taking abruptly, but when the pharmacy tells you that you need to cough up 277 bucks for a month of this med that i "need", well, fuck. i don't spend 277 on 6 months worth of gear. it's like you said. i am a product. just a unit to them.

Man, that shit sucks bro. It's a slippery slope. I hope you pull through. Did you notice how the poster justifies his use of ADHD drugs because he's had ADHD since he was very young? They basically brainwashed him from a young age into thinking he needed these drugs to get by. I'd feel differently if he wanted to come off of them, but it sounds to me like he doesn't want to. Personally I'd rather see someone smoke crack bi weekly. At least the other 28 days a month they are themselves as opposed to what daily Rx meds dictate them to be.

 

[st8grad]

I love how everyone slams the original poster for taking ADHD drugs while they inject test, tren, eq and take nolva, arimidex and HCG. I wonder why it is justified that because those that take AAS are self medicating in order to achieve certain goals - get stronger, bigger, less bf%, etc - find it neccessary to be critical of a dude that had a legit question about a drug. If he went and bought it off the street corner or down in Mexico it would be all good. But since he went through legal channels and POSSIBLY went through extensive testing - all of which by the way is some of the most researched and validated testing for one of the most well researched and tested and VALIDATED disorders in humans - you slam him and don't even bother answering the question. Fucking hypocritical if I have ever seen it. I'm not saying the med establishment isn't fucked up and certain doctors just throw drugs at a problems. And I'm not saying the pharma companies aren't crooks. None of you would have given him shit if he said he took viagra for his dick or propecia for hair loss or lipitor for his cholesterol. But adderall is for pussies that have a fake disorder and are just lazy right? Funny how many of you also take clen or caber or T3 or hydroxycut for energy in your workouts....and used to or still do take ECA stacks that do affect brain neurotransmiters. Anyway....

My understanding of those drugs - Adderall, Ritalin, Dexedrine is that they primarily work on dopamine (pleasure, concentration, etc) and secondarily on norepinephrine (energy, motivation,etc). It is believed to also have a small effect on serotonin as a by product (mood, feeling of well being). It was also my understanding that higher dopamine levels countered prolactin and therefore you should be experiencing less gyno like symptoms. So it should have some similar effects to Dostinex and Bromocriptine even though it doesn't work in the same way. Something else is probably causing the symptoms.

 

[BigCracker]

I love how everyone slams the original poster for taking ADHD drugs while they inject test, tren, eq and take nolva, arimidex and HCG. I wonder why it is justified that because those that take AAS are self medicating in order to achieve certain goals - get stronger, bigger, less bf%, etc - find it neccessary to be critical of a dude that had a legit question about a drug. If he went and bought it off the street corner or down in Mexico it would be all good. But since he went through legal channels and POSSIBLY went through extensive testing - all of which by the way is some of the most researched and validated testing for one of the most well researched and tested and VALIDATED disorders in humans - you slam him and don't even bother answering the question. Fucking hypocritical if I have ever seen it. I'm not saying the med establishment isn't fucked up and certain doctors just throw drugs at a problems. And I'm not saying the pharma companies aren't crooks. None of you would have given him shit if he said he took viagra for his dick or propecia for hair loss or lipitor for his cholesterol. But adderall is for pussies that have a fake disorder and are just lazy right? Funny how many of you also take clen or caber or T3 or hydroxycut for energy in your workouts....and used to or still do take ECA stacks that do affect brain neurotransmiters. Anyway....

My understanding of those drugs - Adderall, Ritalin, Dexedrine is that they primarily work on dopamine (pleasure, concentration, etc) and secondarily on norepinephrine (energy, motivation,etc). It is believed to also have a small effect on serotonin as a by product (mood, feeling of well being). It was also my understanding that higher dopamine levels countered prolactin and therefore you should be experiencing less gyno like symptoms. So it should have some similar effects to Dostinex and Bromocriptine even though it doesn't work in the same way. Something else is probably causing the symptoms.

Hypocritical? Hardly. I never slammed him. I just was trying to provoke free thought. I don't care what a person does with their bodies or life. I don't care if you wanna smoke meth, worship Satan, and surf child porn online 24/7. If that's what makes you happy go for it. But don't expect me to keep my opinion to myself when I see a younger guy with his whole life ahead of him making mistakes that could fuck up his life as an adult. I'm only trying to help-even if my response was off topic. Utimately his choices are his own. I even said he may be someone that may benefit from the use of ADHD meds. I was just pointing out that they are often over prescribed. Whether or not he's fallen victim to the system, only he can determine that. So blow me.

 

[H_T_]

Man, that shit sucks bro. It's a slippery slope. I hope you pull through. Did you notice how the poster justifies his use of ADHD drugs because he's had ADHD since he was very young? They basically brainwashed him from a young age into thinking he needed these drugs to get by. I'd feel differently if he wanted to come off of them, but it sounds to me like he doesn't want to. Personally I'd rather see someone smoke crack bi weekly. At least the other 28 days a month they are themselves as opposed to what daily Rx meds dictate them to be.

recovery is not the first thing on the medical communitys list. med compliance is above it. and $$$. see how quick their tune changes when you mention going to another dr.

 

[st8grad]

He is also taking a very small dose. Many people take Ritalin 20mgs 3times per day and some even more. It all depends on the individual. The sides of a lot of medicines can be nasty, not just the ADHD drugs. And the pharma and med community isn't always looking out for the best interest of their patients. However, if he truly does have ADHD, then the medicine truly will help him function in all the aspects in which the disorder affects. It is probably a disorder that is over prescribed for unless thorough testing and analysis is done. To just label someone ADHD because they are over active in class or don't want to read a chapter in their book for homework is wrong. But, when a true case emerges, then the person should seek treatment in whatever way they feel best. When a true ADHD patient starts on medication not only do their study habits and concentration improve, but so do their relationships, organizational and time management efforts, sleep, you name it. And the abuse potential from acutal ADD patient is very very low. They want the drug for all the right reasons and people without the disorder like it to get high or pull them through tough periods of extra work, studying or whatever. My point was it isn't fair to be hard on a dude that actually needs the medication to function at his potential. It isn't his fault that he couldn't without the medicine. He isn't trying to get an edge on people that have to work hard for what they have. He isn't lazy and looking for an easy way out. He's starting at a disadvantage and looking to level that out so he can perform at the capacity he should be able to hit. It made my blood boil to see him get slammed for a legit question and then to not even have anyone answer his question. Especially when we all take some kind of drug for whatever personal reason we have. Right? So, there was no personal attack on my part. Just trying to defend the guy. It's sad that mood or behavioral or psychological disorders are treated so negatively in this country. If some could be addressed more easily, we potentially would have less Virginia Tech like episodes.

 

[BigCracker]

He is also taking a very small dose. Many people take Ritalin 20mgs 3times per day and some even more. It all depends on the individual. The sides of a lot of medicines can be nasty, not just the ADHD drugs. And the pharma and med community isn't always looking out for the best interest of their patients. However, if he truly does have ADHD, then the medicine truly will help him function in all the aspects in which the disorder affects. It is probably a disorder that is over prescribed for unless thorough testing and analysis is done. To just label someone ADHD because they are over active in class or don't want to read a chapter in their book for homework is wrong. But, when a true case emerges, then the person should seek treatment in whatever way they feel best. When a true ADHD patient starts on medication not only do their study habits and concentration improve, but so do their relationships, organizational and time management efforts, sleep, you name it. And the abuse potential from acutal ADD patient is very very low. They want the drug for all the right reasons and people without the disorder like it to get high or pull them through tough periods of extra work, studying or whatever. My point was it isn't fair to be hard on a dude that actually needs the medication to function at his potential. It isn't his fault that he couldn't without the medicine. He isn't trying to get an edge on people that have to work hard for what they have. He isn't lazy and looking for an easy way out. He's starting at a disadvantage and looking to level that out so he can perform at the capacity he should be able to hit. It made my blood boil to see him get slammed for a legit question and then to not even have anyone answer his question. Especially when we all take some kind of drug for whatever personal reason we have. Right? So, there was no personal attack on my part. Just trying to defend the guy. It's sad that mood or behavioral or psychological disorders are treated so negatively in this country. If some could be addressed more easily, we potentially would have less Virginia Tech like episodes.

Amen. Wait a minute. I'm Atheist. Praise Science!!!

 

[digit0x]

Yea bro i wonder this too, as I also am prescribed ritalin. I never see the bottom of the bottle though, because I am so ADHD afflicted, I can't take the meds regularly. Prescrips always expire before I'm done I end up just using them on days I need to stay focused and not fuck around for 14 hours. I wouldn't suspect there is any mal effect on muscle gains or body fat though.

 

[TVG]

Any ADHD meds that don't severely effect appetite? I could imagine losing a ton of weight on them.

 

[digit0x]

Any ADHD meds that don't severely effect appetite? I could imagine losing a ton of weight on them.

you know it doesnt make me want to eat food, but usually it makes my stomach growl toss and turn like i havent eaten in days. so i usually eat to ease the growling.

 

[TVG]

Well I might be prescribed them soon unless they decide an anxity/depression drug that I will need as well will help with the ADHD. I am going to ask for a prescription appetite stimulator if I do.

 

[bmcadoo44]

I only take my ADHD meds when needed and they work automaticaly. I workout alot harder and longer when on my meds because i seem to be more concentrated and focused. Though I do hate dexadrine, the shit makes me a zombie throughout the day.