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Has anyone tips for Food and ADHD Medication?

AllieSchmally profile image
6 Replies

Hey there : )

My Partner currently got stimulant ADHD medication. One of the main side effects is that they are almost always sick and don't have any appetite.

So my question would be if you maybe have experience with that?

Or any foods or tips that helped you get through that?

I already tried making meals more appealing to the eye when it's my time to cook. And we have a flexible meal plan for one main meal a day. But that's just helping so much, and i'm a little afraid that the meds won't be helping very long when they don't get enough energy from food to do anything.

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AllieSchmally profile image
AllieSchmally
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6 Replies
StarkeyGo profile image
StarkeyGo

I’m currently on day 3 of titration. What I’m usually doing (not today though) is to have a powerful smoothie in the morning with bananas berries dates, a scoop of oats and a scoop of collagen or protein and take the pill there. Then a cup of rooibos tea. Yesterday I was not hungry at all and eating felt like a chore so I made a vegetable stock and added some couscous to it, I’m trying to do things that I don’t have to chew much. And a lot of grazing on healthy snacks. Or not so healthy I’m now having toast with butter and lemon curd. Is best to eat even if it’s not the healthiest of foods I think.

AllieSchmally profile image
AllieSchmally in reply to StarkeyGo

That sounds actually good. Maybe giving the body the feeling of not eating but drinking stuff could be a thing to try out!

But doesn't the vitamin C of fruits affect how those meds work? 🤔

They also like fruit smoothies very much, but stopped making them in the morning to not weaken the effects : (

Or is that just a myth?

may i also ask what these healthy or general snacks are for you?

truthseeker7 profile image
truthseeker7 in reply to AllieSchmally

No Vitamin C does not affect meds. I verified this with my psychiatrist who is very knowledgeable. A power smoothie is a great option but I would look at the meds. Mine reduce my appetite but they shouldn't be making you feel sick. There are a lot of different medications out there so I would recommend finding one with the least undesirable side effects.

Portuguesemess profile image
Portuguesemess in reply to truthseeker7

truthseeker7 , don't say things like that... you don't know what type of meds he's taking... Maybe your treatment doesn't involve stimulants and that's why your psychiatrist told that. You shouldn't take ascorbic acid or vitamin C an hour before and after you take ADHD medication. Stimulants are strongly alkaline and cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream if these organic acids are present at the same time. That's a fact: if you do it you won't be getting the dosage you where prescribed ( it will be less) and you'll notice it during the day.

AllieSchmally , side effects tend to reduce in intensity with time... if that doesn't happen check with the doctor. There are a lot of options these days- it's a just questions of finding the right one. Unfortunately, sometimes, that takes some trial and error.

Try making meals smaller, more caloric, nutritious and more frequent.

Nuts are great for that (lots of faty acids). Anything rich in protein is also a good idea ( peanut butter, chicken, fish)

Good luck

StarkeyGo profile image
StarkeyGo in reply to AllieSchmally

Nuts for example, I bought a can of roasted peanuts (the unsalted kind, they come with enough salt already) and I have it on my desk. Then I have cereal bars, fruits, IDK, Yogurt. Also if they are feeling sick they could speak to your physician about it and adjust the dose. I was on 30mg of Elvanse for 2 days and was too much so now I'm on 20mg until my body adjusts. I'm one of those "annoying" highly sensitive ones.

ADHD207 profile image
ADHD207

I have issues with lack of appetite and sometimes feeling ill. I’ve had stomach issues for a few decades, and I’ve been on stimulants for approx 10 years, so I don’t think the two are related for me.

For the stomach issues, I sometimes brew ginger, mint, or chamomile tea from various companies, and I keep candied ginger for when I need a quick fix. I recently got a box of natural ginger pills for motion sickness, called Bonine. That seems to work well, and I like taking it better than the sugary candied ginger. It was in the pharmacy‘s motion sickness section.

Time-released stimulants made me jittery and bothered my stomach. I switched to using methylphenidate 5 mg pills. I take 3 to 4 pills, up to 20 mg, in the morning, and then on the weekdays I take 10 mg around 11:30, 3:30, and 5:30 PM. On the weekends I generally take 15 mg in the morning and mid afternoon, and then 10 mg around 5:30 PM.

The unfortunate truth is, most foods don’t provide a dopamine hit, so we’re uninspired by the average choices. For me, cooking and eating are a chore. Food is mostly boring unless it’s a dessert, some amazing well-cooked meal that my husband has made when he’s up to it, or if we’re at a nice restaurant. Some of that might be ambience, I don’t know.

For people with ADHD, if something doesn’t provide a dopamine rush, we are less inclined to do it. Also, we often in attentive to our body’s hunger signals. I often don’t realize I’m hungry until I feel a little dizzy or exhausted. I also have trouble telling when I’m full. I’ve been working on using mindfulness to help me listen to my body, acknowledge that my body needs me too do this boring thing so I can continue to function, be thankful that I have easy access to the food I need, and take a moment to savor the food and try to get some pleasure, and maybe a little dopamine, from its taste and or texture.

Hope this helps,

Renee

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