Binge eat

[Bentleybexley39]

Does anyone else binge eat when they don’t take their adhd meds?

[MTA-]

Yes.

Before I was diagnosed and medicated, I just spent my days in a food craving stupor. Now I can tell when I have forgotten my meds, because I am so hungry I could eat my own face by 10am.

ADHD is a dopamine deficiency. Dopamine is that good feeling you get from feel good food. So it makes you want to eat. It's very normal.

[STEM_Dad in reply to MTA-]

I didn't consider the dopamine connection. I was going to reply that stimulants often decrease appetite, but with your mention of dopamine release being triggered by the food, it makes sense to me WHY stimulants reduce cravings... because the cravings were an attempt to feel better by eating.

The same goes for why people with ADHD who take meds are less likely to use recreational drugs... because they are already getting the dopamine that their brain is really in need of.

[Gettingittogether]

ADHD makes us prone to addictions of all sorts. So yes, overeating, drinking, serious drug problems, gambling ... all of that we're vulnerable to if we're not treated.

[Jozlynn]

I'm finding that I binge eat in the evenings when the ADHD meds wear off, and I'm hating it. Eating that much later in the evening is causing weight gain, which I'm just not OK with. It's making me uncomfortable in my own skin. I have no appetite all day (I'll still make myself have - at the very least - a protein shake) but all bets are off come 8:00 PM. I'd love to know if anyone has figured out a way to overcome the cravings when the meds wear off.

[Newbieboo in reply to Jozlynn]

I find the exact same thing!! I’m trying to eat a meal before 7 pm so that I feel full and dint binge at night, otherwise it’s just sheer willpower to not eat that late.

[Jozlynn in reply to Newbieboo]

I'll try that - eating before 7 pm! I like the idea of feeling full so maybe I won't think about food later on. Good plan - thanks! Sheer willpower is right - but what passes for willpower with me borders on the comical - so I've stopped depending much on that. 😜

[Hominid711 in reply to Jozlynn]

Same boat. Salad and veg. Veg and salad. Btw no evidence that time of food intake matters. After eating it's physiological, ie right and proper, to rest/sleep. I recommend lots and lots of fizzy water. Fills the stomach at least temporarily which is what you need. Or alcohol free beer. Something fizzy and low calories.

[Hominid711 in reply to Jozlynn]

One is get the longest acting stimulant which is Vyvanse if you can. If possible time intake so you get tired first before hungry which means perhaps still feeling tired for a couple of hours after waking or take it, then sleep for another couple of hours if you manage going back to sleep. Time your work around your wake/sleep/eat/not eat requirements, not the other way round. Call this an adaptation and you may get it past your employer. Increase the dose is another idea.

[Hidden]

One meal a day intermittent fasting. Plan that meal and make it balanced but it can be your whole caloric intake for the day!

[HxaroClo]

How binge eating for me a disorder coexist as comorbid... (because co-occuring does not seem to capture the death spiral of the two interconnected) with ADHD could be its own daily forum. Will power for me is not enough. I cannot just want to not binge eat (with a diagnosed disorder) any more than I can just want to be more focussed or less distractible. It takes for me peer support, daily check-ins, planning and tons of self care to cope with bother ADHD and BED. And I am as misunderstood with BED as many of us feel with ADHD.

[UhNonImus]

omg YES! uncontrollably 😭

[NatSam]

Same. And I started taking meds as an adult so I seriously think it’s the medicine. It’s like my body is attempting to make up for all the nutrients I’ve missed during the week when I take my medicine to focus. On the weekends I’ll attempt to give my body a break from the medicine and all I do is want to sleep and eat! Literally

[sharkticon]

Yep, especially if it is junk food. I do it as a way to seek stimulation. When I started taking meds it really changed my diet for the better.

[Hominid711]

We did a charity walking challenge at work which made me walk from work home which is approximately 1.9mls or 3km. I did that for 2 weeks and now I'm fit enough to say let's walk this when before no 10 horses would have made me do this. It also obviously saves on bus fare and now it's automatic that my legs start moving. I also feel them more and they feel good! I've got kegs! Wow!!Maybe you can do something like that?

It works for me when nothing else has worked. Probably because of the group thing abd that you don't want to let the others down and the minimum you can do is walk a few miles a day - or maybe twice a week anx a longer walk once a week. Exercise helps with appetite too. It regulates. Drink lots obviously and fizz helps because it takes up space in your stomach for a while. Chew chewing gum, in hot weather eat salads veg fruit except bananas and at least some of the time. Make it sustainable.

The app we used for the walk is Strava. Apparently you can use quite a lot of the functions for free.

You can give and receive kudos which for me was a great motivator.

Most of us - and our department won - want to continue with another challenge. It made us all do more.

[Hominid711]

To be honest, 7 years ago I had a gastric sleeve and lost 40kg pretty swiftly. I had a BMI of 40 and was diagnosed with diabetes in the pre-op. I stayed down or thereabouts for about 3 years then slowly started regaining. Stopped at minus 30kg then started again during that difficult year prior to my ADHD diagnosis. stopped at minus 20 and then once I started Lisdexamfetamine/Elvanse/Vyvanse in December started loosing again. Now almost where I was at my best but trying those tricks above as well. Especially the mineral water with meals works as they simply compete for space in my stomach. I'm on 70mg Elvanse daily and happy about both, surgery and meds. I'm also on Oestrogen gel with the Mirena for the Progesterone and my body feels really good as a result. Only walking. No other exercise.So I know. I cheated. But the sleeve was good. Diabetes currently in remission. Will resurface no doubt but I hope bit by bit I get a grip on the right food-life balance

[UhNonImus]

YES definitely YES and it sucks!

[Flurble]

The evening Ritalin come down can be diabolical. My solution is to eat modestly during the day when the medication gives me the clarity and discipline to calorie count. Then if I loose the plot at night it's not so bad. In addition, I have set a time (8pm) after which I'm not permitted to eat. The latter is not without exceptions but on the whole it works for me.