Increasing numbers of young women are using Adderall to lose weight, according to an article in Allure Magazine. Author Judith Newman wrote that the fad for using a common drug prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for weight loss began in Hollywood.

"When a high-profile celeb suddenly drops a lot of weight, the rumors start that she is on 'A,'" said Kym Douglas, author of The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets. "It isn't a secret among top stylists and makeup artists who work with celebrities."

It is uncertain how Adderall works, except that it somehow inhibits the uptake of three brain chemicals - dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin - so that they remain in synapses longer. Like all stimulants, Adderall causes a feeling of euphoria and a loss of appetite.

Some pediatricians are already prescribing it to obese children.

Dr. Fuad Ziai, a pediatric endocrinologist in Oak Lawn, Illinois, said that 90 percent of young patients on Adderall lost weight. He believes the side effects of Adderall - headache, irritability, mood swings, and increased heart rate - are not as bad as putting children at risk for diabetes and other problems because they are overweight.

Adderall is relatively easy for teens to obtain either through friends who have prescriptions for it or from illegal Internet pharmacies. Some use it not only for weight loss, but also to get high. By crushing and grinding time-released Adderall, they receive a bigger "rush" and maximum appetite suppression.

Labels: adderall, drugs