Help re training and meds.

[Sweetasfrank]

It's been a while since i posted here, so i just wanted to give a quick update and get some advice.

Last i posted my stats where 5"7 @ 127lbs with about 11% bf. I was more interested in toning up than bulking and got worried that gaining more pounds = more body fat.

How wrong i was. I took the tips i was given on here with regards to my diet and stuck to it religiously. It all paid off, plus now i've also upped my lifting which has obviously given me more muscle. So i'm not too freaked at the weight gain. Current stats are now 5"7 still @ 132lbs and about 7/8% BF. Quite please with these results

My problem is that now i've been prescribed Adderall by my GP. I hear more bad things than good about this - especially in relation to training/lifting. I'm at a point where i' m really into my gym progress and needless to say i don't want anything to mess this pattern up. It was hard getting the focus till this point and i don't wanna screw it up

I'd really appreciate some advice on this re taking this medication and sustaining my current progress at the gym.

Thanks

 

[sonicwaste]

I've never really had a problem training or lifting while taking adderall. The biggest area where I think it will affect you is your diet. Until your body gets used to it, it will totally kill your appetite.

Needless to say, I stopped taking it a while back.

In my opinion only take it if you really need it. There are other alternatives out there that you could talk about with your doctor.

 

[Sweetasfrank]

That's good to know, thanks

 

[Tami Bellon]

OK, why were you prescribed the med? Have you really been having an issue with ADD, have you ever been on meds for your diagnosis before? I'm asking because physicians over prescribe meds all the time. The pharmaceutical industry likes to try to keep us sick - or think we are.

 

[Sweetasfrank]

OK, why were you prescribed the med? Have you really been having an issue with ADD, have you ever been on meds for your diagnosis before? I'm asking because physicians over prescribe meds all the time. The pharmaceutical industry likes to try to keep us sick - or think we are.

Completely agree with that^^

I was only very recently prescribed them (last week). Never had any meds before. I've never really been one to visit the clinic as i never get sick. When i do go , it's just to get prescriptions for allergies. But i took a visit last week as i felt i was losing control a little...i only noticed this as some of my nearest and dearests pointed it out to me so i thought i'd humor them..didn't actually think i'd come out with a diagnosis. I know i've always found it difficult to focus and get irritable easily but i just put it down to time of the month or stress

 

[slat1]

If anything it should help you focus.
Anything a DR talks to me about I do extensive Google searches on too. You find all sorts of stuff.

 

[Sweetasfrank]

If anything it should help you focus.
Anything a DR talks to me about I do extensive Google searches on too. You find all sorts of stuff.

Yeh i did..and i still am. I found some info on people who take it but didn't really like the addictive traits or long term usage...the majority of the good stuff i read was from students taking it to study or to use as an amphetamine...the rest are from parents talking about their kids on it....so stats are a bit all over the place and confusing so to speak

 

[sonicwaste]

I personally found adderall best for occasional use. Like when I was on the road with my band and had to drive 4-5 hours after a show to make it to the next city on time. Or if I needed to pull 22 hour days in the studio. It will keep you awake and focused like nothing else I have ever experienced. And you do feel like you are on drugs, it makes me talk my head off. And makes me want to chain smoke cigarettes.

Needles to say, for the reasons I spoke about above I chose not to use adderall any more. It's not a good drug for some people.

Although I do have a friend that is an absolute spaz when he doesn't take his adderall, it's absolutely insane. He get's figety, you can't understand him, and he goes to another planet. He absolutely needs it to live a normal life. And he's tried other meds and always has to come back to it.

It's a drug neccessary for some, not neccessary for those on the borderline... as it has some pretty potent negative side effects. I'd most definitely talk to your doctor about other options unless you feel you absolutely need it.

 

[Tami Bellon]

I saw a writing tablet today that said "sweet but psycho....so it balances out!" lol

I almost got it because sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind!!! I've always had a problem focusing, my mind will go in a different direction in an instant (drives my husband nuts!) and I am always doing 5 things at once. It's hard to focus at times and sometimes I feel overwhelmed and just want to dig someones eyeballs out with a mellon baller!

All this being said.......I've never found that I wanted to be on meds, although I would be a classic case of ADD. I can fall asleep in the blink of an eye an hour after taking ANY stimulant. I've found that I keep my sanity by making lists and sticking to them....although I don't usually make lists.... lol

Just thought I would share......maybe, if the Albuterol isn't what you want, you can try something homeopathic. You have many options!

 

[Tatyana]

Completely agree with that^^

I was only very recently prescribed them (last week). Never had any meds before. I've never really been one to visit the clinic as i never get sick. When i do go , it's just to get prescriptions for allergies. But i took a visit last week as i felt i was losing control a little...i only noticed this as some of my nearest and dearests pointed it out to me so i thought i'd humor them..didn't actually think i'd come out with a diagnosis. I know i've always found it difficult to focus and get irritable easily but i just put it down to time of the month or stress

How are you measuring your bodyfat?

Women's bodyfat is not in the same ranges as men's, and I do often wonder if men use the ranges they know for men and apply them to women with a visual estimate.

If your bodyfat is consistently that low (and 7-14% is seriously low for a woman), then your symptoms may be more related to your own body's physiology trying to survive at this level.

There is a reason that BBers have on and off season.

If you are maintaining this low a bodyfat, then your diet may also be related.

Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids has a profound effect on quite a few psychological states, I have a few papers related to the biochemistry of mood and emotion.