ADHD AND SLEEVE

[Liteupmylife82 0]

It is 1:26 am and I luckily just came across this page.I have a seasonal job and decided I would take this summer to focus on my physical and mental well being. I am a 35 year old female who was just diagnosed with Adhd/Add combined. I have an appointment next week to discuss treatment options with a psychiatrist. I have also been a part of a weight loss program and recently made the decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. I am still in the beginning stages but my surgeon seems to think I can have the surgery in enough time to recover before I go back to work in October. Now here's my dilemma.... If I am treated for Adhd which may be the cause of my obesity... should I still get the surgery? Has anyone been in this predicament? What did you Do? What would you do if you were?

[ZinNH 173]

Hmm, I guess it depends on a lot of things. But since you are meeting with a psych next week, it would be the perfect time to ask!

[KateBruin 344]

It is 1:26 am and I luckily just came across this page.I have a seasonal job and decided I would take this summer to focus on my physical and mental well being. I am a 35 year old female who was just diagnosed with Adhd/Add combined. I have an appointment next week to discuss treatment options with a psychiatrist. I have also been a part of a weight loss program and recently made the decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. I am still in the beginning stages but my surgeon seems to think I can have the surgery in enough time to recover before I go back to work in October. Now here's my dilemma.... If I am treated for Adhd which may be the cause of my obesity... should I still get the surgery? Has anyone been in this predicament? What did you Do? What would you do if you were?

I've never heard of ADHD being the cause of obesity. I have it and obviously I'm overweight if I'm here but I didn't gain any weight until I started an unrelated psych med.

You can start treatment, which will probably be an adderall type drug, before surgery as long as you discuss it with your surgeon and your psych will work with you through the whole process as your requirements for meds can change post-op. The stimulant treatments can help you lose weight but personally it wasn't much and my body acclimated to it very quickly.

My surgery is Wednesday and I haven't discussed my ADHD meds, just my other meds, because I only take it during school or work because I build a tolerance very easily.

Since you're in the beginning stages I would start ADHD meds if your life is negatively affected by the disorder.

That's obviously all just my opinion and experience.

[Sophie2017 2]

There are alot of studies that are finding correlations between ADHD and obesity. Reading those studies is exactly what prompted me to reach out and start my weight loss journey. It's too much to post here but below are a few links that you might find helpful. The cliff notes version goes people with ADD/ ADHD have problems with impulse control and how their brain process "rewards". Our brains just aren't wired the same was as other people's so it can be more challenging to make good healthy food choices when your brain wants nothing but cheese fries. Ghrelin the hunger hormone that is produced in the part of your stomach that will be removed in the sleeve surgery communicates with your brain to tell you that your hungry. In obese people there is already a flaw in the communication that is now further compounded by ADD/ADHD. My motivation for surgery was the removal of the part of stomach that is producing the majority of the Ghrelin and the hope that the reduction in that creates a better balance with my dopamine receptors. As I see it as long as that is there im fighting and unwinable fight against brain chemistry with one arm tied behind my back. My hope is once that is removed then I can use my medications and my ADD coping techniques to help me stay on track.

I have a similar story to yours and was diagnosed at 25 years old. I was put on stimulant medication and initially I lost almost 50 lbs. My favorite part in the beginning was it switched off the part of my brain that dreamed and plotted over food if you gave me a salad for lunch that was my lunch and I ate it and didn't give it another thought. An ADD/ADHD brain on the other hand might decide even though you have brought this salad its now 12:15 and I want a burger and then down the rabbit hole you might go and the salad is long forgotten. Couple that with appetite suppressing side effect and your will lose weight. But as someone stated above eventually your body will adjust to the meds and you will lose some ( not all) of the effect. I started meds at 300 lbs and got down to 254lbs. When I had to take a different job that didn't offer health insurance so I could no longer afford my medications I gained it all back. My meds have not helped me lose any weight in the long run but i do credit them with stopping me from gaining any more. Before meds I was putting on about 15 lbs per year.

My advice would be to not give up on WLS just yet. Your bio does not list your weight but I am going to assume that if your here and seriously considering surgery your BMI is 35 or higher. Any weight lost from medication / treatment of your ADHD is not going to reach the amount you would need to fall into the "normal" BMI range. You will definitely need to work with your Psychiatrist to determine the best course of action for treating your ADHD and that can take some time to find the right combination of therapy, coping techniques, and medication. I would also recommend reaching out to a counselor/ psychologist who specializes in adult ADD/ADHD coping techniques. Just like WLS is a tool for you to use in your weight loss but you have to make the dietary and behavior modifications to ultimately be successful long term. You should look at stimulant medication the same way- its just a tool to use to manage your ADHD but should be part of a larger plan.

Here are those links. www.additudemag.com is a great website on its own to give you tips and tricks for managing and some explanations for why you do and say and act the way you do that will probably lead to some major aaha moments.

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-how-to-end-binge-eating/

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-obesity-hard-wired-for-weight-gain/

https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-obesity-link/