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? asked in HealthDiet & Fitness · 3 years ago

Do I have a serious issue/are my eating habits dangerous?

I'm a 17 year old female who eats barely a meal a day. I take adderall for ADHD and to be completely honest, while it does help me a LOT in school, it also completely takes away my appetite so I take advantage of it a lot and skip meals because I know I won't feel any hunger if I do. This has been going on and off since freshman year (3 years) . I tend to eat barely a meal on weekdays but then on weekends and breaks (like winter break, summer break) when I wouldn't take adderall, I would binge like crazy. I'm a very active competitive dancer so I know eating one meal a day on days where I'm exercising a lot & burning a lot of calories is dangerous but I just can't seem to make myself eat more. I know I do it on purpose but I just have such a huge fear of gaining weight and being unattractive and I hate eating in front of people. I don't know if this is a serious problem and I don't know if I should seek help. Lately I've been so upset and have been having major mood swings and I'm always dizzy from doing anything and I just have the worst memory. Every time I visit my doctor, she brings up how my weight is down and I always just lie and tell her that I've been exercising more and am eating healthier. My BMI is normal and I'm at a healthy weight but I feel like my eating habits are so unhealthy. I try my hardest to stop being the way I am but I just can't :( Not to give my whole life story out, I just don't know if this is serious or not

6 Answers

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  • 3 years ago

    The addarall is basically speed. That is why you do not feel hungry. Eat anyway.

  • Kano
    Lv 7
    3 years ago

    Get off the Adderall, your AHDH is a sympton of underlying problems probably nutritional.

    Read this

    http://www.listentoyourgut.com/symptoms/62/attenti...

    Also fish oil and virgin coconut oil could cure you adhd, our brains need fats to function properly.

    This American idea of fat is bad for you, is causing an epidemic of anxiety, depression and other mental problems

  • ?
    Lv 6
    3 years ago

    It is very serious! It can be dangerous! And cause problems that will last your whole life or it might even kill you! Tell your doctor the truth! She might need to give you a mild appetite stimulant. And it might take some time to get the dosage right, where you eat the right amount. This sounds very similar to an eating disorder, and is definitely having a bad effect on your health. Even if you eat 3 small meals, that's better than what you are doing. And make sure to eat plenty of protein foods (milk and meat group), and veggies. You want to ask your doctor to do blood tests too, because you probably have deficiencies. You are probably anemic, and who knows what else you are lacking. Please take this seriously. People don't realize that eating disorders are very deadly. And even though yours is caused by a medicine, you really need treatment. In your case, the right meds should be perfect- you just have to spend some time trying them to see what works for you. And pray for yourself! I hope this helps you, and you get your answers soon!

  • Alpha
    Lv 7
    3 years ago

    Be honest: you KNOW this is serious otherwise you would not have asked and written all that you did. You stated yourself you KNOW this is not healthy and you used words such as "dangerous", "binge", "always dizzy", etc.

    You admit that you are using adderall and ADHD as an excuse to not eat. You deliberately lied to your doctor KNOWING that it is serious otherwise you would not had lied.

    Just because you have ADHD does not mean you are immune to eating disorders which is exactly what you have - anorexia. You need help and you can start by TELLING YOUR DOCTOR THE TRUTH. It is totally irrational and stupid to lie to someone who is trying to keep you healthy. What did you hope to accomplish by that?

    All the symptoms that you described indicate that your body has already suffered some serious damage and you need to seek help without delay.

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  • 3 years ago

    It sounds serious, but no one but a doctor can tell you for certain, and only if you're 100% honest with that doctor. I recommend you do that immediately. Make yourself healthy, or live a shorter life in an unhealthy body.

  • Hope!
    Lv 7
    3 years ago

    This is serious. Just like a car needs a certain fuel to run well, we need a certain fuel - we need protein, healthy carbs (fruit and veggies), FAT and fiber. Our bodies are really resilient and they will take a lot of punishment and still keep going, but that doesn't mean that everything is working well and thriving. When you don't get the nutrition that our bodies require, you are doing long term damage. As an example, the eyes need nutrients - and long term lack of these nutrients means that the eyes get more and more prone to disease - these eye diseases cause blindness. This is the same with ALL your organs - here's an article on mental health https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/diet-and-...

    You do need to eat better if you want to be healthy in your older years and trust me, it will be here before you know it..

    But also, you need to get over this fear of gaining weight - to eat healthy is not going to make you gain excess weight (sounds like you could use a little extra right now) - if you are afraid to gain, then stay clear of junk foods - stick with veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of everything else. Don't forget fat - fat is brain food! Fat is the way that nutrients are delivered to our cells, fat is essential to your health - good fats are avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and even butter and lard in small amounts. You can read all about this, but your body needs fat.. You need to aim for about 2000 calories if you are active.

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