There are many questions surrounding using Ritalin for weight loss. Does it work, is it legal, is it safe? Is there an alternative weight loss pill instead of using Ritalin to lose weight?
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Ritalin for Weight Loss
Ritalin is a prescription medication that is often associated with weight loss.
Can Ritalin help you to lose weight? Possibly, but it does not work in this way for everyone.
Nor is it designed to do so. Weight loss is a possible side effect of Ritalin. It’s not intended for people who need help to become slimmer.
People who need to lose weight are often desperately unhappy about their situation and will go to great lengths to find a way to solve their problem. Unfortunately, they are also often looking for an easy way out.
The best way to lose weight is by diet and exercise. Good supplements and weight-management drugs can help by controlling hunger and/or providing support in other areas but they should always be used alongside low-energy diet plans.
Whether you are using a drug like Ritalin or something else, there are no easy ways out.
Using Other Medication as Weight Loss Pills
There is a trend for using medication intended for one condition for use in another. Arguably the main recipient is the diet industry.
There are several anti depressants that cause weight loss – as a side effect. Wellbutrin is arguably the most commonly.
There are also diabetes medicines like Metformin that can cause weight loss in some cases.
Can I Use Ritalin for Weight Loss?
Ritalin is not a weight management medication but weight loss is a possible side effect. Doctors in countries where it’s legally available may prescribe Ritalin as a weight management aid but using it in this way is “off label” and, in the majority of countries, Ritalin is not legally available at all.
Some people become so fixated with the idea of losing weight with Ritalin they try and obtain it illegally. This is highly inadvisable. As with any other drug, Ritalin can cause side effects. It can also be addictive.
If you are thinking about buying Ritalin illegally, please think again. Apart from presenting possible dangers to health, its abilities as a weight loss aid are not as good as many people think. Good natural supplements are safer and can offer superior results.
You should never use Ritalin or any other medication unless your doctor prescribes it to you.
What Is Ritalin Supposed to Be Used For?
Ritalin is a medicine for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s also useful for treating narcolepsy.
ADHD is a condition that’s commonly associated with children but it affects some adults as well.
People who have ADHD can find it difficult to retain mental focus and concentrate on the things they are trying to do. They may also be prone to bouts of hyperactivity.
Narcolepsy is a condition that causes people to suddenly fall asleep. Often at inappropriate and/or inconvenient times. Like ADHD, narcolepsy can impair concentration.
Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant that can alter brain chemistry sufficiently to improve concentration and help manage the other symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy.
Is It Safe to Use Ritalin to Lose Weight?
If your doctor provides a prescription, it may be safe to use Ritalin for weight loss but it’s important to let your doctor know if you experience side effects other than loss of appetite.
Ritalin side effects can include:
- Anxiety/agitation
- Changes in mood
- Rapid heart rate and/or breathing
- Insomnia
- Blurry vision
- Upset stomach/nausea
- Diarrhea
- Prolonged erection
- Mental confusion
- Delusions/hallucinations
- Jitters
- Seizures
What Is the Connection Between Ritalin and Weight Loss?
Ritalin causes some people to lose their appetite. Its ability to do this can make it easier to get through the day without feeling hungry when you are following a diet plan that only permits small portions of food.
By helping you to eat less, Ritalin makes it easier to sustain an energy shortage within your body. If your body does not get enough energy from food, it has to get energy from its stores of fat instead.
Ritalin reduces appetite by stimulating increases in dopamine and norepinephrine. Both these neurotransmitters are integral to a stress response known as fight or flight.
The presence of extra dopamine and norepinephrine in the blood increases alertness and may reduce hunger. Because Ritalin can do these things, it’s equally open to abuse both as a weight loss aid and as a study drug.
When snorted or injected, Ritalin can mimic the effects of cocaine, so some people use it as an illegal recreational drug.
Even when taken orally, Ritalin may cause addiction. That’s one of the reasons why its use requires the correct medical supervision.
Can You Buy Ritalin Over the Counter for Weight Loss?
Ritalin is a drug. You cannot buy it over the counter but it’s a legal prescription medication in Canada and the USA. Ritalin and similar stimulants are banned in most other countries of the world.
Why Do People Use It?
People use Ritalin for the same reasons they use other weight loss aids.
Firstly, it can make weight loss easier by helping to remove the annoyance of hunger. Its ability to do this may also help people to maintain greater reductions in food. This can speed up weight loss.
Most people who are pursuing weight loss goals are very impatient and see anything that may speed their journey in a favorable light.
Are There Any Similar Drugs That Work for Weight Loss?
Several prescription medications have the potential to support weight loss like Ritalin. All of them are central nervous system stimulants but only one of them is primarily designed to be used as a weight management aid.
Adderall
Adderall is a medication that provides a combination of four amphetamine salts. Like Ritalin, it’s a popular treatment for ADHD and narcolepsy.
As you may be aware, amphetamine is also known as speed, is open to abuse as a recreational drug, and poses a strong risk of addiction. It’s legally available via prescription in the USA and Canada but is banned in most other countries of the world.
Adderall can cause weight loss– it shares Ritalin’s potential to deliver appetite suppression as a side effect. However, it does not work in this way for everyone.
Adderall works slower than Ritalin but the benefits last longer. After three hours the effects of Ritalin will generally be wearing off but Adderall can remain active for up to twice this length of time.
Despite its virtues in certain areas, Adderall can cause quite a lot of side effects other than weight loss and should never be abused.
Vyvanse
Vyvanse and weight loss are sometimes combined. It is a stimulant medication that works similarly to Ritalin and is mainly used for treating ADHD. It also holds the distinction of being the first FDA-approved drug for treating binge-eating disorders.
Vyvanse is an off-label treatment for resistant depression and narcolepsy but not weight loss. People who use the medication in this way do so illegally.
Like Ritalin, one of the things Vyvanse does is increase dopamine and norepinephrine but some people with ADHD respond better to one drug than the other. The reason(s) for this is unclear.
Vyvanse is habit-forming. There is a risk of addiction. It also has many side effects, including the potential to cause cardiac arrest and/or psychosis. So, although the drug has a reputation for weight loss, unless your doctor prescribes it to control binge-eating, you should not be considering using Vyvanse as a weight management drug.
Phentermine
Phentermine is an FDA-approved weight management drug that suppresses appetite by engaging the stress response, fight or flight. It’s legal to buy Phentermine with a prescription if you live in Australia (under the brand name Duromine), Canada, or the USA, but it’s banned in most countries.
Phentermine is extremely popular. Although many people who need to lose weight are not obese enough to get a prescription, it’s a much sought-after medication that’s often seen as the Holy Grail of weight loss.
However, as is the case with all the other drugs people use for weight loss, people often overrate Phentermine’s abilities. It only offers a very limited level of weight loss support and the side effects may be severe.
Phentermine is an amphetamine, so it can also be addictive. It’s another weight management pharmaceutical option that may be beneficial but has the potential to cause you harm. There are many weight loss supplements that are alternatives to Phentermine that work in a similar way buy legal buy OTC.
Is It Legal to Use Ritalin for Weight Loss?
It’s only legal to use Ritalin for weight loss if your doctor prescribes it for this reason. If you are overweight and receiving Ritalin to treat a different condition, such as ADHD, you may find it doubly beneficial but few people are likely to fall into this boat.
Summary and Conclusion
Ritalin is a medication that’s approved in some countries as a prescription treatment for ADHD. Because weight loss is a possible side effect, doctors occasionally prescribe it as an off-label anti-obesity medication.
Ritalin stimulates the central nervous system, producing changes in brain chemistry that may reduce appetite but can also cause addiction. It can cause a number of undesirable side effects as well so using Ritalin for weight loss is not without its risks.
Some people who want to lose weight try to obtain Ritalin illegally. It’s also open to abuse as a study drug. People may be misuse it for recreational purposes as well.
As with any other drug, you should always treat Ritalin with respect. If you can’t obtain it legally, via prescription, it’s unwise to try to obtain it at all.
Many natural supplements are easier to obtain, safer to use, and offer superior results. Some of the ones marketed as Phentermine alternatives can be particularly potent. There is no need to buy Ritalin illegally or gamble with your health.
Other Anti Obesity Medicine That Works in a Similar Way
- Qsymia is a weight loss medication that provides a combination of Phentermine and Topiramate.
- Orlistat is a weight loss medication that comes in two strengths. Full strength Orlistat, often distributed under the Xenical brand name, provides 120mg of the product.
- Alli is a weight management medication you can buy over the counter. It’s a half-strength version of the prescription-only weight loss drug Xenical.
