I wasn't sure where to post this, but here it is: I had a check-up and an assessment for ADD. Since I am now the unofficial poster child for ADD, I have a prescription for Adderall. I can take 1 or 2 per day. I've taken them since Friday (only 1 per day) and I've felt no effect at all. The doctor's office suggests I take 2 per day now.

Does anyone have any experience with Adderall? I am wondering what to expect.

Doc also sent me to the lab to have some bloodwork done. He was aiming to convince me that a low-thyroid condition wasn't going to be my (and I quote) "salvation".

I got the results back today:

Lipid panel:
Triglycerides: 83
Total cholesterol: 180
HDL: 60
LDL:103
Chol/HDLC ratio: 3.0

I've heard that the ratio is actually more important than the numbers themselves. I am concerned about my LDL being a few points higher than "optimum".

ALSO: I fasted for 14 hours prior to this blood test. On my metabolic panel, my Glucose level was 98....the normal range shown is 65-99. Isn't that kind of high for someone who hasn't eaten in 14 hours? If it is....what COULD that mean. I'm not asking for medical advice....they said all my numbers came back in the normal range, so a follow up appointment wasn't necessary.

My TSH was 1.82. The normal range shows 0.40 to 5.50. I may ask him if this is "low-normal" and if supplementing with low doses of Synthroid may help me. I have quite a few symptoms of low thyroid levels, but my tests ALWAYS come back "normal".

If anyone has any comments or advice, I would appreciate it. In the meantime, I'll just take 2 Adderall tomorrow and see what happens!

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Hi, Maxibee. The best consultant for all your questions is, of course, your doctor. I don't have any experience with Adderall, but I do keep on top of lipids and thyroid issues.

Here's the mega-information site for thyroid: http://www.thyroid-info.com/
There's also an active discussion group on thyroid issues over here:
http://www.lowcarb.ca/

Thyroid treatment is controversial, in that many doctors rely on blood tests alone, while others are more sensitive to symptomatic evidence. I'd continue to do your homework, and bring some information from books or internet references to discuss with your doc next time.

I'm currently working with my doc to convert from levothyroxine (generic Synthroid) to Armour, an older, "natural" form of thyroid supplement. The chemical make-up is different. I can't tell any difference so far, but we're still working out the correct dosage.

I've never found "low thyroid" to be a big factor in my weight management efforts. No "magic pill" there. It's kind of a balancing act.

Heredity has so much to do with the whole lipid thing. I believe that regular exercise--both cardio and weights--has the most favorable effect, especially for increasing HDL (the "good" stuff). My total Chol tends to be on the high side (currently 238) but my HDL is 120. Triglycerides 43. My ratio of HDL/LDL is .92

I'll have to look at my profile when I get to the office today and compare the reference numbers for the TSH. As much as I'd like to think a difference in thyroid meds will help me drop "the last ten pounds" I don't think it's going to happen.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Barb, thanks for your insight here. Maybe when I go back to have my Adderall usage evaluated, I can corner the doc into talking to me. Since my numbers were all in normal range, he told the nurse to tell me a follow-up visit would not be needed.

I did a search after I posted and read some old threads on this very subject. I had a friend that was diagnosed with PCOS, got some meds, and dropped 35 pounds in about 6 weeks. It was amazing. I guess I am more or less searching for that "helpful" if not magic pill. I work alot harder than I ever used to at losing weight and the effects are less and less.
I believe in the "Golden Chance" at losing the low carb way. Alot of people go on and off lowcarb and do fine each time. But some of us, like me, get less and less effect from lowcarbing each time the WOE is reintroduced. I've been off and on so many times now, I feel like I am barely maintaining while I'm being strict.

Honestly, give any other overweight person my life and they would lose weight quickly and easily....for me, it's like pulling teeth!

I'm not giving up the fight. I just worked out on my home gym, I ate well today, and I'm drinking some water now. I took my supplements earlier, and plan to get to bed real soon.

Take care!

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Maxibee - Your cholesterol ratio is excellent. And Ldl is only slightly above the ideal. No worries there. Below is an excerpt from a website about cholesterol.

"An average ratio would be about 4.5. Ideally we want to be better than average if we can. Thus the best ratio would be 2 or 3 or less than 4."

Maxibee, I share your frustration. I stay very close to the minimum on carbs--30-50 net--as maintenance. No frills, no treats. I take that back. I do drink wine pretty often. LCE isn't like the deprivation and starvation of a low-fat plan, however, and that's why it works better for me over time.

At 5'3, I find that 1500-1800 calories is the most I can eat to maintain. An even more important element is daily exercise, at least 30 minutes, either weights or cardio. When I'm working to get rid of a few extra pounds of weight creep, I add more cardio--a walk every day, and a longer run on the weekend.

I'm headed into another milestone birthday--60 next year. Hormone depletion has rearranged my fat cells in a good way, but keeping the old metabolism cranking is a real commitment.

Hope you find the right balance of thyroid to support your other weight management strategies.

P. S. I just realized I meant to post my thyroid numbers to compare with yours.
TSH (3rd generation--whatever that means) 1.9
The reference range is .35 - 5.50, which puts my number somewhat low, like yours.
Total T3 1.0 Range .6-1.8
Total T4 4.4 Range 6.5-10.5

Based on those numbers, my doc will be INCREASING my dosage of Armour thyroid--probably from 1 grain to 1.5--roughly the equivalent of the .15 of levothyroxine I was taking before I switched in August, according to an online chart I've consulted. The Armour delivers a combination of T3 and T4, while the levo only delivers the T3. A doctor who's experienced in thyroid treatment knows the fine points of the chemistry, and will work with you as an individual, not as a statistic.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Thanks for the info, Rob.

Barb, I was reading about your Armour stuff on a website: "About" thyroid. There are a bunch of things to read, but I clicked on one in particular: HELP! My TSH is "Normal" But I Think I'm Hypothyroid.

Veeeeerrrrry interesting! You must've had the TRH test to have the T3 and T4 numbers broken down. I just Googled the title: HELP! My TSH is "Normal" and went right to this very article, if you are interested. This article mentions "T3 is available on it's own, as a brandname drug known as Cytomel, or can be included with T4 in the naturally derived thyroid drug Armour Thyroid, or the synthetic version....."

So, maybe I should take the advice of the article's author and "look outside the standard endocrinology community and find a doctor who has a more holistic approach."

Thanks again for you input. I always appreciate a "been there, done that" point of view.

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Thanks for the pointer to the article, Maxibee. I've read it with interest, and reviewed other info about thyroid management. I can see why doctors--let alone patients--would be challenged.

Hope you get the solutions you're looking for.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Bump up for Barb Keith...and a note: I am just now beginning to understand that the higher your number on your thyroid test, the lower your TSH level. Lower numbers mean higher TSH level. It's very confusing!

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Max, your cholesterol numbers look good to me. The whole thyroid thing really confuses the heck out of me too. Endocrinology is such a confusing subject. And our hormones are so reliant on other hormones. When one gets out of whack, another can be knocked off kilter too. I hope your dairy experiment will yield you some answeres.

As for the ADD, why do you think you have that? I know a lot of adults can have undiagnosed ADD. Were you unable to concentrate as a kid? Does the Adderall affect your appetitie? I know Ritalin for kids has an effect on their appetites, making it difficult to get them to eat. From what I understand, caffeine is supposed to have a calming effect on children. Is Adderall a stimulant like Ritalin? ..............so many questions.

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You cholesterol looks great! While the medical community in the U.S. pushes for the "under 200", doctors in many European countries are finding that even as high as 230 is perfectly acceptable. There are even studies now that have shown that low cholesterol (under 140) is just as bad as too high. Looks like you're right where you need to be with the overal numbers

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

Thanks for the input, Katie. My cholesterol has always been around this range, although it dropped to 145 one time.....the first time I was on lowcarb for a while. I want to keep an eye on my LDL. It's okay for now. I just don't want it to get any higher.

My good results mean one things to me: I HAVE been eating right and exercising. Not as much as some, but if I were not doing things right the majority of the time, those numbers would not be that good.

Barb, my doc gave me this really complicated explaination of how people with ADHD and ADD react exactly opposite than "normal" people do to a stimulant. I am very sensitive to most drugs, but I felt no effect at all with only taking one. The scrip says take one or two, so now I take 2. If I did NOT have ADD, I would be bouncing off the walls. The fact that I feel little or no effect tells me I really do have it.
ADD is a condition inherited from one or both parents. It has nothing to do with intelligence. ALOT of brilliant people have ADHD or ADD. The problem is more or less the ability to focus thoughts and/or the inability to exercise self-control. The self-control issue is predominantly an ADHD condition. In grade school, I would get done with my "stupid, boring" work and walk around talking to other kids. I didn't want to do my homework becuase it was repetitive and boring. I knew the Dewey Decimal System at 11, because I got sent to the Library to shelve books so I could stay out of the teacher's hair. I graduated 4th in my class with no effort at all. (I was too self-concious to make a speech, so I didn't even want to be the Valedictorian or Salutatorian.) I got fabulous ACT and SAT scores. But I never went to college. Why? I didn't think I could keep my act together. I still love to read the Medical Encyclopedias. I retain alot of the information. I just can't remember to lay something out for dinner tomorrow.

I asked my doctor if it's possible I'm just dingy. Forgetting things and not being able to focus. Being easily overstimulated, having anxiety, etc. He said REAL ADD could not be
"psychotherapied" away. No amount of psychiatry could make a person not have ADD. It is a brain/thought pattern/neuron-firing problem for which there is no cure. It is only managed.

I don't know that the Adderall (which contains 2 amphetamines) has helped me. It darn sure doesn't suppress my appetite as promised. I think I got some placebos! I've been taking it for 11 days now. I guess, like my non-dairy experiment, I will just have to wait and see.

It's awful being smart and too goofy to use it.

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I know all about the "smart and too goofy to use it".

My husband tells me that I have "blond roots". I have a genius level IQ, but I have trouble with day-to-day functioning. Things like forcing myself to sit down and balance my checkbook, remembering to defrost stuff for dinner, making sure there are clean clothes for the people in my household. My poor son is 4, and he is the one who vacuums, because I never quite remember to do it. I get all caught up in some project or a book, and everything around me can be literally falling apart, and I won't notice. He's also my life organizer. He already has an amazing ability to focus, and reminds me of the 2 or 3 things that I really HAVE to have when we grocery shopping, so that I don't forget. Yes, I have a grocery list, but I do get sidetracked easily.

I hope the medications start to work for you soon. I have a stepson with ADHD and he'd go off of his periodically and then when he went back on them, it would take a couple of MONTHS before we'd start to see an improvement.

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

GEE, maybe I have ADD too. I can so relate to "forgetfulness" and dingyness at times. When I am TRYING to organize my house, I do get sidetracked. I don't remember as a kid being a pain to my teachers tho. (Maybe just ADD not ADHD) I've always just labeled myself "Organizationally Challenged." Having worked with LD kids, some of which had ADD or ADHD, I know it has NOTHING to do with intelligence. (I think a LOT of highly intelligent people have ADD and can absorb an awful lot.)

Max, too bad you're not getting the appetite suppressing effect. So, are you finding that it calms you down at all?? Jeez, if I took something like that, I'd be sleeping ALL the time (if I were truly ADD). OTOH, I might be bouncing off the walls. Who knows.

I hope you get some resolution with this.

Hey, is there a new "Lost" thread going??? (or Nip/Tuck??)

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Um... I guess that's true, but the brain can learn to compensate - at least, that's what I was told. That's probably a better possibility in younger ADD people. Then, also, there are medications that impact two different neurotransmitters to help control ADD. Sorry for the vagueness - I really don't remember the names; although I recall that Wellbutrin addresses one of the neurotransmitters.

While psychotherapy won't make ADD go away, it can help one develop coping behaviors to minimize the impact of the ADD "disability" on your life. Although, I'm not sure it's a "disability" so much as a "different ability".

There's a lot to be learned about ADD; adult ADD, especially, is poorly studied.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Teel, is it the seratonin and norepinephrine chemicals of the brain that are affected? I know those are closely related to depression. I can't remember if I ever knew what brain chemicals are involved with ADD. I suppose I could look it up on the net, but at this point in the evening, I'm too gosh darn tired to do much of anything that requires brain activity. (It's hard enough for me to type this without it looking like gibberish. LOL)

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