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Lifting to Gain Weight While On Adderall

chicken hoagie

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
363
Location
Illinois
So I wanted to ask the forums opinions on this topic..

I want to start lifting again to gain back some muscle weight and gain back a bit of the healthy, energetic edge I've lost over the past few years, but recently being prescribed Adderall 30 XR'S to help me focus at my new job for the past few months now, it has brought up a few minor health "concerns" i guess you could say..

Before I stopped lifting and left high school a few years back, i was a solid 165, maybe 12% body fat.
These days i am a measley 135lbs, and probably somewhere around 3-5% body fat would be my guess, although not attributed to adderall as I lost most of this weight in the first year of not working out without the help of drugs(or possibly with the help who knows for sure..im no junkie by any means but eh).

But my main concern is where my heart rate should be at when working out. If i have to work out in the afternoon and i took my adderall later in the morning or at noon, I typically find myself feeling slightly weaker, easier to become lightheaded and obviously faster heart rate. Are these symptoms that i can build a tolerance to over time if i don't over-exert myself in the gym? Should i avoid running and cardio exercises altogether? What are the potential health impacts or risks? My main goal is to be able to gain back muscle weight while retaining my health and not ruining my heart in the process, and still able to take my adderall without it hindering my strength. Any supplements or substances I should possibly look into for cardiovascular stability? Anyone else here prescribed adderall and works out? Bueller?
 
Sounds like you want to have your cake, and eat it too.

Others may have better advice, but the best thing I can recommend is starting out with a a lower intensity, and allowing your body to adapt as you increase the intensity. Some people work out on stimulants, but they can really expose underlying conditions. Know your medically history, take it gradual, and back off if you experience side effects like lightheadedness.
 
So if my pulse remains at the desired target rate for my mode of exercise, then i would assume that means I am safe? My heart is already very well conditioned from younger years despite my parents being cigarette smokers and constant exposure to 2nd hand. I also have one cousin that was born with some sort of cardiac arythmic disease that requires either a pacemaker or stint, cant remember which..other than that, my dominant traits of both of my parents indicate I'm extremely cardiovascularly healthy. My resting heart rate when I am sober(not on adderall included) is usually 50-70, and used to be a heavy heavy distance runner. Up to 5-10 miles most days. However many days when ive taken adderall, I usually find myself over 100bpm resting, especially if i had taken caffeine that day also. Although my blood pressure has always been on the low and very healthy side as well, i think it contributes to my lightedheadness(specifically when sitting to standing position).

Honestly, xanax has always personally seemed to do a great job of eliminating just about every side effect adderall has for me, albeit just enough for efficacy, so usually .25-.5mg, but tis be a drug i never want to build a "tolerance" to as I know how nasty withdrawals with benzos are..fish oil is another supplement i like to take daily. Any other suggestions?
 
^I would say see your gp first as we are dealing with a stimulant here. If you are wanting to gain weight in a shirt time of span, you have to be really strict with your diet (protein, lean meat etc.)
 
Well i have never been prescribed Amphetamines as i have just abused them but i know plenty of people who have been scripted them. My friend asked his GP if it was okay for him to jog while on the Dexedrine he was scripted and his doctor said it was fine as long as he stayed well hydrated, didn't take any other stimulants with it including caffeine and nicotine, stayed cool and didn't jog when it was really hot, didn't smoke cigarettes and of course didn't take anymore Dexedrine then he was prescribed.

I would say to definitely ask your doctor before starting any exercise program though no question about it. Weight training can spike your BP quite abit when your working out. If your doctor does give you the green light start slower then you normally would as you don't want to stress your heart out.
 
^^ it depends on my adderall tolerance at the time-being. No tolerance, then yes i can be tachychardic for some time but never nearly to the extent as when mixed with caffeine. My blood pressure is always low(healthy low), even while on adderall or any stimulants.

I do have a friend who took a C4 extreme workout supplement before going for a long hard jog, and said he ended up falling over crutching his heart for 5 minutes before he could stand back up. He was prescribed ritalin as a child and hes on the pretty skinny side, but not "skinny fat" as they say..He had also abused meth and crack for a very short time period, and was a humongous ecstacy user..almost daily back in his young teenage days.

anyways back on to topic more..

I would conclude that the more I lay around and do nothing (not exercising specifically), the more my body is going to wear down on my cardiovascular system from the medication , that may result into more, unhealthy weightloss. My body adapts extremely well to heavy lifting, which is what I want to aim for as it's a mostly noncardiovascular workout that focuses on building strength and muscle mass, but what are adderall's effects on muscle neurogeneration, growth hormones or testosterone levels? I know an overdose symptom of adderall is rhabdomyalalis, which may be still a concerning factor in how i approach my work out if I am aiming to gain muscle.
 
AFAIK, adderall shouldn't affect muscle growth. Don't worry about rhabdomyolisis unless your pee color is changing (getting darker).
 
^^cool, that's what I was more or less wondering..

I don't want to be lifting heavy and hurting myself, or losing even more muscle mass...So if it doesn't carry those risks, then I guess I should be good to go as long as I keep my pulse in check and make sure to *breeeeeeeeeeeathe* so I don't pass out with hundreds of pounds on my back lol.
 
I was prescribed clonidine along side my Adderall and Xanax combo for adult add and anxiety. It "stops the body effects of the Adderall when I've taken too much" I was told by the Dr.
Its a blood thinner I suppose.
 
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