Can we have a discussion about ADHD & Mounjuro

[plantpottie]

I had my first injection a few days ago (25ml)

I have ADHD and have always yo-yoed.
I can lose weight when I absolutely commit to it, but it has to be very full on otherwise I just lose interest and throw in the towel.

I started ADHD drugs (Elvanse) a few years ago and that lead to me 'naturally' in that it was effortless. I assumed I was losing weight because I had more energy to be more active, and the drugs gave me some dopamine which I am normally lacking, which had lead me to seeking dopamine through food/eating.

My weight was easily stable for a couple of years, I was slim, didn't think about needing to diet and more importantly my weight was not creeping up which it always did if I wasn't actively trying to keep it stable.

I then had a bout of illness and fatigue following a very difficult time and put on a 3 stone in a year

So last week I ordered my first prescription of Mounjuro. I was very apprehensive because fatigue is still a big problem for me, so much so I can't exercise and get very tired doing normal day to day activities. I had read on here some people reported feeling more tired on the jabs so it was a worry for me.

However (I jabbed last thing at night) the next day and every day since I've felt much less fatigued. I've been eating regular small meals or my usual food, I don't feel especially hungry, but there is a feeling of hunger throughout the day before I eat. I'm drinking the usual amounts of tea or water.

But what's really extraordinary is my head space. I've been finding my thoughts seem more ordered and focused, I'm not constantly being bombarded with 'noise' physical feedback from my body (stomach) so it's not just the release from the temptation to eat, but that my brain can get peace to just get on with work and get my thoughts down cohesively (I'm writing a paper for work at the moment, WFH).

I'm now thinking how the hell can I stay on these jabs, not for my waistline but for my career!
I'm still taking my ADHD meds as usual.
But the combination of the two is remarkable.

Has anyone else with ADHD experienced this?

I don’t have adhd, but didn’t wish you to go unanswered, it sounds like it has really worked for you and I’ve read similar from others.

I have ADD and haven't noticed this. It sounds like you're getting a bonus effect!

I've definitely read similar from other people, I wonder if that will be researched some day x

This is so interesting. I’m undiagnosed, but everything points towards ADHD with me. I have read before about ADHD and food and it definitely fits in terms of binge eating, emotional eating, yo-yo dieting - very extreme restriction as a teenager. As you say I can stick to a diet for so long, but I can’t have a day off as the wheels fall off and I use it as an excuse to go back to unhealthy habits. I know it’s willpower, but it’s bloody hard maintaining a constant battle.

I've read a few stories like this and am fascinated. I've just been diagnosed with adhd and start titration next week.

I've been on MJ since Jan and the difference is huge. I wasn't stuffing take aways every night but I had no impulse control and needed to just finish what I was eating or eat food and fast so wouldn't be bothered to make anything.

I had been on the waiting list for adhd diagmosis/ elvanse partly because of this but then decided to try MJ.

I am curious how the 2 drugs will work together and ideally would have done elvanse first as I'm ready now eating small meals. I hope they still give me elvanse.

I'm so hoping elvanse helps me to focus and get things done and tbh was hoping for energy on it as I struggle with fatigue...

MJ has been like magic.

@FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden definitely come back and let us know how Elvanse works for you.
I'm only on quite a low dose (30mg) and it did help my fatigue initially, but getting ill has knocked the stuffing out of me so it's hard to say.
I will always have much less energy than most people. This is probably likely due to other connected health problems that ND people often have, but there seems no magic cure for this other than to pace and avoid boom and bust, which I think Elvanse helps with.

It's interesting how well MJ is working for you. I honestly wouldn't even care if I didn't lose weight (I'm BMI 31 verses my usual BMI 22) because the energy and focus it's given me makes me feel 'normal' for the first time. My thinking is so much clearer at work. Much clearer than the difference I got with Elvanse alone.

I heard this too and also that it works for addiction like drugs and smoking and alcohol. I believe in the future it could be prescribed for many issues.

I also believe it's our diet that's making us all unwell in different ways. We are all depleted of food nutrition and insulin resistant. This is resetting that for us

My dd said the exact same, she felt more stable emotionally, had less of the noise in her head and was able to concentrate better. She had to stop as she had a seizure on it and had got to desired weight, but she says she misses the effects.

@FatsiaJaponicaInTheGarden they definitely will prescribe you something if that's what you want.
Everyone responds differently on the different drugs available. I started on Elvanse and was pleased with it so the Dr kept me on it as apparently it is the best one (plus only 1 tablet to remember a day which is a huge bonus!)
I think Elvanse is the best for controlling binge eating, but I'm not sure as for me reducing fatigue and increasing my ability to focus at work was my biggest goal.

I'm not sure you can stay in MJ for life? But you can stay on Elvanse so you've got that safety net.

Hi, no experience of Mounjaro but DC takes Elvanse and finds it excellent for ADHD (was previously on Concerta and finds Elvanse more effective). However we are concerned about its appetite suppressant side effects. DC really struggles to eat during the day on Elvanse and keeps losing weight. We are trying to make breakfast as calorific as possible and DC occasionally takes a day off meds just to increase calorie intake (otherwise BMI easily slips below 19)

Yes, I think that's common in children.
Every child I know in ADHD meds is tall & slim bordering on thin with little appetite during the day.
They either have to eat lots in the evening when the meds wear out or they don't take the drugs in the school hols, or both.

Unfortunately my appetite returned after about 12 months of being on the meds so it wasn't a permanent side effect. I wonder if it's partly because children are more 'entertained' at school/home and their food intake is more controlled/controllable by the adults in their lives and so they can't sit on the sofa and stuff biscuits into their mouths night after night like I could when I was too exhausted to do anything else.

I was diagnosed with ADHD last year and am titrating on meds now. ive been on Mounjaro since May.

I noticed that the food noise in my head makes me anxious and this anxiety takes up lots of head space, making it hard to focus. I also rely on food for dopamine - how the heck are you supposed to do a boring task without chocolate???

So far I’m not having huge success with adhd meds but I start Evanse next week.

My son’s bmi is 17! (Hes 16 1/2) Hes just been diagnosed with adhd but not yet on meds. He’s naturally tall and skinny and although I’ve had concerns about his weight for years he’s rarely ill and the doctors are unconcerned.

It would be quite easy for my DC to drop down to 17. I find myself making smoothies with full fat milk and handfuls of walnuts, bananas and berries as liquid is sometimes easier for DC to consume. Putting cake in lunchbox etc. It's bizarre for me as someone who has always tried to avoid the extra calories as I gain weight super easily.

OP interested that the appetite suppressant wears off after a year or so. And apologies for slight thread detail.

"Derail"

I have ADHD, I never got as far as meds because of other health issues. I started MJ last year and the improvement in my ability and focus is unreal.

There is already research starting. There are a few clinical trails looking at Monjaro & Ozempic and alcoholism. A higher proportion of alcoholics (and people with other addictions) have ADHD so the links are being made. So many people are reporting it's stoping their ADHD and/or OCD 'brain noise'

I have ADHD and recently started Mounjaro

It has been so amazing! I feel so calm and focused

I am much more present

I reach for my phone, coffee, alcohol and food so much less

I had this with saxenda, long before people had started remarking on the benefits of these drugs in adhd.
Unfortunately I haven’t experienced the same with mounjaro

I do find that I don’t fancy alcohol and that I’m less inclined to drink caffeine

Don’t forget that the adult bmi scale doesn’t apply to under 18’s, you can calculate a median bmi by age for children. He may not actually be very underweight.

My son’s bmi is 17! (Hes 16 1/2) Hes just been diagnosed with adhd but not yet on meds. He’s naturally tall and skinny and although I’ve had concerns about his weight for years he’s rarely ill and the doctors are unconcerned

I wouldn’t worry. Mine was under the bottom centile for weight and in the over 90 for height before they were diagnosed ADHD or started meds. They were given a scope to make sure there were no allergies and had a full work up to ensure no deficiencies. Nothing wrong at all. The paed gastro said some kids are just like that and if it was the 1900’s, 20’s or 40’s (not including the depression) where kids had a natural diet and did so much walking it wasn’t funny then they’d probably be viewed as very normal, it’s just that the curve has shifted massively with modern diets and the fact kids don’t walk umpteen kilometres each day anymore.

I would always see parents with kids on ADHD meds, who were nowhere near as thin as mine, fretting about their weight and taking them off meds in school hols to put weight on. The paed gastro said paeds now just pander to parents health anxiety over this as they aren’t going to listen to anyone so they just smile and nod and play along basically.

As an adult my child is still super thin. Never been unhealthy though, in fact they have been the most robust out of all the family and their siblings who are all thin but not nearly as thin (oddly, as both DH and I are obese). They have plenty of energy, play lots of sports requiring endurance/stamina, no issue.

Will always be amazed by people who are happy to tell me their (lack of) weight is caused by their ADHD meds though, when they were like that before being diagnosed or starting meds!

I don't have ADHD but was in a bad habit of drinking wine every night. I haven't had a drink since my first injection, unless one was forced on me, when I've just taken a sip and left it.

I've read that medics are very interested in the way Mounjaro affects addiction - particularly smoking, gambling and drinking. I've heard it's good for people with ADHD, too. I wonder whether they'll be able to separate out that part that is good for addictions from the part that makes it good for overweight people - that could have a huge impact on society.

I take Concerta for my ADHD and have also been on MJ for the past 7 months but have noticed zero interaction between the two meds.

MJ helps reduce the food noise regardless of having ADHD or not. And obviously for many people with ADHD, we tend to comfort eat if we’re not getting our dopamine fix from elsewhere (such as from exercise).

I’ve had months of being on MJ without taking Concerta (due to the recent supply issues) but now I’m back on Concerta again (supply issues seem to be resolved/resolving), there is zero difference with MJ, for me at least.

I was just coming on to say this.

The link is to the dopamine pathway. So in ADHD there is a reduction in dopamine as there is in drug use disorders. The drug has been shown to taper out the dopamine levels reducing those lows ( leads to cravings) and highs associated with both ADHD, binge eating and addictive behaviours.

From a personal perspective I have all the symptoms of ADHD and this drug has given me a clarity and productivity that I could never have imagined before. That along with a complete reduction in my arthritis symptoms ( saw this effect immediately before I had even lost anything) is reason enough for me to stay on this drug for life.