Adderall: Weight Loss Fix of the Stars?

Adderall's Diet Drug Origins

The latest news about possible Adderall abuse by some celebrities should not be considered the drug's debut on the weight loss scene. In fact, Adderall — also known generically as amphetamine-dextroamphetamine — was first marketed in the 1960s and 1970s as a diet pill. Since then, however, it has seen its greatest use among those who have ADHD.

In someone with ADHD, the drug re-establishes the chemical balance in the brain that is needed for focus and concentration. For these users, the drug is completely safe. But for those using the drug inappropriately, health risks abound.

Long-term use of Adderall may create the potential for liver problems later on, Diekman says. Other potential risks may manifest themselves much more rapidly.

"Those that improperly use this drug need to know that some people may be allergic to it," Newgent says. "Some may become addicted to it. Dangerous interactions with other meds can occur. And improper use can cause serious heart problems — even death.

"We're not talking about candy here. Unfortunately, some legal drugs get passed around in certain circles like it's Halloween every day."

Does Hollywood Compound the Problem?

But while Adderall may be the newest shortcut to weight loss that has graced the Hollywood scene, it certainly is not the first. And some nutrition experts believe that a general obsession with impossibly trim figures could be fueling such unhealthy diet trends.

"The pressure on young female actresses to stay as thin as possible is only increasing," says Joanne Ikeda, nutritionist emeritus at the University of California in Berkeley. "I watched 'Atonement' last night and thought that Keira Knightley looked like she was a refugee from a concentration camp. Surely she is on a semi-starvation diet that will eventually cause her health to deteriorate."

But the presence of extremely slim actresses in movies could lead to an unhealthy perception of weight in the general public — and a corresponding de-emphasis of healthier means of weight control.