Adderall: Weight Loss Fix of the Stars?

March 25, 2008— -- From crash diets to killer workouts, it's little secret that the weight loss regimens of the stars are not always healthy ones.

But a relative newcomer to the celebrity weight loss buzz — the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Adderall — has a number of nutrition experts worried that those hoping to emulate their favorite celebrities could be putting their health at grave risk.

According to a report in the New York Daily News on Monday, a number of female celebrities have used prescription Adderall, even if they have not been diagnosed with ADHD. And reports also suggest that some of these starlets have resorted to crushing and snorting these pills as a way to deliver a quicker effect.

"Often, if we're just beginning to hear of stories about inappropriate use of drugs, like Adderall, for weight loss, it means it's already a significant problem," says Jackie Newgent, a registered dietitian and New York City-based nutrition consultant.

Connie Diekman, president of the American Dietetic Association and director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, says that "few of my clients report using Adderall for weight loss, but I am very aware of the existence of this problem.

"While these identified risks are significant, the risk that is of biggest concern is the implication that, because celebrities do this, it must be safe," Diekman adds. "Celebrities are viewed as role models — or at least idols — for many people, and ... such potentially harmful behavior puts them and others [at] unknown risk."

And as the number of legitimate prescriptions for the drug grows, some worry that the rates of its abuse could climb as well.

"I find the use of Adderall for weight loss particularly troubling," says June Stevens, chair of the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "So many of our youth take Adderall for attention deficit disorder. I fear it may lead to eating disorders and dependency on the drug as a weight loss aid."