Does ADHD Medication Cause Eating Disorders?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, diagnoses have steadily increased over the past decades which has resulted in more interest, awareness, and research on the topic. Research shows that people with ADHD are 3.8 times more likely to develop an eating disorder.
In order to understand the connection between disordered eating and ADHD it is helpful to better understand what ADHD is. ADHD is an “ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.” It is characterized by three primary components. Individuals with ADHD may experience one, two, or all three of these qualities.
Inattention: barriers to staying on task, maintaining focus, difficulty with organization
Hyperactivity: consistent movement and restlessness involving fidgeting, taping, or talking including situations where it may not always be appropriate.
Impulsivity: doing behaviors without thinking, challenges with maintaining self-control, desire for immediate rewards.
Treatment of ADHD varies from medication to therapeutic interventions, sometimes a combination of the two, depending on the individuals’ preferences and specific symptoms. The most common type of medication for ADHD is a stimulant. Stimulant medications have an appetite suppressing effect.
When an individual has ADHD, an eating schedule and routine can be challenging to maintain and missed meals are not uncommon. There is a cycle that has been described as “The ADHD Eating Spiral” that can lead to binge eating. This cycle includes four stages:
Taking ADHD medication in the morning
Having a reduced appetite from the medication throughout the day coupled with increased hyperfocus on tasks
Missing meals throughout the day
A binge in the evening when the drug has worn off and appetite is suddenly back in full swing after hardly eating all day
This cycle, as well as many other behaviors that are overlapping between individuals with eating disorders and ADHD, can help explain why this connection is being found in research between eating disorders and ADHD. Below I answer some commonly asked questions around ADHD and disordered eating.
Why are individuals with ADHD more likely to develop eating disorders?
The likelihood of developing an eating disorder has a lot to do with genetic, environment, psychological, and social factors. There are many behaviors someone with ADHD may experience that can predispose them to disordered eating and eventually an eating disorder. Some of these behaviors can include:
Forgetfulness. Forgetting to eat throughout the day because of various tasks or getting distracted can lead to binging behaviors later in the day and undernutrition.
All-or-nothing approach to decisions. Either being hyper focused on healthy eating and food choices or a feeling of overwhelm when faced with diet and nutrition information.
Restricted diets because of misinformation. There is a lot of misinformation around diets and ADHD. It is possible that someone with ADHD may have heard some of this messaging related to restricting certain foods and food groups in order to “help” with ADHD hyperactivity. Restrictive diets are a common sign of disordered eating and eating disorders.
Reward deficiency syndrome. Individuals with ADHD who are experiencing reward deficiency syndrome, or a deficiency in dopamine, may seek out eating opportunities in excess in order to get more dopamine stimulation.
Challenges noticing interoceptive senses. This means challenges noticing internal body cues such as hunger and fullness. This can lead to unintentionally over or under eating throughout the day.
Overall, studies have found that ADHD is a risk factor for eating disorders. Continuing to better understand the depth of relationship between the two is ongoing in the research.
Does ADHD medication cause eating disorders?
As a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating, I believe this question makes some assumptions about eating disorders that are not true. That is, that they are caused by one specific thing and that it is possible for that one thing to be medication. Eating disorders are complex mental health disorders that are caused by a combination of genetics, behavior, psychological, and social factors.
Eating disorders are not caused by medications, although individuals struggling with disordered eating and eating disorders have misused ADHD stimulant medication in an effort to change their body size. The addition of medication for ADHD can also lead to some disordered eating behaviors such as binge eating or undernutrition because of the appetite suppressing nature of the stimulant medication as described above.
Ultimately, the development of an eating disorder is multifactorial. Individuals with ADHD are at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder for so many different reasons. Navigating neurodivergence and eating disorders can be very challenging to do alone, and we don’t believe you should have to. There is support and help out there. If you’re currently experiencing disordered eating and have ADD/ADHD or if you’re feeling concerned about how to avoid disordered eating while taking ADHD medication. Or, if you have any concerns about disordered eating in general, please reach out to the caring dietitians at Bravespace Nutrition for support!
You may also like:
Do you have ADD or ADHD and want support on navigating difficulties with food and your body? Are you frustrated that no one knows how to offer guidance to you based on the unique challenges that ADD and ADHD brings? Our dietitians can help!
Our Seattle-based virtual dietitians are eating disorder specialists trained to help you navigate the recovery process from the comfort of your home. At Bravespace Nutrition, we focus on mending your relationship with food and your body so that you can be free from disordered eating or the eating disorder. For more information, schedule a free 15-minute discovery call today! We are happy to answer questions and support you.