The Bachelor star Megan Leto Marx has questioned the rise in popularity of ADHD prescribed drugs, and suggested that they are being used by influencers as a weight loss aid.
Megan took to her Instagram stories today for a Q&A segment called “unpopular opinions”. In the segment, she encourage her followers to send in their unpopular opinions, and she would comment on them.
Once fan wrote “[Do you] rekon ADHD is an influencer fad?”. Megan reposted the question and wrote in text on the post: “Things to think about:
– Weight loss due to ADHD medications (is this the new influencer drug, overtaking charlie)
– has become a “trend”
– pharmaceutical companies benefiting
– interesting to me that so many high functioning “influencers” are warking on about how it’s changed their lives & driving other people who feel shitty to try to get medicated too (so many other disorders / issues it could be)
– I do believe this addictive medication has problematic use & is being advertised as an easy fix! easy out
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– we need to address as a society why we aren’t “concentrating”.
Megan also spoke in the clip, and told her followers that a lot of influencers taking ADHD medicine have lost of considerable amout of weight.
“I do think that ADHD diagnosis, there’s a possibility it could be a little bit of a trend. I think it’s, there’s a few things that are interesting to me. I mean, there’s ADHD as a proper neurodevelopmental cognitive disorder, right? And then there’s ADHD that could be brought on by some environmental factors.
“But, who doesn’t have problems concentrating on work, who doesn’t have problems? I also wonder about all these influences that are being diagnosed and medicated for ADHD that have suddenly lost a lot of weight. I think this is interesting.”
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The post quickly received a huge amount of backlash, with Abbie Chatfield, who recently revealed her ADHD diagnosis, commenting on a screenshot of the post saying,” angriest I’ve been in a long time”.
Former MAFS Bride Clare Verrall – who has also has ADHD – aired her grievances over Megan’s post.
“12 months of waitlists, jumping through hoops & $2900 to be diagnosed. Yep. ADHD (particularly in women) is totally just a trend. The medication hasn’t absolutely changed my life at all. Nor has the diagnosis made my entire life make sense and allowed me to stop masking and become authentically me,” she sarcastically commented.
Clare continued, “Educate yourself more on ADHD before commenting though [Megan] you are better than this.”
Just hours after her initial post, Megan took to her Instagram to clarify her point.
“To everyone jumping on the hate train. I’m ADHD diagnosed and am on medication for it. it’s literally changed my life for the better. So I understand the process very well. I took taking an addictive medication very seriously after being misdiagnosed by various doctors over the last fifteen years (and on drugs that really fucked me up),” she began.
The Challenge star continued, “I am (quite obviously) not saying that people are taking meds TO LOSE WEIGHT. That’s ridiculous. I’m saying that there are some effects not being discussed. And that a diagnosis should be taken more seriously.”
For more on this topic, follow the Reality TV Observer.
