Lindsey Shaw, widely recognized for her roles in "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" and "Pretty Little Liars," has navigated a challenging path marked by career highs and personal struggles with substance use and mental health. This article delves into Shaw's experiences, focusing on her weight loss journey, her battle with Adderall dependency, and her eventual road to recovery and self-acceptance.
Early Success and the Pressure to Conform
Shaw's career took off with her role as Jennifer "Moze" Mosely in the Nickelodeon series "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide," which aired from 2004 to 2007. Following this success, she continued to make her mark in the entertainment industry with appearances in popular TV shows such as "Pretty Little Liars," where she portrayed Paige McCullers, a character who eventually became central to the plot through her relationship with Emily (Shay Mitchell). However, behind the scenes, Shaw was grappling with significant personal challenges.
The Dark Side of Adderall: Dependency and Weight Loss
Lindsey Shaw has openly discussed her unhealthy relationship with Adderall, a drug commonly prescribed for ADHD but known to cause weight loss due to its appetite-suppressant effects. During a July 2023 episode of "Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide," Shaw revealed the intertwined nature of her eating disorder and drug usage. She admitted that she didn’t address her body image issues because of her dependence on Adderall. Her dependency on the drug was used to keep Shaw thin.
Shaw shared how she felt more confident in her poor handling of her "relationship with food" when she was between working jobs, "because I was always like, ‘Oh, I could always just go get more Adderall.'"
"Pretty Little Liars": A Turning Point
Shaw's struggles with Adderall eventually impacted her role in "Pretty Little Liars." The showrunners began to notice her weight loss, and expressed their concern. Shaw divulged she had a “whole season of using” drug prior to being let go. She recounted the moment she was let go during Season 5 due to her fears about weight loss, sharing, "I got called into the Pretty Little Liars creator's [I. Marlene King] office. And she was just like, 'So, we're gonna let you go,'" Shaw recalled, getting emotional. “She was like, 'It's not because of your acting, but do you have anybody to talk to?'" She goes on to say that she didn't have anyone at the time and that the response was, “'Well, find somebody,' and 'We have to let you go now.'” She went on, “So it was really hard… I got basically let go from Pretty Little Liars in season five because of the weight that I had lost, and it was really an embarrassing, embarrassing thing." Shaw said that she's never made it back to that point in her career before that meeting with King. "It’s a f--ing lot, dude," she said, per TVLine.
Read also: Health and Resilience: The Unsellable Houses Story
Overdose and Hospitalization
Lindsey Shaw's struggles with Adderall were not over. In fact, her drug usage intensified, leading her to overdose on two separate occasions in just a six-month span. In the first instance, which Shaw detailed in a September 2023 episode of "Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide," she spent a day binging on tequila, Adderall, and Xanax. Shaw revealed she poured a handful of the pills into her hand and swallowed them all, which led to her hospitalization. I blacked out for two days. I guess I went to Cedars-Sinai, got my stomach pumped," she shared [via People]. Shaw was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold before she was released.
Support from Co-stars
Co-star and friend Shay Mitchell, who portrayed Emily in the series, tried helping Shaw get back on track with her weight issues by bringing her protein powder. Mitchell was a big support for Shaw as well even as she struggled with her addiction in that final season, with the actress recalling how her co-star would bring her protein powder; they shared a nutritionist. "She was like, 'Girl!'" Shaw said. Shaw remembered Shay Mitchell bringing her protein powder in the midst of her struggles. "We went to the same nutritionist for a while," she said. "She was bringing me protein powder.
Returning to "Pretty Little Liars" and Finding Closure
That's why coming back to the show was so impactful. "I used that show as a therapy session every time I went in," she explained. "cried harder there than I did in that whole six years by myself. Everything went into Paige. "It was really sweet, because they brought me back in season seven," she said. "It was so lovely of that writing team to just see that relationship and that character out. She added: "They did me so right bringing me back for season seven and just letting me say goodbye. "That scene was just us [Shaw and Mitchell’s characters] saying bye at the airport,” she added. Shaw explained that she’s “so much happier” now than 10 years ago. “They did me so right bringing me back for Season 7 and just letting me say goodbye.
Sobriety and Self-Acceptance
Thankfully, Shaw has been sober for several years and seems comfortable in her substance-free life. "There are things that I enjoy so much about my body now that I can't put words to," the 34-year-old actor said. "I'm starting to be able to, like, step away from or forgive and appreciate and accept. That was a wild time, and it kind of brought me here to where I am now.
Read also: Weight Loss Guide Andalusia, AL
Read also: Beef jerky: A high-protein option for shedding pounds?