Children, ADD/ADHD Medication and Appetite
I have a wonderful friend who has a 7 year old son who is on ADHD medication. He is having a hard time getting his son to eat and/or gain weight. He sees a county doctor, so it is not much of a partnership as it is the doctor telling him what to do. The doctor's office has expressed a concern over his son's weight and my friend is at a loss about what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions? He thinks the medication is Strattera. Any suggestions?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Margaret on -
Strattera doesn't usually cause a decrease in appetite; usually it is the stimulants that cause that problem. My suggestions to families are usually as follows: if giving the meds first thing in the morning, your child may not be hungry for breakfast. Most children will drink chocolate milk, however, so giving them Carnation Instant Breakfast (chocolate flavour) usually works. If his child is having trouble gaining weight, then he should be having whole (3.25 %) milk. Lunch is often a write-off - don't worry about it too much. Send a reasonably healthy lunch, but with tempting high calorie snacks in it. When the child comes home, you can tell when the meds are wearing off by when he gets hungry. If he is not hungry at supper, don't worry. Serve him with a teaspoon, literally, and don't make eating an issue. Supper is about manners and practicing conversation and social skills. However, before supper, serve up a plate of what you would expect him to eat, and put it in the fridge. That way, when his meds wear off, and he suddenly claims he is starving and is going to DIE if he doesn't eat something NOW, his supper can be popped in the microwave and warmed up, and he can eat. When he is hungry again half an hour later, he can have a sandwich and a fruit, same as he would for a lunch. If he is still hungry later, he can have a bedtime snack. If his weight is a concern, as you mentioned above, his bedtime snack can be a milkshake made with whole milk, icecream, carnation instant breakfast powder (or pediasure instead of the milk and instant breakfast powder, but it is more expensive!!) and chocolate,(or another flavour) syrup. This will help get his calories in, but also make sure that he is getting the proper nutririon as well. A good multivitamin is a good idea, and some omega 3 and 6 supplements (usually as fish oil vits for kids) wouldn't hurt either.
I hope that this is helpful!!
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Permalink Reply by T. on -
I am going through a similar situation and I have found it has really made it a fight to get my son to take his adderal. He hates the "crash" and not being able to get sleep. I have started the reward incentive to keep him on track but I can't help but wonder if I should bag it when his natural defenses are telling me that this is not healthy for his body. I can't get over the drug issues and I am not satisfied with the research time and effectiveness of many of the other options . We have had him properly titrated so the dosage is right and to see him function on meds is truely amazing. I am on meds too so I understand. I have relaxed about the food and I did something similar as Margaret suggested, however I make sure Ben has a proper breakfast prior to taking the meds. So lunch is a bust, but sometimes I can entice him with a real vanilla milk shake, protien and fat.... and he is hungry after dinner, so I am trying to relax about that. I know that doesn't really go away as I have been on meds for quite sometime. I really like the carnation & lunch suggestions. It's not so easy to have your children on this medication when you take it yourself and have so much personal knowledge about it. It reeks havoc with my mothering instincts.
One bit of advice/information. a 5mil dosage/or so can make a real difference....Please tell your friend to have his son evaluated and titrated properly. A general doc or Peditrician is not the best way to deal with ADHD. It's worth every penny and the peace of mind and knowledge gained from an ADHD focused therapist &/or psychologist is invaluable. Oh & tell him that lots of hugs will help them both over the next few years.
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Permalink Reply by Alyssa The Otter One on -
Thank you for your suggestions! I took them school shopping yesterday, but the store we went to didn't have the Carnation Instant Breakfast. I picked up some Ovaltine for now. He is such a good kid! He's been stammering and ticking less. At least when I have been around (I go over to their place Friday nights after work as a standard thing). It has seemed to help that he knows that Friday is my night to see him. I am very, EXTREMELY lucky to have a husband and my own kids who care for them too and are willing to "share" mom to a point.
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Permalink Reply by Margaret on
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Just a suggestion for sleep - it is usually a result of not having any meds in their system, and as several children have told me"my brain is going to fast to go to sleep!" Melatonin is a wonderful solution for many, many people. Melatonin is a chemical that your brain makes naturally, and it helps set your day/night cycle. You can buy it in the vitamin aisle, it comes in quick dissolve tablets. Most tablest are 3mg, and children can have up to 3 tablets about 30 minutes before bed. It really does help with the sleep isssues!!!
Just a note - if you pedatrician has a lot of experience with ADD, then they can be an invaluable resource!! Here in Canada, we don't have enough child psychiatrists/psychologists, and paediatricians are the ones that deal with AD/HD. (We are trained as specialists here, though, not as primary care physicians.)
T. said:I am going through a similar situation and I have found it has really made it a fight to get my son to take his adderal. He hates the "crash" and not being able to get sleep. I have started the reward incentive to keep him on track but I can't help but wonder if I should bag it when his natural defenses are telling me that this is not healthy for his body. I can't get over the drug issues and I am not satisfied with the research time and effectiveness of many of the other options . We have had him properly titrated so the dosage is right and to see him function on meds is truely amazing. I am on meds too so I understand. I have relaxed about the food and I did something similar as Margaret suggested, however I make sure Ben has a proper breakfast prior to taking the meds. So lunch is a bust, but sometimes I can entice him with a real vanilla milk shake, protien and fat.... and he is hungry after dinner, so I am trying to relax about that. I know that doesn't really go away as I have been on meds for quite sometime. I really like the carnation & lunch suggestions. It's not so easy to have your children on this medication when you take it yourself and have so much personal knowledge about it. It reeks havoc with my mothering instincts.
One bit of advice/information. a 5mil dosage/or so can make a real difference....Please tell your friend to have his son evaluated and titrated properly. A general doc or Peditrician is not the best way to deal with ADHD. It's worth every penny and the peace of mind and knowledge gained from an ADHD focused therapist &/or psychologist is invaluable. Oh & tell him that lots of hugs will help them both over the next few years.
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Permalink Reply by Susan on -
I have been dealing with this problem in my 12 year old son for years. I echo the recommendation of Carnation Instant Breakfast. My son has one in the morning and one before bed with Melatonin. I also do not ever let him take his medication until he is finished eating in the morning. I give him high carb foods such as hand cut homefries, eggs etc. Last spring he lost 8 pounds and I nearly flipped. Throughout June, July and August (without meds) I brought him up 10 pounds. Also let your child eat at night if this is when his hunger kicks in. My son is a night eater. He gets most of his food then, and first thing in the morning. Lunch is non-existant most of the time at school. I just carry an account at the school cafeteria and tell him to order what he wants if he wants and then I don't have to deal with uneaten food in the bottom of a bag...
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Permalink Reply by Alyssa The Otter One on
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Thank you all! I have posted this question on other forums and not got any response! I appreciate it!
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Permalink Reply by Cindy Fallsen on
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Medication can be a tricky thing. You may even check with International Health Insurance companies to see what they are covering in other countries. This can be a good start to finding new medications that may not be approved here. You really need to have this expense covered. I know :) If your insurance company will not cover the cost, you may look into using an HSA. Hope this helps.
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Permalink Reply by Lovemypirates1121 on -
I had a problem with my appetite when I was on Concerta. When I first went on it I was a bit overweight for my height and build so it really wasn't much of a problem, but then I kept losing weight and unfortunately with me, it even triggered some eating disorder mentality. Luckily I caught myself and decided to go off the meds, and made an appointment with my doc and a psychiatrist, and a nutritionist. Though I haven't been to the nutritionist yet, the appt's next week though I've already gotten up to 114 lbs on my own. The psych re-evaluated my symptoms (since 2004 was the last time I was evaluated) and he told me my score was rather low, which meant I could probably get away with not having to take meds, which for now I've decided is probably best. :)
Come to think of it, that might be a good option for your friend and her son, to see a nutritionist and find out what ideas they have to get her son to eat. My son's on Straterra, and it doesn't seem to affect his appetite much, though a neighbor's son has been on just about every ADD med available for kids and she said they all suppress his appetite, even Strattera. So it all depends on the kid.
My husband's aunt suggested milkshakes, since her son also has ADHD and he's one whose appetite was affected by strattera.
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