Ritalin causing frequent urination?

[outofmilk]

Hello, I'm new here... my 6-year-old takes Ritalin and his teacher says he is using the restroom to go #1 several times/day. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen frequent urination as a side effect of Ritalin (his Dr. says it can happen but is rare) or if it is maybe that he is using the bathroom as a brain break. He says he goes potty every time, but I'm concerned it's hindering his class time... thanks in advance for your input!

[Grateful17]

It true. The meds are like diuretics! Make sure he is drinking a lot of water. The stuff totally dries out the body.

[outofmilk in reply to Grateful17]

Good to know, thank you!!

[Onthemove1971]

Just curious does he do this at home with you, while on the medication? It was.a true side effect you would see it also on weekend. Also does he go to the bathroom at recess?

If the answer is NO, then it could be behavioral. Does your son have a therapist he sees? This person could help him deal with why he is leaving the classroom a lot. ( If you think it is behavioral)

Hope this helps.

I have seen a number of kids say they have to go many times during the class period.

Take care

[outofmilk in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you onthemove - I don't really notice it at home, although sometimes when we are out at a store he will tell me he has an urgency to go potty and dance around and beg me to take him - but then when we get to the next destination where he can use the restroom he has often forgotten he had to go in the first place.

It's a bit exasperating!

I will mention it to his therapist, thanks!

[paradoxlive]

I can speak from personal experience - the stimulants do act like diuretics. But it is also important to drink more water while on them!

[geemamom]

maybe it depends on the child? my gs 5 was already the king of bathroom breaks at schoolbefore he was on ritalin. so if i see a change at all he perhaps goes/asks to go a little less now. i do notice he seems thirstier now.

good luck you and your baby.

[outofmilk in reply to geemamom]

thank you!

[Ramanaa]

I have noticed frequent urination with my teenage son who is on methylphenidate. But the medication does work well to manage his ADHD symptoms. Not sure of the long term effects though. Keen to have others experiences and opinions.

[Hidden in reply to Ramanaa]

My son is 9 and on methylphenidate since August 2021- 6 weeks for dose titration, all seemed to have been going well except in October 2021 he weed himself twice during the football camp. And since then it continues to happen now and then. It’s a child who has never had any problem with bed wetting and never had any accidents during the day. I noticed that he seems very desperate to go to the loo and then I listen and there isn’t much wee. I ask him- were you really so desperate and he says yes. He definitely suffers now from frequent urination.

His psychiatrist says it’s unlikely caused by methylphenidate and he suggested first excluding physical illness/ infections, then do a trial and a diary where we’d have him off medication for 3 weeks to check if these accidents stopped happening. I can’t imagine just taking him off his medication for 3 weeks- he’s all over the place when he’s not on meds.

However wetting himself during the day is a problem and his peers at school started noticing it. It’s very stressful for him and he says he doesn’t know why he wets himself.

This week he has weed himself again and I took him to the doctor to check for urinary tract infection, dip stick came normal but they sent urine to lab to check for bacteria.

I looked up and it’s all muddled when I try to definitely see if urine frequency is a side effect of methylphenidate. It seems it’s under ‘rare’ side effects.

What shall I do? It’s so stressful for him- to wet his pants at school when he’s 9 years olds. It has never happened before when he wasn’t on medication …

[VideoLover99]

His electrolytes are probably out of balance. Ask you doctor to check them on a day he's urinating a lot. Look at potassium in particular.

[GhostOrchid]

My ADHD son has always gone to the bathroom frequently even prior to starting Ritalin. When he was younger (<5) his pediatrician tested him for diabetes due to the frequency. Fortunately that was negative and she decided he just has a small bladder. I think the advice above about letting a doctor rule out any underlying issues is good. If you determine he is just taking a brain break....well, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Having the self awareness to know when he needs a brain break and discreetly taking one before he melts down is a good life skill to have. If he isn't distracting the entire class and he isn't suffering academically, I wouldn't intervene. I'd just tell the teacher the meds act as a diuretic.