ADHD Medication that does NOT make my Teen loose weigh?

[Jauge]

My teen is already underweight for his age. I am afraid he will loose more weight when taking ADHD medication. Any success stories with a medication that weight loss did not occur? I hear a strong breakfast, but my kid could not afford loosing lunch.... thanks!

[Onthemove1971]

Juage-

We provide ( protein) at each meal. We give protein shakes in addition to regular meals. We also demand he eat at each meal. Ofter lots of extra carbs and send snacks in addition to his lunch and he is in 8th grade. He will eat protein cookies also. We also make peanut butter and banana smoothies in the AM.

Anything he likes we give extra to him and this has worked and he has kept his weight steady.

More important, we discuss with him that his medication makes him feel like he doesn't want to eat, but he must at every meal.

Hope this helps!

Take care

[Jauge in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you very much. This really helps!

[anirush]

Non stimulants such as Straterra and intuniv are less likely to cause weight loss but any medication affects people differently. We have always worried more about weight gain with medication.

You have to figure the pros and cons. Not being able to think clearly or concentrate in school is a horrible thing for a child have to put up with.

[ADHD_DAD]

Hi. Concerta results in some loss of appetite, but it's manageable. Agree with good breakfast (because meds are given in the a.m., so they feel hungrier before meds "kick in"). We let my son have ice cream pretty much everyday. Ice cream isn't bad for anyone, it's just high calorie (so you and I would gain too much weight if we ate it all the time), but if you're concerned about weight LOSS, icecream is great. For lunch, try high calorie breakfast bars (my son likes the Quaker squares). Again, these are healthy, just high calorie. Good for my son, not for me. Good luck.

[mumford214]

I am in the same boat My son is so underweight and small for his age, due to being on Vyvanse for a while.Just took a break off of it and he's eating like crazy. But his behaviors are back.

We have to give him pediasure or other protein drinks as well. Try Kodiak Waffles and other foods from that brand. They have added protein. Thinking of asking to switch to Concerta.

[Crunchby]

Not sure 'how' under weight your teen is. Some teens are just skinny kids despite eating a lot. Just sharing, our pre teen could never gain weight and complained of stomach aches. She has always been overly dramatic and whinny, so we discounted her complaints. Longggg story short, she's has Celiac Disease, and interestingly 30% of kids with Celiac also have diagnosed ADHD.

Not saying this is the case with your teen, just wanted you to have info. Good luck!

[Pennywink]

My son gained weight on guanfacine (Intuniv, a non-stimulant), though it didn't help his ADHD enough, so we moved on. He actually lost the most weight on Strattera, though he had a bad reaction to that on multiple levels, and it didn't help him much. But every kid is different.)

We have not had any weight loss with long acting stimulants, though a slowed weight gain (especially after the big Strattera drop). At first my son wasn't so hungry for lunch, but it was manageable. And now he is back to eating lunch (albeit smaller, but still eating.) I also have to remind myself that my husband was a crazy skinny kid, so some of it is just genetics.

How we manage is:

1. Long acting pill right immediately before a filling healthy breakfast (usually oatmeal with milk, juice & fruit if time.) That way he eats before the meds kick in, and when breakfast is done he's in a state of mid that he can get ready for school.

2. Pack anything he will eat for lunch. Not so concerned about healthy, so long as it isn't sugary. Usually chicken nuggets or pizza rolls with fruit & a snack like graham crackers, with strawberry milk.

3. Hearty snack after school, preferably with some type of protein. When he's finished, he can have a less-healthy snack to go with it. Some days he takes an evening booster of a stimulant, so I make sure to get this food before that takes affect, though it really hasn't seemed to curb his evening appetite.

4. Healthy dinner, and make sure he eats enough that he isn't complaining for snacks before bed. Even though we are watching that he doesn't get underweight, I don't want to replace it with bad evening snack habits that can make him overweight when he gets older.

We tried Pedisure & other protein shakes, but he hated them all.

Hope any of this helps!