<p>I thought about posting on the health and wellness thread but thought I might get more response with a new thread.
My D switched meds about 5 months ago and has a steady loss of weight. On her previous meds her weight stayed the same. She switched due to some other side effects she was experiencing. The Vyvanse is working great as far as concentration and lasting through the school day and she is not experiencing the side effects that were bothering her with Adderall XR. The Dr has already reduced the dose once. In the last 8-10 weeks she has dropped another 6 lb. I think since starting this med she has dropped at least 15 lbs. If at her next 8 week checkup she has lost anymore weight he is going to cut the dosage again.
She rarely eats breakfast. She is usually running late and she says the anxiety of going to school in general makes her unable to eat that early. She also doesn’t eat lunch most days. If I pick her up from school with a snack she will usually eat it. She will eat a large dinner and eat again before bed.
I want her to put on a few pounds but also don’t want to feed her high calorie junk food. I also am trying to lose weight myself and want to cook healthier low fat and low calorie dinners and in general add more vegetables to our diet. Vegetables are not going to put weight on her.
Any suggestions how I can put weight on her but also keep her diet fairly healthy and keep myself on my own weight loss journey. Also she is not unhappy with the weight loss.
How do other CCers deal with the weight loss of ADD meds?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about ADHD drugs other than they are ‘speed’ – amphetamines – as you know and one of the side effects can be weight loss as the drugs are stiimulants…and I know my boys tell us that “girls” like to take them because they lose weight. If your D does not need to lose weight I’d be calling her doctor pretty soon if her weight doesn’t stabilize.</p>
<p>I had to stop taking ritalin and adderall because of the weight loss. There was nothing my mother could have done, I had NO appetite the entire day, if I tried to eat I would gag on it. I just had to try another med. With side effects like that, the med isn’t really working even if it is helping her focus. And you have to consider what basically not eating until the evening is doing to her metabolism and her eating habits. I had much better luck with focalin-- it even helped my focus more, but that’s the only other of the stimulants I have tried. If adjusting the dose doesn’t work she may just have to try another med, sometimes it’s hard to find the one that’s just right. I didn’t until I was in college. You just have to keep communicating with the doc about what you and your D are seeing and what concerns you have so they can stay on top of it.</p>
<p>You mentioned anxiety before school, if that is anything more than typical kid stress the stimulant meds may exacerbate that and you may want to inquire about non-stimulant alternatives, that was a huge problem for me in high school.</p>
<p>As for her diet, I am SURE her doctor would have good advice about how to put on weight without filling her with junk.</p>
<p>I will ask the Dr about Focalin. Even before starting any ADD meds she did not eat lunch at school. On ritalin and adderall she did not lose any weight at all but experienced severe anxiety and depression. Even on the minimum dose of Ritalin she felt like she could not be alone after it wore off. The side effects were so bad that she would rather not be able to focus. On Vycanse she has had no added anxiety and no depression.</p>
<p>I think the not wanting breakfast is not a result of the meds. I think she isn’t ready to eat so early. One day of the week she starts school an hour later. On that day she is ready in the morning to eat a large breakfast. On weekends she doesn’t take the meds and if she has an early event she usually isn’t ready to eat till a few hours after being up.
As far as non-stimulant alternatives my son tried Strattera. The side effects were so severe that I would be hesitant to try it for her.
Her Dr is a neurologist who she also sees for severe migraines. His bedside manor is not the best. I can’t see her talking to him about how to put on weight.
It might come down to she has to eat something in the morning.
Test grades without meds D’s and F’s. On meds A’s. We did med free till 9th grade with both our kids. My son is a college jr and has made the choice to use his meds rarely. He will use it when he has midterms and finals and if he has a big paper to write. Otherwise he hates how they make him feel. He tried almost every med under the sun. But acknowledges without meds he would not have made it through HS and into college.</p>
<p>No offense, she really needs to start eating breakfast and lunch. It will help.</p>
<p>Another thing i’ve found that helps with stomach problems from stress and such is ginger root. I have a very sensative (and tempermental LOL) stomach in the mornings and its the only thing i’ve found that helps.</p>
<p>hmmm… aren’t there protien like shakes that can help add calories? I can’t seem to remember if there are or not…</p>
<p>Honestly, have her doc try some other meds for short periods of time to see what works best or not.</p>
<p>I was on Ritalin for 2 years and i hated it. I’ve been off of all meds sense. </p>
<p>Side note: Can she take a tape recorder into class with her to record all of her classes? It might be able to bring down some anxiety about school if she has something to back up what she heard and what not.</p>
<p>Up until relatively recently, and I am nearly 21, I always got sick if I ate first thing when I woke up. I went home sick almost every day in kindergarten because my mom made me eat breakfast, she gave up after that. I needed to be awake for an hour or two, so I would eat a bagel after I got off the bus for school, by then I’d been awake for an hour. Maybe she could be convinced to eat a cup of yogurt or something before going to her first class once she gets to school? Worth a shot, if she gets it in her and doesn’t get sick it will help her focus throughout the day. Breakfast really is brain food, and when you are denied nutrition it raises your stress level and it will make her anxious, even if she doesn’t feel hungry her body is still hungry for nutrition.</p>
<p>I can’t eat right away when I wake up so I take a banana with me when I leave for work. It’s easier to eat than yogurt and it does the trick. Sometimes I start to feel the need for food on the drive and I can eat the banana driving too. I’m usually hungry and ready to eat mid-morning after being up and around for a couple hours. Discuss with her regular physician, and encourage multiple small meals 5 or 6 times a day instead of the “normal” three. If she’s a grab and go person, just make sure you have grab and go healthy food. I call it purse food. Figure out if it’s the meds or the mind or some combination of both.</p>
<p>My son has tried numerous meds for his ADD: Ritalin, long-acting ritalin, focalin, and Adderall. By now, he only takes his meds when he knows he’ll need to focus for a long period of time. His weight ranges from 125-140, but a lot of that has to do with whether he’s going to the gym and trying to bulk up. (Not that 140 lbs is bulky!). </p>
<p>But do I insisting he has breakfast? Not going to happen. My kids are teenagers and I’ve felt that teenagers in general don’t want to eat breakfast when they get up. (Yes, they’ll eat cereal at 11:00pm, but not at 6:30am before they go to school.)</p>
<p>Their pediatrician has often noticed their light weight and suggests they can make smoothies. My kids love them: yogurt, fresh fruit, a dash of ice, maybe some ice cream. They aren’t green vegies, but I think they’re a healthy alternative.</p>
<p>With my D we found that dosage was really important, and the only way to establish an optimal dose (most effect with minimal side effects) is to experiment.</p>
<p>We are struggling with that issue also and we are experimenting with dosage, meal types (more tolerant of junk food and snacking) and sleep patterns (using melotonin). As Treetopleaf says, we have to experiment. The trick is to find the balance that these between increased concentration and side effects.</p>
<p>My son also lost a lot of weight when on Adderall and Concerta. He now takes Ritalin only occasionally when he feels he needs it, and he has put on a little weight. He is still very thin, but also perfectly healthy. I guess I would point out two things: (1) This is common. (2) Our idea of a healthy weight has changed. To some extent it’s cultural. We are not accustomed to seeing very thin people in our society, but in fact one can be very thin and very healthy, as long as one isn’t actively avoiding food. I would say, just talk to the doctor to see if he or she sees a problem, and don’t panic unless you see signs of an eating disorder.</p>
<p>My son just switched also, same exact drugs…lol, he has not had much of an appetite with either of these meds. I try to make him eat a couple of Eggos in the a.m., easy & quick to make and if he can’t eat them at home, he can eat them driving to school ( I know, it is dangerous no lectures please). I tell him he needs to eat them to take with his pill or it will mess with his stomach and he actually listens to me, not that is something new!! Also. try to get some high protein drinks…some brands are starting to taste a lot better these days and they usually have good vitamin content.</p>
<p>He walked into my room the other night at 11:30, i was half asleep and he proceeds to tell me he never ate dinner…a mom’s job is never done!!</p>
<p>All i know is since he has been taking Vyvanse he has really been focusing, in a much better mood and seems truly happy so a little weight loss is OK to deal with.</p>
<p>No sign of any eating disorder. When she doesn’t have an early start she will eat breakfast. Today she woke up at 8 am. At 10 she was hungry. She made hash browns, eggs with pepperoni (sounds gross but she liked it, we had no bacon or sausage in the house). She ate that as a sandwich with two pieces of toast. A few hours later she ate lunch and had 2 afternoon snacks. One a blueberry scone from a local bakery and microwave butter popcorn. She has said he could never be anorexic since she loves to eat. She will swear it isn’t the medicine that is playing havoc with her weight but school in general. She doesn’t take the meds on weekends or summer.
She doesn’t have a problem with sleep since the Vyvanse wears off by late afternoon. She would sometimes take 10 or 20 mg of regular ritalin if she had a lot of homework but she has stopped that since the coming off the med was so severe.
I plugged her weight and height into a website and for her age she is at the 45th percentile. The weight range for her height being 91-135 and she is 110.
I hesitate to try a new med since as SockerMom has noted with her son she is happier, more focused and less anxious.
I have tried the smoothie which she can take in the car. The problem is she likes it with just juice and frozen naturally sweetened fruit. She doesn’t like it if I try to slip a carton of yogurt in. She doesn’t like the dairy smoothness. Are there any protein powders that are tasteless.</p>
<p>“Are there any protein powders that are tasteless?” - apparently not. You could try dry non-fat milk for the smoothies. Or raw pasteurized egg. </p>
<p>Would she snack on a hard boiled egg? There are a lot of protein bars out there - maybe she’d find one of those palatable.</p>
<p>My kid’s appetite is fine these days, but when this was an issue and she was younger, I made her get up early enough to eat and then take the pill.</p>
<p>Our S is not on any meds but had a hard time eating b’fast so early when he began HS. Fortunately his first block teacher allowed them to eat in class. I’d go to a GNC and get them to suggest a protein powder you can add to a smoothie. There’s always something to worry about 
- good luck</p>