Kid isn’t gaining weight.

[liveintheville]

My youngest is 9. He has autism. He’s on focalin for adhd. It’s working great. But he’s not gaining any weight and has actually lost some. If he doesn’t start gaining he’ll be taken off the medicine. He weighs 46.5 lbs. My kids are just tiny. His older brother only weighs 62 lbs and he’s 12. We’ve seen nutritionists and have tried everything. My H and I are stymied. They’re so underweight but so was I until I was in my 30s. Now I could definitely stand to lose weight.
I’m just looking for sympathy and suggestions.

[SusanBAnthony]

How do you time the meds and meals?

My kid is autistic and on adhd meds. We encourage calories via high fat additions to stuff but due to a family history of heart problems we have to be careful with that.

One thing that's been working well is orgain protein drinks. He can slam one and it is a good amount of protein. We started packing them as lunch drinks, etc.

[liveintheville]

Jan 15, 2020 17:05:21 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

How do you time the meds and meals?

My kid is autistic and on adhd meds. We encourage calories via high fat additions to stuff but due to a family history of heart problems we have to be careful with that.

One thing that's been working well is orgain protein drinks. He can slam one and it is a good amount of protein. We started packing them as lunch drinks, etc.

He takes the med about 7 am. It lasts until around 2. We throw butter and full fat calories into everything he eats. He won’t do any protein shakes but will chug whole milk chocolate milk.

[expectantsteelerfan]

My ds is on Concerta for ADHD, and it majorly decreases his appetite. He went through a period of losing instead of gaining. We've tried a bunch of stuff to get him to gain (like offered every type of high-calorie drink in the morning, he hates all of them and just doesn't like to each much in the morning, even before his meds).
The 2 things that have worked for us are 1. Letting him eat whatever he wants in the evening after he finishes his dinner. We eat dinner early (around 5 pm), and he usually eats about half, then when the meds do wear off, he finishes his dinner and then can have whatever he wants. He usually eats a little debbie snack thing or ice cream or cookies, and then a protein bar, and then sometimes a bowl of cereal. We also make him finish his lunch when he gets home from school before he gets any screen time. Last year, we had him go to the nurse's office mid-morning to eat a quick snack (chocolate covered granola bar), but he hasn't needed to do that this year.
And 2, during the summer, we drop his dosage back. He hates not taking anything (and so do we!). The lower dosage works, it just wears off sooner, but we can deal with that easier in the summer. So he gains very SLOWLY during the school year, and then gains a bit more over the summer.
For reference, he's 64 lbs at age 10.5. He's always been on the slimmer side and my dh is super skinny, so as long as he's not losing anymore, his pedi. is ok with the slow gain.

[mrsGreeko]

My middle kid was put on cyproheptadine to increase her appetite. Hers wasn’t low from ADHD meds, but the doc mentioned it was often used for kids on those meds also.

In any case it worked really well for her and had no side effects. I’m surprised your doc wouldn’t bring it up as an option if they consider this to be an issue.

[liveintheville]

Jan 15, 2020 17:41:31 GMT -5 mrsGreeko said:

My middle kid was put on cyproheptadine to increase her appetite. Hers wasn’t low from ADHD meds, but the doc mentioned it was often used for kids on those meds also.

In any case it worked really well for her and had no side effects. I’m surprised your doc wouldn’t bring it up as an option if they consider this to be an issue.

This has been mentioned but our dr seems reticent. Not sure why. I’ll be sure to bring it up next appt though!

[adeliepenguin]

I am sharing what my friend did and I don't know the exact details of her meds, but I thought I'd share anyway.

Her daughter went off the meds on the weekends and on Wednesdays. That change was enough for her to "regain" her appetite. Her school schedule was such that Wednesday was light academically and did not require as much concentration. They also decided not to medicate over the summer. Those changes were difficult and brought unwelcome behaviors, but obviously, overall, were beneficial. Her daughter is 11.

[somersault72]

I'm sorry. DS has always been thin but since he started Adderall XR he lost a couple of pounds (he's 11, 5'1" and 75 pounds). He likes those Carnation Breakfast Essentials so the doctor has suggested 2 of those per day and it's helped him put on some weight. We make it into a smoothie--with ice, whole milk, and half a banana.

[shauni27]

My bff has a kiddo who is on the same adhd meds and his appetite plummets when he is on it. One thing they do, which may not be an option for you, is to not have him take the meds on weekends. He eats a TON on weekends and then is back to taking the meds for the school week.

[imojoebunny]

My son (10) is an extreme picky eater, he eats <12 things. For a long time, he got Boost Plus 3X a day. It is 360 calories in 8oz. It really helped him to get the nutrition he needed and stop being "failure to thrive", protein and iron deficient, among other things.

[jeaniebueller]

Jan 15, 2020 17:41:31 GMT -5 mrsGreeko said:

My middle kid was put on cyproheptadine to increase her appetite. Hers wasn’t low from ADHD meds, but the doc mentioned it was often used for kids on those meds also.

In any case it worked really well for her and had no side effects. I’m surprised your doc wouldn’t bring it up as an option if they consider this to be an issue.

FWIW, my DS was on this for migraines and (he is extremely thin) and it did nothing to help him gain weight. I wished it had!

[mrsGreeko]

Jan 16, 2020 13:18:15 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Jan 15, 2020 17:41:31 GMT -5 mrsGreeko said:

My middle kid was put on cyproheptadine to increase her appetite. Hers wasn’t low from ADHD meds, but the doc mentioned it was often used for kids on those meds also.

In any case it worked really well for her and had no side effects. I’m surprised your doc wouldn’t bring it up as an option if they consider this to be an issue.

FWIW, my DS was on this for migraines and (he is extremely thin) and it did nothing to help him gain weight. I wished it had!

I wonder if it’s because my kid literally was starving herself before it so it increased her appetite to a normal level. In our case we just needed to break the cycle of choosing to ignore hunger cues and no longer feeling hungry. So I’m not convinced it will work if a kid has a sufficient appetite already. Or the dose might be different when used off label as an appetite stimulant as compared to when it would be used for migraines and that might make a difference too.

[liveintheville]

Jan 15, 2020 18:39:02 GMT -5 adeliepenguin said:

I am sharing what my friend did and I don't know the exact details of her meds, but I thought I'd share anyway.

Her daughter went off the meds on the weekends and on Wednesdays. That change was enough for her to "regain" her appetite. Her school schedule was such that Wednesday was light academically and did not require as much concentration. They also decided not to medicate over the summer. Those changes were difficult and brought unwelcome behaviors, but obviously, overall, were beneficial. Her daughter is 11.

He’s only on the med on school days. He still won’t eat much on weekends. Neither will. I don’t know what’s wrong with them.

[scm1011]

I don't have any advice really, just wanted to give you hugs. You and D are both pretty petite so I imagine part of it is genetic at least.

My sister was incredibly underweight as a child/teen (I think she hit 6' tall before she hit 100lbs) and my mom used to make her milkshakes all the time. That's all I've got, ha.

[liveintheville]

Jan 16, 2020 14:25:46 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I don't have any advice really, just wanted to give you hugs. You and D are both pretty petite so I imagine part of it is genetic at least.

My sister was incredibly underweight as a child/teen (I think she hit 6' tall before she hit 100lbs) and my mom used to make her milkshakes all the time. That's all I've got, ha.

Aw thanks
Yeah these kids are going to be small. They’re both shortest in their class. C’s friends are my size. Meanwhile he still has to be in a booster seat at 12. Oh well. They’re taking it in stride so far.