those who have a underweight child
Ok, I've been thinking about this topic for a while now. so here is my 2 cents.
the scale the dr's use are not the same ones from when I was a child. the "average" child is no longer as thin and light. with childhood obesity on an all time hight and still climbing, and taking in the fact that the proper size/weight profile has raised over the past 25 years, I don't really worry too much about my ds's size (he's at 45%) I would take him to a pediatric endocrinologist to be safe, but other wise, I'd rather my ds a tad bit smaller than over weight. One tall tale sign of malnourished is hair loss and tiredness. Digestive problems are becoming more and more popular in young children due to the fast food and preservatives, as well as the pesticides used on crops, I like to say we are pickling our selves to death. (i know alot about digestive problems I have chronic pancreatitis in the advanced stages, Gastroparesis, and other health issues). You might even want to have the dr do a 4 hour glucose screening. Childhood diabetes can cause low weight gain and stunting growth. That is a really serious issue. If you cannot get your son into the dr right away, find some one that has a meter and do the test at home. That should be your first test. IMO Good luck.
I feel my son was ADHD from birth also. He was always the smallest one in his class. He was small long before starting medicine. He didn't eat much and was never able to sit still for a meal. While the rest of the family was eating dinner he would be running around the house and come to the table every so often for a bite. I often worried about his weight. At around 12 he started putting on weight and was still very active. He is now 16 and average in size. I hope this helps ease your mind.
Joshsmom, I have 3 very tiny children (under the 3rd percentile). My 7-year-old (a girl who does not have ADHD) was 41.25 inches and 34 pounds at her yearly checkup. My 12-year-old son, who has ADHD, was on 36 mg Concerta for 1.5 years, and it absolutely did affect his appetite and his weight gain. I'm wondering if you should ask your doc about another ADHD med that wouldn't affect your son's appetite as much. Your son is on a high Concerta dose for his age so I can't help but think Concerta is playing a role. My 10-year-old daughter is gaining weight but not growing in height so she is in the process of undergoing a growth hormone evaluation by a pediatric endocrinologist.
Some questions for you: In a year's time, is your son gaining weight and growing in height? Is he staying on his curve, or is he falling below his previous percentiles? Are either you or your son's father underweight (or were as children)? What specific tests have already been run on your son?
Once I know a little bit more, I can give you more advice.
as a reply,first thanks for some info,second,my son has'nt gained a lb in almost 2 years,no i've never been underweight as a child and now i'd love to lose about 30 lbs,his dad who isn't around was never underweight,as an adult he is 6' and 210 lbs, before concerta he was on ritalin which was very good just did'nt last long enough,then we tried metadate which did'nt work at all. the dr last time was talking about focalin but then he said he did'nt want to change him since he does ok in school. we did try to lower him to concerta 36 but his teacher said his writing went from a fairly decent 1st grader to the writing of a 2 yr old. his height has been ok i think last time he was 50 percentile for height but since he's been 1 he's never been past the 5th percentile for weight.
joshsmom wrote:
Ive asked the drs if something medically could cause him to be this skinny but so far no dr has an answer,there first words are some is due to the cocerta but as i tell the drs my son was always in the 5th percentile even before he started on meds.i
Have you ever taken your son to a pediatric endocronologist? If not it might be a good starting point to rule out other medical problems like thyroid problems. Just a thought.
Joshsmom, since you say your son has always been underweight, I agree with an evaluation by a pediatric endocrinologist. I would also add a consultation with a pediatric gastroenterologist, who can test for conditions like GERD and celiac disease, which can affect weight gain. I am certain the high dose of Concerta is exacerbating the problem so I would also encourage you to ask your doctor again about Focalin, which is a refined version of Ritalin that is supposed to cause fewer side effects.
Do you know what tests have already been run?
My son had the same problem, when he was on concerta. The doctor, toke him off of the medicine on saturday's only. He ate whatever he wanted, and gained about 5 lbs, back. Then they switched him to strattera, and he has gained 10 lbs back. He actually has an appetite, and wants to eat. So that might be an idea.My ds at 3.6 years old is 39 inches tall and only 30 lbs. Two months ago he was the same height and only 28 lbs! He has been significantly below the 3rd % since 3 mos old, had severe GERD as an infant but appears to have outgrown it at around 15 mos of age. He has had every test available (to test for celiac disease, hypothyroidsim, diabetes, etc) and thank goodness he passed all with flying colors. I truly believe that he is SO thin because of the ADHD -- he has put on 2 lbs in 2 months, almost unheard of! -- since he has gained the weight since he began taking Tenex and some of his symptoms improved. BTW, he can't take stims b/c of a bad reaction to Adderall XR, but doc says she would not give them to him anyway: he's too skinny. (Unlike his mom!
) I too think it's a good idea to follow up to make sure he is not having another health problem...but it may be that it's the ADHD and the stims that are keeping him so thin. [QUOTE=Butterflymom27] My son had the same problem, when he was on concerta. The doctor, toke him off of the medicine on saturday's only. He ate whatever he wanted, and gained about 5 lbs, back. Then they switched him to strattera, and he has gained 10 lbs back. He actually has an appetite, and wants to eat. So that might be an idea.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=poodledoodles]
per my book: Perscription for Nutritional Healing;To stimulate poor appetite,try useing catnip, fennel seed, ginger seed, ginseng, gotu gotu,papaya leaves, pepermint leaves, and/or saw palmetto berries.
caution: do not use ginseng if you have high blood pressure.
I would look into each thing on the list and rule out anything not for children. This is a general list of herbs used for poor appetite. You would have to look up each individual herb and check out the pro and cons on each one before deciding what to use. I would start with peppermint for a child. It is good for nausea as well. I have used capsules with peppermint and ginger I bought in a health food store which worked well.You could get books at the library if you don't want to invest in them yourself. I have three books I use at home. I hope this helps.
[/QUOTE] Thanks for the info Poodles
Your welcome joemom, The book I mentioned has been very helpful to me. You might want to keep one on and if you are interested in alternative treatments. There is a lot more in it than just herbs.
Valerie, is your child staying on his growth curve? When my daughter fell off her growth curve (both height and weight), our ped was concerned and sent us to a pediatric endocrinologist for an evaluation. That's the standard of care.
BTW, when my 12-year-old son was young, he was a skinny little thing who barely gained a pound. Now that he's on the cusp of puberty, he's really packing on the weight (and we've noticed that our food bills are going up). He has gained 18 pounds since April -- wow!
smallmom, thanks for the advice. Our son is off the charts on weight, but has grown in height, I don't remember what percentile he's at for height. With what you're saying on top of what we've already gone through, I am certain we need to find a new pediatrician and maybe a neurologist or endocrinologist. Congrats on your son's FANTASTIC weight gain, it gives me hope. Throw me on the stack of parents with an underweight child. My 2nd grade daughter has stayed steady on the 5 % curve of weight. She is also very short. recently we hit a growth spurt up to a whopping 46" and 40lbs! I swear I am gonna have to give her boyfriends a booster seat to take her in the car for dates when she gets older. It does seem to me that it is a bit more than coincidence that many of our children have been similarly afflicted with "tiny child" syndrome. (no, thats nothing official or documented..just my own little term) Doc seems to think she will be just fine...just a small petit little girl as long as she remains on the curve. I will be interested to see where she is in June as she just started adderall this fall.
I will be happily shocked if she is still right in the 5 %. One would think she eats very little...but this child can eat! Course now that she is on adderall..lunch seems to be a bit on the tiny side. This child has been known to wolf down 1/2 a pizza when she wants to. So...just so you know...you are definitly not alone with your tiny child! 
Just remember...small body...BIGGGG Heart!per my book: Perscription for Nutritional Healing;To stimulate poor appetite,try useing catnip, fennel seed, ginger seed, ginseng, gotu gotu,papaya leaves, pepermint leaves, and/or saw palmetto berries.
caution: do not use ginseng if you have high blood pressure.
I would look into each thing on the list and rule out anything not for children. This is a general list of herbs used for poor appetite. You would have to look up each individual herb and check out the pro and cons on each one before deciding what to use. I would start with peppermint for a child. It is good for nausea as well. I have used capsules with peppermint and ginger I bought in a health food store which worked well.You could get books at the library if you don't want to invest in them yourself. I have three books I use at home. I hope this helps.
So many of these posts echo my experience: our child is extremely underweight, and the doctors are not worried.
What I don't understand is: why are all of us parents concerned, and the doctors aren't?
I get grief daily from family members, teachers, the school nurse, the school psychologist, aftercare caregivers, neighbors, etc. about the fact that my son barely eats and that he is so skinny, looks like an auschwitz kid, etc. Are the doctors just thoughtless, or do they know something we don't-- that either the kids ARE alright OR there is nothing we can do about it so get used to it.
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