Weight loss and med breaks | ADHD Information
Hi Beckysmom. I'm not real sure about the weight loss issue, but I recall years ago to obtain my first job which had a weight requirement I diddn't meet, I was told to try some stuff I can't recall the name of, but it was a formula for body building to increase weight. It was tastey stuff, and it worked. I bought it at one of those nutritional centers like GNC.
The med breaks I do have some experience with. Many times I will take weekend med breaks which are very helpfull in prevention of building a tollerance to the meds. However, to go the whole summer could be disasterous for her mental well being. Almost like shutting her learning capacity off for the summer. I hope you find a solution to your dilema. Try a nutrition center for a weight suppliment. good luck KIDD
Hi:
I make my own fruit smoothie and add whey protein powder to it. The Kashi brand vanilla tastes really good.
I use apple juice, banana, protein powder plus frozen blue berries or any berries I have. Sometimes I add an avacado in it for the extra calories and good fat. Drink it right after you make it because avacado can turn brown. You can mix it up and put other blendable fruits in it, ie: pineapple, melons, mango, papaya. I think Becky might enjoy it. Drink it with a funny straw with twists and turns or different characters. This might make it more enjoyable for a 7 year old.
Good luck.
I did a search on weight loss on this board. I read alot about Ensure and Carnation Instant Breakfast. I have tried those but my daughter hates both. What else can I do. She looks like a skeleton at this point. She weighs 42 lbs. (she is 3'8" tall - shorty, I know). Her doctor's assures me she is the right weight for her height but when you look at her body it is shocking. You can see all her ribs and her spine. Even her pelvic bones. Her face looks very hollowed out.
What about medication breaks? Not giving it to her on weekends and days that she doesn't go to school? I'm planning on not giving it to her during summer vacation. Has anyone found this to be helpful?
Thanks!
Med breaks is an individual thing. If she is on the lowest dose of med then it is easier. Higher doses can be problematic re-starting after stopping for a weekend because suddenly starting a higher dose can increase side effects and the uneveness of medicated vs unmedicated can be a problem. Breaks during the summer can be helpful to let the weight catch up; we did this last summer.
My youngest is also skinny (almost 11, ~65lbs, 4' 10", her child's size 6 pants are about a foot too short). We have worked hard to find protein sources she will eat (won't eat my chicken but likes El Pollo Loco). I slip a little protein powder or olive oil into her food (she likes soups and vegetables the most). We use ice cream to bribe her to eat more.
Recently, we switched to focalin and she has gained 8 lbs on this med in 3 months (the doc has seen this in some of his other patients so we tried it), so we may have found the magic combo for her.
vickie39178.6146412037There are also meds to stimulate appetite....periactin is the one my son takes. It makes him hungry enough to eat 3 meals, plus at least one snack a day....and he has gained back the weight he lost previously on concerta. Tenex (guanfacine) is also said to aid in weight gain, though my ped said she hadn't seen it. Chase's first month on the guanfacine, he gained 3 pounds....but his stim was switched at about the same time as the guanfacine was added, so we are not sure which one did the trick.
I believe that GNC makes a formula called 'Weight Gain' that is chock full of calories, and comes in several flavors, you mix in milk.....this is supposedly not a protein powder formula....my son can taste protein powder a mile off and won't touch anything I try to sneak it into....you might try this stuff.....it is on their online website.
I also give Chase whatever (within reason) that he wants for breakfast....leftover meatloaf, a hamburger, grilled cheese, chicken drumstick......think outside the box, if she is 'in the mood' for something, she will eat more of it. Breakfast used to be the only meal he would eat, so I would encourage him to pack in the calories then. Doesn't matter if it is a 'typical' breakfast food.
Does she drink chocolate milk? Mix in a tablespoon or so of cream along with it. There are 50 calories in one tablespoon of cream...add butter to whatever you can, mix olive oil into soup as vickie suggested, offer juice (there are more calories than you think in juice)
I do give my son med breaks on the weekends, but as others have said, it is an individual thing.....if she seems to have more trouble on Mondays after a med break, it may not be the best plan for her. Is she mainly inattentive? If so, a longer med break on the summer vacation probably won't affect her too badly, but if she has hyperactive or impulsive tendencies, she may be overwhelmed with the longer med break.
I plan to see if I can keep my son on the guanfacine only during the summer to address his aggression/anger/impulsive problems and reintroduce the stim when school starts, a week or so before.
chasesmom7939181.8885763889Are you sure of the guanfacine dosage? You put 2 guanfacine (100mg), did you mean 2 guanfacine (1mg each)? Because that seems way high on the dosage for guanfacine......
Cyproheptadine is the generic for periactin....periactin is just easier to type. 
This is the same med Chase takes to stimulate his appetite, and it is a drastic change. He has been on it since about November, and I did notice here the last few weeks that his appetite was slowing a bit again, so he is on a break from the periactin (cyproheptadine) this week. When I researched it before putting Chase on it, several parents said that the effectiveness goes away after a time and a break for a few days makes it effective again once you restart it. So keep that in mind if in a few months you notice the effectiveness waning. I will let you know how it is once I reintroduce it to Chase this weekend.
My daughter is 11 and was on guafacine/tenex at night to sleep and the am for concentration. She was on 63 mg of concerta and then 10 mg am and 2:30 pm of ritalin to make it through the homework. All of this wasn't working and we now have her on 50 mg of patch in Am (with 5 mg ritalin boost) and then 2 guafacein (100 mg) at night to sleep. Throughout all of this she only has issues with eating during the day, at night when her meds wear off (about 7:30 pm) she is starving. We have her eat a good breakfast (full meal protein, etc,) and then at 7:30/8:00 she eats another meal. Bedtime is 9:00am. During the day she may or may not eat something, but snacks are usually fruit etc. We don't have a weight issue per say, she is borderline with being at overweight, but will probably drop some with the new med levels again until we get the routine down.
Penny
Taylor - 14 PDD/NOS - Addreall XR, Adderell,Clonodine, guanfacine
Taryn - 11 PDD/ADHD - Dytrana Patches, guanfacine
After reading here on the forum about using somthing to stimulate appetite I talked to her doctor about it, Doctor said she had never heard of doing this and would look into it and get back with me. A month ago the Doctor put her on Cyproheptad an antihistamine like periactin. WOW the differents is night and day and with in 6 weeks, daughter had gain 5 lbs. She is now eating full meals and snacks. I only keep heathly snacks around. And example she has went for fighting to get maybe a 1/4 bowl of cereal or a piece of toast in her to .. a full bowl of cereal, a banana and half a bowl of cottage cheese or yogurt. This is wonderful seeing her eat and no more fighting to get something down her.
You are right -- I couldn't remember what the doseage was -- and I was at work when I wrote it. It is 2 guanfacice of 1mg each.
Thx!
I figured it had to be a typo! That was way higher than the 2mg my son takes at night!
My daughter was the same way, she would not eat anything. She did however, loved those yogurt drinks by danson, gogurts, and the Trix yogurts (six packs). Also the protein shakes noted above were great as well. She would get one everytime I went to the gym. They used a powered flavored protein mix (individual packets), added fresh strawberries, ice and frozen yogurt. They were Awesome. Hmmmm, I may have to look into that myself.
Additionally, her doctor at the time did a blood test on her and all of her blood work came back fine. She finally started adjusting to the meds and eating normally. Now, she is 15 and I have never stopped her from eating - any time of the day was fine with me.