Well, oddly that makes me feel much better...now to fix it. I am definitely going to try the fruit in the evening because he sneaks only at bedtime. He was an awful nail biter until he started sneaking sugar. I also have tolerated the sugar to an extent simply because I have (somewhere deep in my mind) the thought that any extra calories he takes in are good for him since he has lost his appetite and much better than eating his own fingers.
Thanks so much now I can approach this with a bit more sense.
Definitely since my son started Concerta his desire for sugar has diminished a lot. At the beginning of the treatment he had some appetite issues; by now, this has had some improvement, but he really asks for sugary foods less than before.
Sugar is glucose. glucose is the fuel that runs our brains. it is a way for the kids to self medicate.
My gs used to literally drink the sugar bowl[premeds]. Then he started again during rebound. Once we got his afternoon meds in place, the sugar cravings just about stopped.[no more sneaking and hiding sugary treats] Now he gets a handful of strawberries or blueberries or a navel orange in the evening. That seems to do the trick.
My son ate sugar when his meds began to wear off. He was never a chocolate eater until the meds.
Because it was such a problem him eating, I allowed the chocolate bar after school, around 5:00. It seemed to get him to realize he was hungry!
Now since he's been on meds for 2 + years, his body has adjusted to the meds and he has grown in both height and weight, but still LOVES chocolate.
I hate to make it my excuse, but I really believe the meds have something to do with it. He doesn't sit down and eat it all up at once, but he does eat chocolate after the meds are wearing off.
I also want to mention, that sugar (chocolate for my son) helped him with rebound. He was so hungry that he was cranky, irritable, etc so the sugar got rid of that because he ate!!
He never really touched it before. Before meds it was always meals, steak veggies etc. not really dessert.
My son began to sneak food - normally sweet like muslie bars , fruche or biscuits. He doesn't eat any lunch like sandwiches. The medication stops his hunger but he craves sweet. I believe that his blood sugar level drops and he snacks on anything that is junk. Meals are terrible. Then he goes an sneaks food an hour later.My daughter craves sugary junk food too. I never thought about it in relation to her meds. She is now off stimulants and is still that way, but is also smack dab in the middle of puberty. Interesting thought though.Do you all have kids that NEED sugar. I am finding that since my son went on meds (Focalin XR 20mg) he is sneaking/hiding/finding candy. I have even caught him stashing packets of sugar from a restaurant. He says that he needs it because his meds slow him down.
Anyone have this problem? I hate to go through his room constantly but I am trying to eliminate the extra sugar. I do let him eat normally during the day...normal kid foods (although I do try to emphasize good for you foods). He otherwise gravitates to meat. He will eat meat but not pasta, rarely veggies and bread.
Thanks for any feedback.