To eat or not to eat | ADHD Information
This is a 'what would you do' question for all of you wise souls out there. My son just turned 12 and to celebrate we decided to hold a yu-gi-oh/b-day party at the house. We begin deciding about all the logistics for the tournament and then I ask my son if he would like to wear the Daytrana patch(15mg).
My son had an expereince where his best friend refused to stay for a sleep over because he found my UNmedicated son too annoying. Ouch.
After some deliberation my son replies with,"But, Mom, I want to eat". He loses his appetite completely while on the patch which he's been on for 4 months now--no other side effects and it works wonderfully. It's heartbreaking to make your child face the fact that he either can eat and risk not getting along with his friends or NOT eat, but is able to pick up on social cues and control his behavior to the extent it requires to develope friendships!
What would you encourage your child to choose in this case?
Have you ever tried him on a half dose? Maybe it would be enough to get him through the party, but still have something of an appetite?i honestly would make food that my child REALLY likes in hopes that he/she would eat at least some of it and put the patch on so the day is a successful birthday party without any issues. a birthday party at 12 is different with issues versus a younger kid, if that makes sense. i know that i would want my child to "fit in" as much as possible, especially at his own birthday party:)
i would encourage my child to eat at least some...and save some of the leftovers for after the patch is removed and his appetite is better.
just my 2 cents...i don't know your child and how annoying or non annoying he might be without meds, you know him best...i just know that my dd gets more stimulated at events, especially those held in her honor...we just had her b-day celebrations and they went well:)
good luck!
shelley
You know, when he started with the patch the dr. gave an rx for 10mg the first week to be upped to 15mg the next week. The time he was on the lower dose was horrific. He was very emotional and depressed -- very unlike him. And quite literally as soon as we went to the 15mg patches his moods stabilized. After that week I couldn't bear to put my son through that again and your suggestion never even entered my mind.
I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried lower-than-target dosage with daytrana...what was your experience?
we only ever used 10mg and my daughter had no appetetie either. May be worth trying on a non party day first. Otherwise I agree with Shelley. I think I'd put it on and make sure you put aside his favorites for when the patch wears off or even the next day when everyone leaves, let him have the junk food and no patch.................hard call though.
Another one of things that just not fair for these kids to have to even make this choice .
ShelleyA, it makes no difference what I offer him. He just can't eat. In fact, he chose all of his favorite foods, and ended up eatting none of it. Not until the party was over.
He finally made the choice on his own to wear the patch. But with much rancor.
Another one of things that just not fair for these kids to have to even make this choice 
.
So very compassionate and true.
Just a thought: Birthday parties are stressful. When an adhder is trying deparately to 'fit in' with the others, the thought of food travels far out of mind. I wouldn't have pushed the issue to eat.[makes the kid more selfconcious] I would have suggested that he make certain that his friends ate and that food would be waiting for him for later.[and more for any who spent the night]
The best insurance is to make sure he gets a good breakfast. A lot of adhders don't like to eat luch or in the afternoon. A late supper is better than no supper.
My son doesn't use the patch, but I would say that in general our bodies do tend to "get accustomed" to any medicine and perhaps this symptom might resolve itself. But I really would talk to your dr. first about other possible choices. There might be something else that works that isn't so appetite suppressing. Good luck.
Unfortunately, it's not just an issue of me, being THE mom, preaching about not eating his food. You should see the look on his face...he LIKES to eat food and when he takes the medication it becomes an issue of him giving up a freedom he enjoys. Similar to saying to an american, "you can't express your opinion anymore". ....or something as basic to existence as breathing. Its heartbreaking. Am I right in thinking the party has already passed? If not, I was going to suggest that you start the party at lunch time so that your son can eat. Then immediately upon finishing (or even just before he begins to eat) have him go to the bathroom or his bedroom and put on the patch. If you will have guests there for another meal at supper, let that be stuff that he doesn't really care about. During the time that it takes for the patch to take effect, plan some activities that might mask his hyperactivity, where all the kids would be a little boisterous.
Just some suggestions. I hope it went (or goes) well. A Yu-Gi-O tournament sounds fun!
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