eating habits | ADHD Information

On Concerta wears off in the evening he is ravenous.  The ped and many parents on this sight have told me it's normal.  I have been letting him eat as much as he wants.  We just recently took a 5 day med break and duing that time his eating habits went back to normal and he ate a full dinner.   thanks for letting me know....I was wondering if it was the meds....

No problem, and here's another thought...if he is asking for food at night, it's something somewhat healthy, and he's not wasting it, then who cares? I say feed him.  Pick your battles you'll have plenty of others.   I think that our society teaches our kids to eat on a schedule and empty their plates and you end up with kids who are eating when they don't need to be.  Are we teaching good eating habits by scheduling meals or is that just more harmful?  My kids eat healthy foods when thier body needs it.  My youngest son received an award last year for not missing a day of school and will be receiving one this year provided nothing happens in the next three days.  My other has missed 2 days for appointments and step-daughter one day for a stomach virus.  Are we lucky or healthy?  (don't get me wrong...they have to try to eat at meal times, they must eat healthy, and I would never let them eat at midnight.) 

 

When I picked them up from aftercare at around 4:45 he is starving even though they were offered snack during after care. I asked him if he ate snack - he said no. I told him it is too close to dinner so he will have to wait. (For awhile I was giving him snack but then he was barely eating his dinner) then I make dinner and we we eat between 5:30-6:00 - then he doesn't want to eat. He eventually eats but he didn't seem happy about it.

It is like when there is a scheduled eating event lately he doesn't want to eat but then it hits him when it is not eating time that he is hungry. It is a bizarre habit he is developing. I thought it may be related to the stimulants or perhaps his age. But last night we caught him eating in his bedroom at his bedtime - not allowed in our house. Not even sure when he snuck the food - but that is what is worriesome to me.

It don't know whether to be strick with meal times or let him eat whenever he wants.

yeah, thats your call. Lots of people have that hoarding issue, we never did, so I cant help you with that one.

 

you dont HAVE to add bedtime snack, I'm only making a suggestion as you seem concerned about his weight, and why not feed him when he's hungry to help him gain weight. And I didnt necessarily mean add dessert it was just showing you how we sort of got them to eat their meals by using reward as opposed to having the control battle over eating, it's a common one. Sure you could skip afternoon snacking, you can do whatvere you want and whatver works. Lots of kids are very hungry at night that take stims, it is quite common. Is there a reason you dont want him to eat at night? Or are you just concerned he wont eat his dinner, so he's only snacking? If so you could always save his dinner until later. Have hi sit with you, whatever he doesnt finish, he eats later whne he is hungry.

My non ADHD 6 year old is AWFUL at dinner, she takes forever, eats hardly anything and goofs off the whole meal. My 13 year old who does have ADHD and is really thin and on meds did it then too, but she outgrew it.............I wouldnt worry too much.....................

My DS (12 1/2 years old) has been on Concerta for a number of years with no issues.  Iv'e noticed over the last several months that at bedtime he is in the kitchen eating.  At first I thought he was just putting off going to bed but he would tell me he was starving and he can't sleep when he was hungry.  We have had numerous arguments over this and how he needs to eat more at dinner, etc.  Well, recently it occurred to me that he probably is starving.  While he does eat at regular meals, by bedtime the stimulant has worn completly off and I imagine he is really hungery!  He is also a teen (almost) so he is probably growing and needs more calories than he can get at normal meal times esp. since he is on the Concerta.  If your DS is eating a healthy snack I would let him eat as he probably is hungry - maybe you could reheat his dinner.  Good luck!

This information makes me first feel horrible that we had some many arguments about eating before bedtime; and now happy that I finally know why he is so hungry at night. I will discuss this with my husband and we will probably start a night time snack routine.

Thanks all!

 

DONT feel horrible! There is no manual for parenting. Loving them is what counts.  If we all knew what we were doing we wouldn't need this message board.

my son is on 36mg concerta and 1/2mg tenex in am for the about 2 months now - prior to that he was just on tenex. I am wondering about eating habits - prior to additional meds my son was always hungry (it seemed). He is 8. and I thought he would have a loss of appetite with concerta - he did for about a week or so when he first started. Now he is ravenous. Sneaking food - especially at night. During main meals he picks at his food or eats really, really slow and won't finish it but then 1/2 hour later he wants snacks.

He has grown about 2 inches in about 15 months but has stayed at the same weight. He looks really skinny to me and now my husband is noticing. Do I end all snacks and make him eat the main meals? We feed him pretty healthy meals and snacks but he seems obsessed lately with eating - especially right before bedtime.

I have asked the doctors about his weight and they don't seem too concerned but this has been going on for too long now and he my fear is his lack of weight gain.

Advice?

Get him to eat as much of the meal as you can, maybe designate a "bedtime snack" time. Say you have dinner at 6:00pm, tell him no snack until bedtime snack at whatever, 7:45pm.  It doesnt really matter when he eats as long as he eats. I am one for having regular meal times, so I wouldnt let him not eat with the family at meal time, but after that let him eat what he wants. Establishing good habits young is important IMO, but if he eats his dinner let him eat whatver he wants after. I sort of tricked my kids with this, I started givign them smaller portions at dinner for a while, so they were completely able to eat it all (use a smaller plate). Then they were allowed dessert. Once the rules were set, eat dinner you can have dessert, I started giving them more dinner and they never noticed.

Curious, why should their be a bedtime snack? The doctors told me 2 meals with a morning and afternoon snack should be sufficient. My problem is he wants to eat at night all the time now.

He always eats with us a meal time - he just takes forever or goofs off and everyone else is done. My question - is not giving him snacks so he eats a meal time, is that a good thing or bad? Also, I have times where he eats as much as my over 200lbs husband but then he then he is hungry again a couple hours later. What gives?

EVERY NIGHT for weeks now he wants to eat when we are putting him in bed - is this normal?

FYI - We don't do much dessert during the week - only weekends and special occassions

OK _ The Carnation instant breakfast at night really works. YIPPY!!!!!!!!
My doctor isn't concerned about his weight...another YIPPY!!!!!
Good for you i am Glad something is working.  We took my son off of meds for the summer and I can't keep enough food in the house!

I'm glad to hear things are going well!!  Good for you!!  A good rule of thumb, don't freak unless you need to (I need to follow this better).  I know as well as anyone that this is hard to do but we try!! 

Heck our DD has been trying to get to 50 lbs for 2 years.  She stayed between 45 and 48.  She finally hit the 50 mark and she's 1" shy of being 4' tall.  She is 9 and tiny for her age but so was I and so was her dad.  Genetics play a large role.

Just keep up the healthy eating habits and he'll be fine!!  You're doing a great job!! 

Try carnantion instant breakfast with whole milk and ice cream, they can use the calories. Whip it up in the blender. You can pick up protein powder at the health food store to increase the protein levels of the drink. If you are worried about the sugar levels, use it a couple of times a week. The night time snack doesn't have to be unhealthy. Give him a turkey sandwich on whole wheat, this will promote sleep. My son doesn't like carnation instant breakfast, it is a little  too gritty for him.

His meds might still be in effect when you have dinner. My sons meds don't wear off time after 7:00pm and that is when get hungry.

Don't fret too much about the weight, as long as he is gaining some weight and growing some. My son wore the same size pant for 2 years ( during 2nd and 3rd grades). Puberty has really helped the growth spurt. Between 10-12, my son gained 30+ pounds and grown over a foot. He is now taller than his other buddies that are couple months older than him.

reruho39611.2959490741Just a thought - my son has been on Concerta for1.5 years and we fought
the losing weight battle. We recently added tenex and WOW - his appetite
increased!!!!!!! He has gone from being skinny to just looking healthy.

Your child may be having the same reaction.

My son has never been hungry during the day, it is the evening when the meds wear off that he gets hungry. He has always been skinny. He oftens forgets to eat during the day, so when the evening comes he becomes an eating machine.

My son went to Extended Day after school, he would not eat what they offered for a snack. He ate pretzals and peanut butter for lunch for all his elementary years. He is an extremely picky eater and rarely eats at anyone else's house. We only have a few resturants that he will eat at. This is something I have dealt with since he was a baby.

My son would only gain 5 pounds a year until we tried provigil. He gained 35 pounds in 6 months. I could not keep enough food in the house. That was 2 &1/2 years and he has only gained 5 pounds since. But, has grown a foot in height. 

Try giving him more protein during the day. I am ADHD and if I don't consume enough protein during the day, I go crazy at night. I can't get enough food.

We've always let our DD have a bedtime snack.  It's just part of the ritual.  She actually needs it in order to go to sleep.  I agree with everyone else, the meds where off and the appetite is crazy.  Don't worry so much about the weight loss, all kids go through it, on or off meds (at least this is what our docs have always told us).  At least he is growing, even if he isn't gaining weight, your doctor will let you know if there is a problem.  If you feel uncomfortable though ask your doctor.

We started the night time snack and I believe it actually calms him down. He seemed restless at night the last few weeks (Oh, I wish I could have known this info earlier). And we have a doctor's appointment on Friday where I will bring up the weight issue again - it won't be the first time I mentioned this to them. I have mentioned this to them for almost a year now and this if before meds.
I am still concerned about his weight since I weighed his sister yesterday (she is 6 1/2 - 2 full years younger) and she now weighs 2 lbs less than him - she gained 17 pounds since she moved in with us 18 months ago and over 5 inches - he has fluctuated between 58-63 lbs this entire time but has gained an inch or 2.
 thanks all
Someone on here once suggested carnation instant breakfast.  It works for us during the day when he won't eat. At least he's drinking and getting some nutrients.  Alot of sugar too though.  Forgot to mention - he is on tenex and he does eat at every meal (perhaps not enough)and he has no problem sleeping.  He came to us about 60 lbs 18 months ago and fluctuated with weight by 2 or 3 lbs during that time frame. He grew a couple of inches during that time as well but now he is still about 60 lbs - he did get up to 63 lbs but then we started Concerta he he dropped to 58 within the first month but back up to 60. We are seeing the doctor tonight and I will mentioned this concern - yet again.
My other issue is he is not our biological son so I don't know if this may be a normal growth thing for him or not. I do know his bio. father was really tall and skinny (but the skinniest could have had something to do with his drug taking - we just don't know)
Thank you all for your concern and advice.  I am making him eat a lot of protein, evening snack and now I am giving a few more sweet snacks just for the calories for him. He eats really healthy at all meals so allowing him to consume some empty calorie items doesn't bother me too much.
Will keep you informed of his progress.

what a difference a night time snack makes!! I am not sure about his weight yet- he is in camp now and very active - so I would like to see what he weighs after the night time snack start in a few weeks.
I know this sounds crazy but a few days after we started the Carnation instant breakfast snack routine - I swear ds grew ...I haven't measured him yet but he just looks taller. He looks taller, older, more mature. Anyone else experience something like this?

Navywife- yes, I agree genetics plays a big part in this but since we are not his biological parents it is hard to realize what is genetics and what is not. His parents were tall and thin but also they were drug addicts so I am not sure if thin is a normal attribute. So it is bit of a guessing game for us but we will manage.
I know exactly what you are saying.  I am noticing that Wyatt is "filling out".  When we took him off the meds we weighed him and checked his height and I haven't checked again but I "feel like" he grew.