Weight Loss

Hello all. I'm new to this so please be patient. My 9 year old son takes Concerta in the am and Strattera in the pm. We were just back to the Dr. yesterday and he has lost 20 lbs. in 3 months (putting him at only 60 lbs.). Does anyone have any suggestions. I've done milkshakes, peanut butter, bribery, etc. He just won't eat. Now he is scheduled to start a new medication this weekend and I'm worried it will drop even more weight.

My 47 lb., 8 year old son is taking Adderall XR 10 mg in the morning and Strattera 60 mg at night.  He also takes Lexapro 10 mg in the evening for OCD tendencies and depression.  After the Strattera started working we lowered the dosage of the stimulant, in our case Adderall XR15 mg to 10 mg.  This stopped my sons weight loss and he has even gained a few lbs. back.  Maybe all you need to do is lower the dosage of Concerta your son is taking.

I know what you mean about not being able to entice your son to eat.  When my son was on the higher dosage of Adderall XR I just couldn't get him to eat.  He just wasn't interested.  As a mom that just makes you feel powerless.  Then you see them losing all the weight.  I can't believe your doctor is not more concerned.  My son only lost 7 lbs and when I talked to the doc he was a concerned as I was and we made changes he thought would help.  The scary thing is at summer camp you'll have no idea what he is eating.

Relax a bit.

Most pediatricians realize this is a side effect. The doc should be seeing the child every month since the prescription cannot be refilled and you need a new script each time.  Unless the doctor is worried about the weight loss problem I would not stress about it too much.  The loss of appetite effect gradually dissipates for many kids.  It took my daughter a year and a half to completely stabalize and start gaining on her growth curve. 

The poster with the seven-year-old child:

How tall is your child?  Does she have genes that would normally leave her thin or short?  Perhaps the medicine is not the only thing determining her weight.  For example, I am only 4'10" and my husband is only 5'6".  Both of us also come from families that are simply short, small people.  My daughter will be twelve next month and stands only 4'0" tall.  She weighs 46lbs.  An almost-twelve-year-old weighing 46lbs sounds outrageous to someone who is not aware of our small family or her height.

Hello all. I'm new to this so please be patient. My 9 year old son takes Concerta in the am and Strattera in the pm. We were just back to the Dr. yesterday and he has lost 20 lbs. in 3 months (putting him at only 60 lbs.). Does anyone have any suggestions. I've done milkshakes, peanut butter, bribery, etc. He just won't eat. Now he is scheduled to start a new medication this weekend and I'm worried it will drop even more weight.