eating on adhd meds

Sue - posted on 09/10/2012

My daughter is 14 and on vyvanse. All she wants is junk when she gets hungry which isn't very often. She lives on sugar cold cereal. She'll eat a hot pocket for lunch and then I lose track after that. I have 5 kids and 3 are on meds for ADHD. Planning healthy regular dinners is such a disappointment . They don't like hardly anything I make. And they all have different tastes. My one son eats breakfast and then dinner around 8:00. He won't eat anything in between. I'm just frustrated.

Amanda - posted on 07/19/2011

I have a daughter who is 7 and on Ritalin xr. She will not eat at all. She is 39lbs. I dont know what to do to get her to eat! Can any one suggest anything? Thanks

Dana - posted on 04/29/2009

Our daughter would always pick at her food on the meds. Now that she is off of them she is finally filling out.

Dodie - posted on 04/29/2009

Be careful what you wish for . My daughter was the same way. She was 45lbs @ age 8. Her Dr then put her on periactin, a drug to help her gain. She is now 97 lbs at age 10 and very self aware of her new belly rolls. Now we can not get her to stop eating. We used the med for maybe 1 1/2 months. I would not have done it if I knew what I know now. But the Dr kept say'n she was aneroxic, when she ate good. Now I cannot keep food in the house. She eats like there will be no food later. Just let him be himself. He will start to gain on his on in due time. Just make sure to add in fruit (fruit roll ups, etc.) and veggies. I know feeding them is expensive ( at least in my house) we keep no snacks in her site. She will sneak them, and we will find empty wrappers everywhere. Set aside a pb and j for later. maybe he will pick up on it.

Amanda - posted on 04/27/2009

my twins take adderall twice a day and they also take periactin to help them eat but I haven't seen it do anything for them. They are still 39 lbs and they are 6 years old. They are so petite and i am afraid they will always be small

Becky - posted on 04/27/2009

When my son was 7 he was on Adderall and I seen a great loss in appetite then the doctor changed him to immempermine and it seemed to help before it was all said and done he ended up on Stratera which did not effect his appetite. Meds effect each person differently so it is possible that a med change could work. I may not have spelt some of the meds right it has been many years since he was on them.

Idella - posted on 04/27/2009

I'm going through the same thing with my son. He's on Addrell XR, he's 9 yrs old and weighs 49lbs. When he started on the meds he was weighing 55lbs. He loves to snack but normally don't like to eat during lunch or dinner. I try to get him to eat a little and thats all he'll eat is a little.

Elaine - posted on 04/27/2009

my son is the same, but what iv tryed to do is keep him of meds at the weekend and i can see a dif he gets up has his brec then he will eat all day, and in the week i try to give him foods that we all like to,eat and he will eat when he wonts it i dont fuss over him or it make it worse he is 11 and hes on medixnet xl 40mg good luck x

Kyle - posted on 04/26/2009

7 and 52 lbs, is that a lot under in weight for a boy? My daughter is 7 as well and she weighs about the same weight and I wouldn't say she is super skinny. Also, my son is 12 years old and he weighs around 80 pounds I would say, so I don't think your son is too out of line. My son was probably about that weight when he was 7. Me personally, I've never been the type of parent to fuss over food. As long as your children aren't over weight, I think they should be able to eat when they are hungry. I usually try to have foods for dinner that everyone likes. I'd rather them eat willingly than force feed them something they don't like.

Teri - posted on 04/26/2009

My daughter is going through the same thing, and it doesn't seem to matter what meds she's on. Currently she's on Vyvanse, but it was the same when she was on Concerta or Adderall. She'll take food and say she's hungry, but then she won't eat more than 2 bites. I try to tempt her with her favorites, but it doesn't seem to matter. She is more than happy to subsist on junk like pop and Cheetos, but won't touch anything with nutritional value. It's a constant struggle with her...she's almost 10 and is down to 60 pounds...I try not to make it a huge deal, we just try our best to eat stuff that's high in calories, and I add a Ensure Plus when I can, and I have to lower my standards. If she'll eat a McDonald's cheeseburger over a home cooked meal, more power too her!

Lisa - posted on 04/26/2009

When my oldest was on Adderall XR, I would make sure that the snacks he ate during the day added up to a healthy meal or two. For example, I would encourage him to eat breakfast before he took the medicine, then when he wanted a snack around 10 or so, I would offer yogurt or pudding for calcium, at lunch time I would fix him a PB and J with fruit and let him eat what he would, afternoon snack was generally trail mix and at dinner I would encourage him to eat and finally he would get another snack before bed. You can also try "hiding" additional calories in his snacks using milk in place of water when making hot chocolate etc. WIC used to have a pamphlet on how to help a child gain weight by hiding calories... you may be able to find something on the web. Good luck

Phyllis - posted on 04/26/2009

My son is on Concerta and as the med wears off in the evening, his appetite comes back a bit, so I make sure to give him a really big snack before bed. He will usually have cereal, toast, a nutrigrain bar and a cookie or some fruit. I let himm eat until he's full, as long as its relatively healthy. During the day when his appetite is low, I give him lots of fruit smoothies (with tofu and and some easily hidden pureed veggies) to sip on and a few times a week I give him a chocolate flavored Boost drink or pudding, sometimes Ensure if its on sale. Also, a Multi vitamin just in case. Sometimes when he's up early before school he's hungrier before the meds kick in, so I make a bigger breakfast. He is in Kindergarten and we have stopped giving him the meds on weekends and non-school days, that way he eats more on the of days. If his Doctor says thats ok, you could go that route. I find on the days without meds, that a glass of Coke or Coffee in the morning and afternoon helps keep him under control a bit more so he's not quite as hard for me to handle. Feel free to contact me anytime if you like these ideas or need more, or just need to talk!