My 12 yr. old daughter has been on Concerta for at least 4 years. Before this,she tried Strattera for almost a year. I really wish these meds didn't affect appetite like they do! I was just curious if any moms have other suggestions of other meds she could try insted?
every one of those adhd med's effected my son. In different kinds of ways. But he is now taking L- theanine that is helping him. No side effect with vitamins w/ dr. amens office.
Sorry but I don't have encourging news for you. We ended up taking our 13 year old daughter off all meds because of the weight issue. We tried Concerta, Strattera, Vyvance, and I think 2 others, but the weight and lack of sleep issues were so bad that they outweighed the ADD issues. The Dr's think it delayed her starting her period because her body weight was so low. She's 16 now and she's doing fine, but we do hire a tutor to help her with school work and organizational issues.
Good luck and I hope you find
My oldest son (25) was on Ritalin and then on Aderall, but the latter was not for long. My 16 year old is still on Concerta. One of my triplets is on Concerta at age 7. We haven't had any major problems with appetite, though I know it is a side effect for others. You'll have to remember that at her age, it may not be the meds or at least not all the meds causing her to have a lack of appetite, especially in a girl, and at age 12. Most girls that age eat like birds. Try not to be too concerned. Keep offering healthy balanced meals and encourage her to eat as much as possible.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
My 13 year old son had been on Concerta for a few years. His main complaint was feeling subdued or as he put it 'glum' so we switched about a month ago to Vyvanse and he's doing so much better! All of the benefits of Concerta without the nasty side effects. He's focused and calm but doesn't feel 'glum'. I too hate the loss of appetite. My son is so skinny but still healthy enough to keep him on the meds. He refuses to eat lunch during the day so we usually have him eat a big healthy breakfast and he'll eat his lunch when he gets home at 3:30. He's usually hungry for dinner so that's not a problem and we allow him to snack before bed too. Also, don't know about your insurance co. but for some reason ours charged us name brand copay price for either the name brand or generic of Concerta but the Vyvanse is on a different tier so it's half the price as Concerta. Good luck to you!
My 11 year old daughter has taken Vyvanse 20mg for five years now. It no longer effects her appetite. It did for the first few months but then her body adjusted to it.
Good Luck!
My son was on Concerta, but he had lost weight. He switched to Focalin which is supposed to have the same active ingredient but it seems to wear off by dinner time slightly better. My cousin takes Concerta too, and he just waits til after 7pm to eat dinner, and then has a huge bedtime snack.
My son doesn't take the meds on the weekends or during the summer so maybe he will catch up on his eating then.
My 15 yr old son has been on Adderall XR for almost 4 years. Last summer we tried Vyvance for a couple months to see if it would last longer throughout the day, but be preferred to go back to Adderall (he takes 15mg in the morning, and 5mg after school if he feels he needs it to complete homework, etc). He doesn't feel that it effects his appetite at all.
Strattera shouldn't be effecting her appetite, if it is something else is wrong.
My daughter is on Adderall which does effect her appetite so I make sure she eats a good breakfast, accept she won't eat lunch or miss it and then she eats like a truck driver at dinner. Burps like one too. :p
My Dd takes Foclain extended release 20mg.. For 3 years works great for her.. Seems to not affect her appetite. I know quite a few kids that take this one.
Best of luck :)
My son is on Vyvanse (sp?) but one of the side effects is chewing his nails and its really bad. We just switched him to Strattera this week. He tried Adderol and Concerta and Intuniv and they didn't work at all. You just have to keep trying different doses and meds to see what works best. Good luck!
I'm a special education teacher of over 20 years. Each child is different as well as each medication. One may work for years but then fail and another one must be started. I can honestly say working in the school system and speaking with parents with children with ADHD they also have the same response: we've been through many medications to get it just right. Some are weight bearing and some are not. My child was on Concerta for only 1 year before being changed to another one that has so far been going well for 6 years. Good luck to you A..
