Meds and weight

November 8, 2005

My son is almost 14 and I always worried about his weight and height because

he was first on ritalin then dexedrine when he was 6-9 He got so skinny lost

much of his appetite and couldn't sleep. I took him of those medicines and

tried Aderrall a time release capsule he was okay, he had it from age 10-11 but

I

still was worried about the side effects of this medicine especially in

weight and height, then I heard about Concerta and this is the one that has

worked

best for him, he takes 54mg(a pill a day, in the morning) I give him a good

breakfast and then by lunch he's not very hungry but I packed in his lunch box

things that i know he likes and would give him energy, like granola bars,

yogurt, fruit, etc. He eats some and then when he gets home he eats a good

dinner

around 5. He has grown and has gained appropriate weight. He does very well

at school academically and you know the social issues is another story but he

is a happy and healthy boy. I hope this would help.

Maricell

November 9, 2005

Hi, check out Topomax. I can't recall what it might replace. And

you know how meds for one *thing* are found useful for another also,

so research a bit. But Topomax has helped with weight loss. Don't

know if it's added *to* the mix or if it can replace a med (like

Risperdal).

>

> Hi, I have a question. My son takes Depacote, Topomax, Abilify,

and

> Navane. He is 16. When he was 11 and started with meds he took

> Risperdal, which made him gain a lot of weight. WE switched to

> Abilify a couple of years ago and he lost some weight and then

started

November 10, 2005

Topomax is an anti-epileptic medicattion prescribed often now as a migraine

prevventative. The weight loss is a side effect for something like 45% of those

taking it.

<@...> wrote:

Hi, check out Topomax. I can't recall what it might replace. And

you know how meds for one *thing* are found useful for another also,

so research a bit. But Topomax has helped with weight loss. Don't

know if it's added *to* the mix or if it can replace a med (like

Risperdal).

>

> Hi, I have a question. My son takes Depacote, Topomax, Abilify,

and

> Navane. He is 16. When he was 11 and started with meds he took

> Risperdal, which made him gain a lot of weight. WE switched to

> Abilify a couple of years ago and he lost some weight and then

started

November 10, 2005

Topamax (or Topomax) also has " off label " uses, but you're right as to

those you mentioned.

>

> Topomax is an anti-epileptic medicattion prescribed often now as a

migraine prevventative. The weight loss is a side effect for

something like 45% of those taking it.

March 2, 2006

Hi. I have two sons on the autism spectrum. My 15 year old is diagnosed

Asperger's. He took Zoloft for several years to help with obsessions and angry

affect. He never really gained weight from the medication. He did gain

weight two years before going through puberty and now at 15 he is what I would

consider average weight wise. He is about 5'7 and weighs 155. He has just

started taking Concerta due to focus and attention issues. Haven't really seen

any affects from it just yet. My younger son also took Zoloft for several

years to help with severe anxiety, before begining to refuse to take it. He

is naturally a bit chunky and I never really noticed any particular weight

gain while on the medication. Pam

March 2, 2006

I'd like to find out what has been the experience of other parents

when it comes to different meds and managing weight in their

children. My 9 year old son took strattera during his 2nd grade --

while it seemed to help with concentration, it did seem to

contribute to increased anxiety and meltdowns (although it is hard

to separate the med from the less than stellar para-professional he

had that year). He had been getting " chunky " beforehand and lost

about 10 pounds while on it (his appetite decreased alot). This

summer we took him off of it and switched to risperdal (along with a

number of other bits and pieces of meds). The anxiety and meltdowns

decreased...but he began putting the weight back on...about a month

ago, he was switched to Abilify (which actually made him drowsy,

opposite to the expected side-affect). This was supposed to help

with the ravenous appetite...but does not seem to have done

so...since his lowest weight of last year, he has packed 27 pounds

on!! He's a big guy, but he is beginning to have quite a tummy and

we are increasingly concerned. So, a few specific questions: 1.

Is this a common experience with this med? AND 2. Of course he has

sensory issues and has a VERY limited diet which consists mainly of

carbs -- have any of you tried special diets and how awful was it

trying to get a child with sensory issues with eating to switch?

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

March 2, 2006

Hi Original

We had the same experience with risperdal - increased appetite and

weight gain. My son would come home from school and prowl around the

kitchen looking for food. We did our best to watch calorie intake but

his diet is limited - mainly he likes pizza, grilled cheese, burgers

and chicken nuggets and fries. Not exactly a heart healthy diet. This

has improved with time - they brain wash the kids at school regarding

healthy eating and now it's to the point where he reads the back of

the package checking to see the fat content etc.

Once my son came off the risperday the excess weight gradually

disappeared - not that he lost weight bur rather he " grew " into it.

Regards

Trish

>

> I'd like to find out what has been the experience of other parents

> when it comes to different meds and managing weight in their

> children. My 9 year old son took strattera during his 2nd grade --

> while it seemed to help with concentration, it did seem to

> contribute to increased anxiety and meltdowns (although it is hard

> to separate the med from the less than stellar para-professional he

> had that year). He had been getting " chunky " beforehand and lost

> about 10 pounds while on it (his appetite decreased alot). This

> summer we took him off of it and switched to risperdal (along with

a

> number of other bits and pieces of meds). The anxiety and

meltdowns

> decreased...but he began putting the weight back on...about a month

> ago, he was switched to Abilify (which actually made him drowsy,

> opposite to the expected side-affect). This was supposed to help

> with the ravenous appetite...but does not seem to have done

> so...since his lowest weight of last year, he has packed 27 pounds

> on!! He's a big guy, but he is beginning to have quite a tummy and

> we are increasingly concerned. So, a few specific questions: 1.

> Is this a common experience with this med? AND 2. Of course he has

> sensory issues and has a VERY limited diet which consists mainly of

> carbs -- have any of you tried special diets and how awful was it

> trying to get a child with sensory issues with eating to switch?

> Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

>

March 2, 2006

My son gained 20 pounds on Abilify in 6 months. He went from

74 to 94 and he's about 4'8 " . He ate all the time, about every 90

minutes.

And that is supposed to be the anti-psychotic with lesser weight

effects.

He doesn't look chubby, but I can tell in the shower. Ripply skin.

That's the reason I didn't want to try Risperdal...

Jackie

On Mar 2, 2006, at 1:39 PM, originalrevmommy wrote:

> The anxiety and meltdowns

> decreased...but he began putting the weight back on...about a month

> ago, he was switched to Abilify (which actually made him drowsy,

> opposite to the expected side-affect). This was supposed to help

> with the ravenous appetite...but does not seem to have done

> so...since his lowest weight of last year, he has packed 27 pounds

> on!!

March 2, 2006

>

> I'd like to find out what has been the experience of other parents

> when it comes to different meds and managing weight in their

> children.

P.S. My 9 year old son currently takes 27mg. Concerta to help his

concentration and there has been no change in his growth pattern

(still tall and thin, 90th percentile height and 50th for weight).

March 3, 2006

Did she seem to have a lot of nightmares and seem more scared on the risperdal?

( ) Re: Meds and weight

While my daughter was on Risperdal she had a ravenous appetite.

>

> I'd like to find out what has been the experience of other parents

> when it comes to different meds and managing weight in their

> children. This

> summer we took him off of it and switched to risperdal (along with a

> number of other bits and pieces of meds). The anxiety and meltdowns

> decreased...but he began putting the weight back on...Thank you.

>

March 3, 2006

No, actually she was quite calmed while on Risperdal. Meds have since

been discontinued though as it was thought her sensitivity to light

may have increased on Risperdal causing headaches. With withdrawal of

the medication, her extreme appetite also decreased.

A medication called Imprimine (sp?) was attempted several years ago,

but we found it to cause her mood to become extremely volatile. She

would sometimes react with uncontrollable laughter or break into

tears for no apparent reason; so that was one we will never try

again. I do not recall that particular medicine changing her

appetitie.

> >

> > I'd like to find out what has been the experience of other

parents

> > when it comes to different meds and managing weight in their

> > children. This

> > summer we took him off of it and switched to risperdal (along

with a

> > number of other bits and pieces of meds). The anxiety and

meltdowns

> > decreased...but he began putting the weight back on...Thank you.

> >

>

March 4, 2006

My son also gained about 20 lbs in six months on the abilify. He is

9 yrs old and very tall. He is actually 5 ft tall and weighs 125

lbs. He looks a little chubby with his clothes on but without he is

ripply also. This really bothers me. My family tends to be skinny

people so I know this is not natural for him. He use to take the

Risperdal and we switched to the Abilify because of the apetite and

weight gain. When we first started the Abilify his apetite grew

even more and the weight gain increased but now we are working very

hard on this. He has stopped gaining weight but cannot lose

either. I have made charts with how much he can eat in a day. He

loves to follow charts. However, he will still sneak stuff

occasioanlly. And if he is more anxious than usual he will drive me

crazy wanting more food all day. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is

that for us the Abilify was no different than the Risperdal except

it costs a whole lot more.

>

> My son gained 20 pounds on Abilify in 6 months. He went from

> 74 to 94 and he's about 4'8 " . He ate all the time, about every

90

> minutes.

>

March 7, 2006

Hello, I'm new to this group and I saw your notice on Abilify. My

son is taking 10mg a day and it has helped him immensely. His

previous medication - Focalin - was causing him to eat his head off

and gain about 20lbs over a 6 month period. Now he's not doing that.

We are not seeing a weight gain but he is not losing weight either.

What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

bother him, but it's noticeable to others.

Sherry

> >

> > My son gained 20 pounds on Abilify in 6 months. He went from

> > 74 to 94 and he's about 4'8 " . He ate all the time, about every

> 90

> > minutes.

> >

>

March 7, 2006

On Mar 7, 2006, at 9:56 AM, Sherry Hudson wrote:

>

> What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

> specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

> notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

> making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

> interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

> bother him, but it's noticeable to others.

We didn't have any tremors that I noticed. But it's like you said,

he was able to be in a group more readily for a while. That lasted

about 5 months until it wasn't working anymore. I didn't realize

how much it had quelled his hyperactivity until he came off of it.

I should just put some Mop N Glo on his socks and let him loose on the

kitchen floor. He'd have it shiny in no time...but mostly in

circles....

Jackie (ph. 9. AS/ADHD/anxiety)

March 7, 2006

Jackie and Sherry,

What did the Dr. put your sons on Abilify for? My son also has AS/ADHD/anxiety.

He is 7 ½ and has some aggressive tendencies (mainly toward me or kids his age

that cross his path) - but the Dr. doesn't want to go there yet because he

doesn't melt down or rage at school but only at home. He is on 36mg of Concerta

but it doesn't seem to help him stay still enough or focus enough at school. He

doesn't finish things, he's very forgetful, and a little disruptive to the

class. He is also on 25 mg of Zoloft for anxiety. I personally would like to

see a combo of Concerta and Strattera, or something else to curb his

hyperactivity and rigidness (if even possible). Right now, we go every 4 weeks

until we find the right combo of meds for him.

Right now he is super skinny, so at this point, I'm not worried about weight.

- Kim

NC

________________________________

From: [mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Jackie Geipel

Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 11:40 AM

Subject: Re: ( ) Meds and weight

On Mar 7, 2006, at 9:56 AM, Sherry Hudson wrote:

>

> What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

> specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

> notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

> making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

> interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

> bother him, but it's noticeable to others.

We didn't have any tremors that I noticed. But it's like you said,

he was able to be in a group more readily for a while. That lasted

about 5 months until it wasn't working anymore. I didn't realize

how much it had quelled his hyperactivity until he came off of it.

I should just put some Mop N Glo on his socks and let him loose on the

kitchen floor. He'd have it shiny in no time...but mostly in

circles....

Jackie (ph. 9. AS/ADHD/anxiety)

March 7, 2006

On Mar 7, 2006, at 11:52 AM, Kim Mans wrote:

>

> Jackie and Sherry,

>

> What did the Dr. put your sons on Abilify for?

Stimming--he jumps up and down and rubs his upper lip with his fists

when he's excited.

Plus, we wanted to address mood stabilization because it was always

hard to play games--he

would fall apart whether he won or lost.

He is now on Zoloft and Tenex. We tried Strattera for about three

weeks, but that seemed to

make him worse, even at home.

He's inattentive, although he does well at home. I might have to

repeat instructions, but then

he actually goes and does what I want. He works very hard at

school, feels very responsible to

complete work and do the right thing. (In between blazing meltdowns

from anxiety and sensory overload--that's

coming under control.) Does his homework without being asked.

Jackie (, 12, PDD-NOS, ph, 9, AS, both with ADHD and anxiety)

March 7, 2006

In a message dated 3/7/2006 11:33:20 AM Eastern Standard Time,

s1hudson@... writes:

What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

bother him, but it's noticeable to others

So you believe the tremors are due to the medication? That would really

bother me. Will the tremors stop if you stop giving the medication? I would

really ask the doctor to help find another med, IMO.

Roxanna ô¿ô

Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

March 8, 2006

We're using Abilify for anxiety. He has a lot of worries and the specialist

says that is " normal " for Asperger's kids. The specialist we see is a

behavioral pediatrician who specializes in ASD. My son has been seeing him

for 3 years. We've already been on Strattera, Focalin, Fluoxetine, and

Concerta, and Remeron(at different times). Concerta didn't go over well for

him. He had a constant upset stomach. Nor did Strattera by itself. Those

really caused major meltdowns. He had meltdowns before he started taking

Strattera, but not like after! The doctor said that Strattera can cause

these kinds of anger outbursts, but we weighed the benefits(his ability to

focus), and decided to keep him on it. He now takes Fluoxetine, Strattera,

& Focalin XR, in the morning & Abilify(at bedtime). He's the happiest he

has been since he was 5! School work is suffering a little bit, but they've

really turned up the expectations in his gifted class, and his regular

teacher is out on maternity leave, so we're not sure which is the cause yet.

We did see quite a bit of weight gain with the Remeron and Strattera, but

that is leveling off on the Abilify.

The thing I've learned the most from the specialist is that you need to

constantly be watching how the medication works for them. Since their

bodies are growing, their medication needs are constantly changing. We see

the specialist about every 3-4 months. Unfortunately my insurance doesn't

pay for him and it is a bit of a burden. But it's worth it!

Sherry

>From: " Kim Mans " <kmans@...>

>Reply-

>< >

>Subject: RE: ( ) Meds and weight

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>

>Jackie and Sherry,

>

>What did the Dr. put your sons on Abilify for? My son also has

>AS/ADHD/anxiety. He is 7 ½ and has some aggressive tendencies (mainly

>toward me or kids his age that cross his path) - but the Dr. doesn't want

>to go there yet because he doesn't melt down or rage at school but only at

>home. He is on 36mg of Concerta but it doesn't seem to help him stay still

>enough or focus enough at school. He doesn't finish things, he's very

>forgetful, and a little disruptive to the class. He is also on 25 mg of

>Zoloft for anxiety. I personally would like to see a combo of Concerta

>and Strattera, or something else to curb his hyperactivity and rigidness

>(if even possible). Right now, we go every 4 weeks until we find the right

>combo of meds for him.

>

>Right now he is super skinny, so at this point, I'm not worried about

>weight.

>

>- Kim

> NC

>

>________________________________

>

>From:

>[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Jackie Geipel

>Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 11:40 AM

>

>Subject: Re: ( ) Meds and weight

>

>On Mar 7, 2006, at 9:56 AM, Sherry Hudson wrote:

> >

> > What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

> > specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

> > notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

> > making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

> > interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

> > bother him, but it's noticeable to others.

>

>We didn't have any tremors that I noticed. But it's like you said,

>he was able to be in a group more readily for a while. That lasted

>about 5 months until it wasn't working anymore. I didn't realize

>how much it had quelled his hyperactivity until he came off of it.

>I should just put some Mop N Glo on his socks and let him loose on the

>kitchen floor. He'd have it shiny in no time...but mostly in

>circles....

>

>Jackie (ph. 9. AS/ADHD/anxiety)

>

March 8, 2006

It is a known side effect of the medication. It may or may not dissappear

when & if he stops taking the medicine. I agonized about what to do with

the specialist. He and I both decided it was the best possible route at

this time. I was just wondering if others experienced it. We aren't

planning on taking him off of this medicine right now because it is working

extremely well for him.

Sherry

>From: kneeleee@...

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: ( ) Meds and weight

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>In a message dated 3/7/2006 11:33:20 AM Eastern Standard Time,

>s1hudson@... writes:

>

>What we are seeing that I'm concerned about is hand tremors. The

>specialist says some kids get these and I was wondering if any of you

>notice it in your children. The main thing for us is that Abilify is

>making him a more social kid with less anxiety about group

>interaction. But I do worry about the tremors. He says they don't

>bother him, but it's noticeable to others

>

>So you believe the tremors are due to the medication? That would really

>bother me. Will the tremors stop if you stop giving the medication? I

>would

>really ask the doctor to help find another med, IMO.

>

>Roxanna ô¿ô

>Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

>

March 8, 2006

Hi,

My daughter is on Abilify, but she was put on it after a medication made her

hear voices. She found that it helped her mood, and she also has the tremors.

She is 18. She says she prefers the tremors because of what it does to stabilize

her mood swings. This is quite a strong drug with a lot of side effects. Be sure

to read the packaging.

I am still not having any luck at getting her out of the house for a job or

volunteer work or anything since she graduated in January. I hope to talk to her

Psychologist next week. Since she is an adult and has been an adult since the

time of her diagnosis. I get very little say. The trouble is she isn't telling

them how bad the situation is. She isn't being an adult.

Sherry Hudson <s1hudson@...> wrote: