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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
Dexedrine and normal physical development
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
Dexedrine and normal physical development
by learn2liveca, Mar 10, 2002 12:00AM
Hi! I am a counselor at a Jr. High school and work with a 13 year old male student only recently (8 months ago) diagnosed with FAS. He was originally diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Dexedrine when he was 6 or 7 years old and has been on it ever since that time. I am concerned that the dexadrine decreases his appetite substantially... since Sept. 2001 I have never seen him eat...the rx upsets his stomach so much that he doesnt eat breakfast or lunch and I wonder how this lack of nutrition will effect his normal physical develpment.
If you could also tell me, since his diagnosis of FAS if perhaps they (drs) shouldn't be looking at differing his meds as to me he seems more depressed than ADHD although all the FAS characteristics are all there-inability to concentrate/focus etc. when in a stimulating atmosphere (ie regular classroom. He has very real and substantial reasons to be depressed...always in trouble at school and at home and can't social with his peers at all and I have seen anti-depressants used with kids his age with pretty good results.
Any ideas about where else I could go for more info. please let me know.
Many thanks,
Bernadette
If you could also tell me, since his diagnosis of FAS if perhaps they (drs) shouldn't be looking at differing his meds as to me he seems more depressed than ADHD although all the FAS characteristics are all there-inability to concentrate/focus etc. when in a stimulating atmosphere (ie regular classroom. He has very real and substantial reasons to be depressed...always in trouble at school and at home and can't social with his peers at all and I have seen anti-depressants used with kids his age with pretty good results.
Any ideas about where else I could go for more info. please let me know.
Many thanks,
Bernadette
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Mar 11, 2002 12:00AM
, Mar 11, 2002 12:00AM
Stimulant medications such as Dexedrine can produce gastrointestinal side effects when taken on an empty stomach. So, it would help this student if he would take the medicine with a bit of food. Now, the suppression of appetite is a common side effect of the stimulant medications, and the consequences of this have to be evaluated for each individual. For example, if a child is overweight to begin with, the suppression of appetite may not be of particular concern. On the other hand, if a child is slightly built as a baseline, diminished appetite can be more of a problem. Use of enriched preparations can be useful in such circumstances, as can be the practice of 'eating by the clock' instead of relying on hunger as the stimulus to eating. Relative to the notion of prescribing an antidepressant, many children with ADHD also display some co-morbid condition, such as a mood or anxiety disorder. You might discuss this with this student's parents and see if his outpatient providers have considered a possible co-morbid condition.
