9 year old always eating plastic-any ideas?

[rhyanen]

I believe my son has pica.  He constantly chews and swallows plastic.  This has been going on for some time now.  Despite our efforts to try and stop this behavior, he will still sneak caps from the milk jugs, toys, etc and hide them in his pocket to chew on throughout the day.  I have brought this up with his doctor and she simply scolded him and told him to stop or he'll get sick or get a parasite.  It did nothing for him.  I find him chewing the plastic on my 2 year old's sippy cup lids, small soft plastic toys, erasers, bowls, etc.  Anything with a soft plastic.  I have even caught him chewing on our remote controls, leaving big teeth marks across them.  I just don't know what to do at this point.  I cannot tell if it is an actual craving, or something emotional like anxiety.  He has been diagnosed with ADHD and is on medication, but it does not seem to help.

He also has gluten sensitivity.  He had blood tests done for celiac disease after his younger brother was diagnosed and I have heard that some children with pica may have nutritional deficiencies due to gluten? Is there anything in plastic that would make up for any nutrients? Any ideas on a specialist I could talk to about this problem?  Finally, do I need to worry about plastic poisoning and toxins building up in his system, bowel obstruction, etc?

thanks.

rhyanen

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, it is true that pica can occur in some children (usually those with various sorts of developmental disabilities) in association with nutritional deficiencies. This is likely not the case with your son, as you have consulted your doctor. Do you recall if the beahvior pre-dated the time he started his medication? Sometimes, though not often, stimulant medications can result in agitation or anxiety that could be manifested in the chewing behavior you describe. The beahvior is a cause for worry, due to complications from the material itself, which will not be digested, and through the composition of the material. Since the medication does not appear to be helping thus far, perhaps a vacation from the medication would be useful, both to re-assess that situation and to see if the craving for the plastic items diminishes.