weight loss

[mandyjt]

My daughter is 6 years old, on concerta for ADHD and is losing weight.  She has been on medications for adhd for over a year now.  She was born at 35 weeks by c-section, hospitalized several times before age 2 for respiratory conditions.  She has a congenital dislocation of her elbows, significantly more pronounced on left side, for which she is being monitored by Shriners hospital.  No other significant medical history.  She does not eat well, to the point where she gets physically sick (vomiting yellow liquid after periods of not eating).  I have tried everything I can to get her to eat, even trying pediasure, ensure, even slim-fast shakes.  She won't drink any of them.  She is now starting to lose weight.  She hasn't gained any weight in over 6 months, and now she is losing it.  She now weighs 33 lbs.  Help.

[mandyjt]

No, I have not.  She sees a family practitioner once a month to get her meds refilled.  I have tried taking her off them, but she is so miserable without them.  She can't sit still or relax, she can't focus on anything. I thought she was just being finicky and stubborn.  What else could be causing it?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Tothe extent that her eating problems are exacerbated by the appetit suppression that usually occurs secondary to use of psychostimulant, her condition invites the question of whether the medication should be discontinued. In addition, though, her weight is below the 5th percentile for her age, and her eating behavior may be symptomatic of a medical condition that has not been diagnosed. Have you had her evaluated by a pediatric gastroenterologist and/or pediatric endocrinologist?