Reply to Can a change in Ritalin cause weight gain?

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[quote=Anonymous]DD's psychiatrist changed the formulation of her Ritalin so that it has a longer release period. Her appetite is not as depressed and she sleeps better. But DD has gained close to 15 pounds since the medication change, which happened around last Halloween. To be sure, she's eating more during the day, because her appetite isn't depressed, but she's also not binging every night like before the new medication. She also was not getting as much exercise over the winter because of the cold/snow (less walking to school), so that could be a contributing factor. But still, this seems like a lot of weight. And it's primarily in her midsection. What's particularly concerning is that we noticed that weight gain in January, and at that time, made an effort (as a household) to eat healthier (even though we had a pretty good baseline). And DD signed up for fitness classes. Yet she gained another three pounds. None of her pants fit.

Has anyone seen this before? I know kids typically lose weight on stimulants, but I'm wondering if the change in medication screwed up DD's metabolism. The weight gain--both the amount and the concentration in her midsection--seems pretty dramatic. Her psychiatrist raised the option of including a medication to deal with the weight gain issue, but before we add another medication or change one, I'd like to explore the underlying cause. Maybe DD is an exception to the rule?

In the meantime, we're continuing to focus on healthy eating and more exercise.

This is not about aesthetics. DD seems to be gaining weight rapidly, and that's concerning from a health perspective. That's how we're treating this.[/quote]

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