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Child Prescribed Aderall, Showed Improvement In ADHD. Not Eating Properly, Tried Vyvnase But Lost Weight. Suggest?
Question: My grandson, who is under my care just turned 6 yrs, weighs approx. 50 lbs, was prescribed Adderall XR 10mg. I realize this is 12 hr extended presc. but I am cncerned as to whether he should have started on Adderall 3mg or 5mg .It showed improvement in his ADHD right away but he will not eat until about 11.30 at night and he has to be up at 6.30 am to get ready for school, he spends the day in school all day without eating one thing, I sent Peadasure drink but he doesn't touch it, I am very worried. The last time they tried him on Vyvanse he lost 10 lbs, he can;t afford to loose weight as he is only 46lbs now..... Help...... XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Welcome to XXXXXXX
Adderall is a stimulant drug which consists of amphetamine salts. It is a good drug for ADHD but it is not recommended for younger children (<4 years).
Ideal dosing for a child with ADHD is to start with 2.5-5 mg doses and to escalate the doses gradually until therapeutic effect is achieved. He is 6 years old and weighs about 50 lbs so as per my opinion he should have started with 5 mg dose with gradual escalation of doses. But initial dosing also depends upon the clinical features of patient and if clinical picture is with a lot of symptoms then a little higher dose is given.
As it is a stimulant drug it is known to cause decrease in appetite and decreased appetite or reduced weight is one of serious side effect of this drug. Best thing that can be done is to improve nutrition in order to prevent loss of weight. If he is having nausea or vomiting consult his psychiatrist to decrease the dose of Adderall.
Most of prescriptions are available in XR or IR forms in order to give sustained concentration of drug in school time. But the dosing is causing loss of appetite for which you should consult his psychiatrist.
Hope this helps you, if you have more questions you can ask again.
Thanks
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Welcome to XXXXXXX
Adderall is a stimulant drug which consists of amphetamine salts. It is a good drug for ADHD but it is not recommended for younger children (<4 years).
Ideal dosing for a child with ADHD is to start with 2.5-5 mg doses and to escalate the doses gradually until therapeutic effect is achieved. He is 6 years old and weighs about 50 lbs so as per my opinion he should have started with 5 mg dose with gradual escalation of doses. But initial dosing also depends upon the clinical features of patient and if clinical picture is with a lot of symptoms then a little higher dose is given.
As it is a stimulant drug it is known to cause decrease in appetite and decreased appetite or reduced weight is one of serious side effect of this drug. Best thing that can be done is to improve nutrition in order to prevent loss of weight. If he is having nausea or vomiting consult his psychiatrist to decrease the dose of Adderall.
Most of prescriptions are available in XR or IR forms in order to give sustained concentration of drug in school time. But the dosing is causing loss of appetite for which you should consult his psychiatrist.
Hope this helps you, if you have more questions you can ask again.
Thanks
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Dear Dr Bishnoi:
May I split the capsule in half so he would be getting 5mg instead of 10mg ?
Thanks,
XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Hello again
Detailed Answer:
It is not a good idea to split capsule in two parts and it may result in uneven dosing. Best thing is to purchase 5 mg tablets of same drugs if you want to start with 5 mg dose.
Thanks
Hello again
Detailed Answer:
It is not a good idea to split capsule in two parts and it may result in uneven dosing. Best thing is to purchase 5 mg tablets of same drugs if you want to start with 5 mg dose.
Thanks
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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