Re: Intuniv Weight Gain

[Guest guest]

My son (12) is just starting Intuniv. I hope it doesn't cause weight gain, as

he is already overweight. I think he's 5'0 or so and over 120 pounds.

Anyway, I'm sure it is genetic in our family as well, but here's another

thought:

We actually thought about going towards antipsychotic medicine, but I wanted to

try Intuniv first (which I hope my insurance covers - we have samples right

now), and I was concerned about the weight gain the antipsychotics ALWAYS cause

in children, especially. The dr responded, " Either you have a typical weight

child who's ANGRY, or an overweight, more calm child. " Something for me to think

about.

Leah

[Guest guest]

my son is on intuniv and is gaining weight but he's also a couch potato and eats

too many carbs ... i'm quite sure that's where his weight is coming and not the

meds; We've been to an endocrinologist who warned us of early onset puberty

with too much weight gain and she's given us a diet to follow - though it's

pretty difficult with a kid like mine ... we are trying to do what we can ..

switched to Lite bread and no fruit juice at all (he was only having one super

small juice box a day at school);

Good luck,

>

> My son has been on Intinuv for a year now, and he has gained weight on it. He

started out at a normal weight, and is now about 15 pounds overweight. He's 11,

and about 4'10 " .

> Otherwise, it is the perfect med for him. He hasn't had a meltdown in months,

and says things to me like " I don't want to argue about that right now " . So, we

are dealing with it. We take a 30 minute walk every day, and I'm always trying

to get him to mooooooove.

> For him, I think the weight comes from sitting too much and being severely

food restricted due to food phobias. He's a carb monster. Off Intuniv, the

hyperactivity let him get away with eating too many carbs.

> I brought this up with his doctor, and he said that in 18 years of prescribing

Tenax/Intuniv, he'd never seen a kid gain on it, and that the weight troubles

might be genetic. I am severely overweight (5'7 " , 250 lb), so he might have a

point. I just wonder what he would have said if skinny Dad had taken DS to the

doctor's, hmmmm?

> I'd like to hear from other families if their kids have experienced weight

gain on this med.

> Staying sane 4 minutes at a time, R.

>