weight gain | Autism PDD

My son has been diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. He has experienced severe weigt gain from several different medications. We are desperately searching for a way to help him lose weight and would appreciate any suggestions.

I honestly don't know - We can't get Payne to gain weight. He's 6 years old. Over 4 ' tall and over 65 lbs...he's all muscle though...toned...sometimes it looks like he has a mini 6 pack. I have the same problem with Adam. We try to keep only healthy snacks in the house, but he will over eat on those also. It is winter here and it is hard to get him exercise. But the last few days have been warmer and he has been able to ride his bike and also take the dog for a walk. We started walking in the mall with him for exercise also. He has stabilized but is still over weight. We struggle. But have found exercise is the best solution.

Kids are very picky but if you can come up with some replacements of what he's already eating but in less fat/less sugar versions. I know many items like cereal, milk, breads and lean meats are good choices. Take him on walks, teach him to "choose" better choices if he is verbal and can understand he has some control over it. I eat low carb and try to cut out high processed carb foods and replace with complex carbs like whole wheat bread, crackers, cereals..keep him away from sugared pop/fried foods are terrible. If you tweak a little here and there and not all at once he may not even notice he is making better choices

Shelley

I need help with the same thingI wonder why some kids taking the exact same meds as Payne gain so much weight and I can barely keep it on him - letting him eat whatever, whenever?

Tzoya, Adam is the same way. He does eat breakfast, and then lunch at school. He is on Abilify 5mg, Paxil CR 12.5 mg and Adderral 15mg. It seems as soon as the Adderral wears off he is an eating machine. I think sometimes I have to lock the cabinets. We don't have cookies, ice cream, chips or other snacks in the house, but you would not believe the size of peanut butter and jelly sandwich he can make himself.

I personally have tried appetite surpressents and I have bad reactions from them, and I have no other medical problems. So I would be nervous about giving them to someone with ticks.

I don't have any other suggestions, except to tell you that I am in the same boat. Adam is 5 feet tall and 135 pounds. His brother is the same height and 95lbs. Adam was always skinny until he started on the meds. He used to have to belt slim pants.

My son has also started to gain weight. He has autism but also has low muscle tonw in his trunk which makes it even harder on him. I have switched from 2% to skim milk and no carbs. I have been giving him no processed foods and lots of high fiber and I see a change in how swelled he is and attetion span. Maybe you can look into a swim class with him. They sometimes offer swim classes for special needs chidren at a lot of the rehabilation centers.

My son HAS to be on high doses of Risperdal, the champion weight gain medication. He's been on it half his life. When he first went on it for severe Tourette's tics, he was 8 and weighed 80 lbs, which was lean since he's quite tall. In the first 6 weeks, he went up to 112 lbs.! That's a 40% weight gain. But Risperdal was (and is) the ONLY thing that controlled the uncontrollable and allowed him to stay in school (his tics are THAT severe). We dealt with the weight gain by giving him weekly swimming lessons and trying to get him outside (away from food) and running around as much as possible. As soon as he was ready, we enrolled him on a swim team. He was very heavy but was very in shape.

Fastforward to the onset of puberty. He became aggressive for the first time. It was the testosterone. And the tics came back, bigtime. They were SO severe and his aggression so dangerous (due to his enormous strength and size, not so much to the actual acts) that we had to raise the Risperdal up to 6 mg. He got huger. He also grew in height. He's currently 6'2" and pushing 300 lbs. He still swims on swim team and had a room full of medals, so he's still in shape, but he's enormous. However, he is not the least bit aggressive and never has a single tic.

I've spoken many times with his excellent psychiatrist. The bottom line is that , with our son, we have a choice. Risperdal or institutionalization. His tics look for all the world like a grand mal seizure and ANY aggression in a person the size and strength of an average linebacker is quite dangerous. On Risperdal, he's gentle and funny and a pleasure to be with. Clearly, obesity pales in comparison to what our lives would be like if he weren't on Risperdal.

Because of our son's tics, he cannot be on ANY stimulants. However, if he COULD be on Ritalin, I'd put him on Ritalin. Perhaps that can work for your son. Kids on Ritalin often have the opposite problem of kids on Risperdal. They can't GAIN weight. So perhaps the combo of Risperdal (or whatever med is making your son gain weight) and Ritalin will end up being the answer if you speak to the doc about it.

In our case, I try to keep only good food in the house and I keep sugar free treats around (for my own sake, too). I get him out walking an swimming. I try to keep him away from the fridge. As our doctor pointed out, I have a choice of a happy but obese boy who lives a home or a handsome, trim boy who lives a miserable life in a hospital. Not every situation is this extreme, but the choice is really the same -- FAT or FUNCTIONAL.

I was reading the message board and found your comments not only interesting but they also hit close to home. My little guy is 6 years old, 4feet 2 inches and he is about 4 pounds shy of 100 pounds. He has been diagnosed with bipolar and adhd. Recently hsi psychiatrist has discussed the possibility of him having pdd. I have always suspected this but never mentioned it to his psychiatrist. I didn't want to give her diagnosis, I wanted to see if she saw what I was seeing.

He has been on the abilify 7mg per day for a year and is doing well behvior wise. Unfortunately, he has gained a significant amount of weight, nearly 20 pounds in a year. This is of concern to me as well as the psychiatrist. She is constantly looking at me like I am stuffing him with food wich is not the case at all. He has unsweetened cereal with skim milk for breakfast. He eats a snack of fruit or cheese made from skim milk. He eats lean turkey on weight watchers whole wheat bread no mayo or mustard, fruit, water, pirates booty or weight watchers muffin/cake. They are super small. For dinner since he is generally not a meat eater he gets fish or chicken a half a cup of rice, beans or other veggies, a fruit for desert and more water or milk with ovaltine. Needless to say he is still putting on weight. He also goes to karate 3x's per week and I get him over to the park whenever the wheather is good or we go for long walks 2x's per week. Needless to say, he is still puting on weight. His doctor put him on topamax to reduce his weight 100mg per week and to no avail the weight is not going any where but up. I get so frustrated because I feel like I am doing everything that I possibly can but not getting very far. It would be one thing if I was stuffing him like a turkey but I don't. There is such a high incidence of diabetes, blood pressure, and cholestoral on both sides of the family. I really worry about this and that is why I am so careful about his food intake and choices. In fact I could care less about the asthetics of his weight all I care about is that he is happy with himself and that he is healthy. Moreover, his appetite is so out of control, that I have to hide the ceral, and what little healthy snacks we do have in our house because he will eat them all. If I am not careful with my hiding spots, he will search the entire house once he knows they are in there. I don't know what to do. If any one sees something I am missing please let me know.

Also, his doctor wanted to put him on adderall for his adhd. Initially, I agreed but once I found out it was an anphetamine. I immediately took him off. I was so afraid that I was setting him up for a future drug addiction, plus I feared that he was already taking too may drugs with the abilfy. Can anyone give me some insight here. I see where many of your children are on various meds. What is your personal feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Please feel free to contact me directly at liush7@aol.com with your insight. Your imput is greatly appreciated. Sorry so long. Having a place like this to communicate with others is such a breath of fresh air. I know I am not alone, my brain knows I am not alone but my poor heart has not figured this out. Thank you all for support.

leesita 12539177.8800347222

Your son is on 6 mg. of Risperdal a day? So is mine and our doctor tells me that's HIGH, which is why our son keeps gaining weight. Past 6 mg., the risk of Tardive Dyskenesia goes up, so we're staying on this dose. My son can't take ANY appetite suppressants because they will bring back the tics, bigtime. My son eats only fat-free, sugar free dairy products (Light n' Lively yogurt, Edy's ice cream, Hershey's Chocolate Mild -- all without sugar or fat). He just eats VOLUMES of stuff. He's ACTUALLY HUNGRY.

I know of only a very, very few kids who did not gain significant weight on Risperdal. And ALL these kids were the very, very naturally skinny types. I've known them all for 14 years, since Jamie was in preschool, and they were ALWAYS bags of bones. Jamie was lean but normal. Haven't been able to say that about him since Risperdal, but the medication is what keeps him being himself. Good luck.

[QUOTE=tzoya]

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Payne was actually on a higher dose than that at one point he was on 10mg - but it wasn't doing everything we needed it to do so we added the Clonidine and Prozac back in and dropped the dose. We haven't had any of the side effects. Payne goes through stages (right before or after a growth spurt) where he'll eat a lot or next to nothing. Payne is really bad about the sweets though - he gets that honest. Payne's family is not naturally skinny

His dad is about 6', 220 lbs and I'm about 5'8 and (not telling the rest - I'm not skinny/obese is all I'm saying)

His grandparents are tall for the most part...dh's dad was over 6'4''...my dad is about 6' and so is my bro & sister.

I have done things like changed from 2% milk to super skim ( actually tastes the same) and we also changed to lowfat sugar free just about everything, we also replaced sugar with splenda it costs more but its worth it if you tell me. we also stopped frying everything and went with baking and grilling. we switched out ground meat for ground turkey too. I also tried to get them to eat a salad before dinner that way they eat less and get more veges in. I dont know what he eats now so its kind of hard to tell you what to do. I also try to get them to eat as much fruits and veges as I can. we also use whole wheat pasta and brown rice and use the light whole wheat bread that is not heavy and dry. I also make sure they get out and get some kind of exercise everyday whether or not they want to even if its just a walk in the park or a bike ride for 30 minutes. You got to get the blood pressure up and them a moving.

Hope this helps.

I JUST finished seeing my son's psychiatrist and we've ONCE AGAIN discussed the weight gain issue. My son NEEDS the meds he's on and the doctor told me that we've been doing EVERYTHING possible to keep our son's weight down without it becoming a separate psychological problem (he eats veggies, I stock up on "healthy" food and also choose treats that are fat-free, sugar-free, he swims laps at least twice a week and we go outside walking regularly in the nice weather). The doctor told me that I have a STARK choice. A thin child in an institution or a fat, happy, functional child. Actually, he's not a child any longer. He's 16, 6'2" and nearly 300 lbs (think lots of size, not a doughboy, more like a linebacker). He started gaining weight at an alarming rate when he was put on Risperdal at age 8. He went from a lean 80 lbs to a chubby 112 in 6 weeks. However, his severe Tourette's tics came under full control. It was worth it. Then, at puberty, he started Cycles of Rage and the doc raised the Risperdal over time to combat the aggression and the return of even MORE SEVERE tics. The med worked beautifully. However, it increased the weight gain.

I, for one, am happy that Risperdal and other meds exist. I hate seeing my son so huge, but at least I'm SEEING my son every day. Otherwise, he'd definitely have to be in residential care. For me, there is no real choice...obesity is the price I pay for a happy, functional son.

That's the part that gets me - Payne's Risperdal is at 2mg 3x a day now and his weight doesn't fluctuate w/ the increases...I wish he would "fill out" a little more. He is so skinny. He's able to get away with wearing the same clothes b/c we live in FL and he wears shorts pretty much year round...he's in boys 8's and size 2 1/2 - 3 shoes, but he just keeps getting taller...no heft.

BTW - we did one of those you can't tell the difference tests w/ milk - and you can tell if you are sensitive to the differences. I can tell you the difference btw them all and a lot of other stuff that my dh thinks I'm crazy b/c of. He can't tell but me & Payne can. Payne doesn't mind though. I keep Payne on 2% to keep some weight on him.

You mentioned in your post that you can "barely keep it on him" which is why I came to the conclusion that he is naturally skinny. One of the boys I know, a very high functioning PDD-NOS boy, has a mother who is about 5'7" and weighs at least 250 and a very tall father who is normal weight. This boy has been SKINNY all his life and is one of the only ones I know who didn't gain weight. I think there are some people, even some who come from families that are large, who are just skinny themselves. I had once read that over 80% of those on Risperdal gain significant weight.

We've been able to keep our son's Risperdal down to 6mg. with a combination of meds, too. He also gets Tenex and Buspar. These address some symptoms so the Risperdal can be lower. I am going to give his doctor's office a call this week to speak with the head nurse. I spoke with the doc about possibly trying Hoodia with Jamie. It's an herbal appetite suppressant, but the (naturally short and very skinny) doc said he'd never heard of it and to speak with the nurse, giving her info about the ingredients. Maybe Jamie can be tried on this. I also think some of his eating may be OCD. It's like he can't stop if he knows food is around. He HAS to finish it. Oddly, he WON'T eat a single thing until he is in his afternoon vocational school. No breakfast and no lunch at the morning academic school. That seems to make him ravenous and then he eats, eats, eats for the rest of the day (the afternoon school has a culinary track and the students can buy food there). Most of us eat less, overall, if we have breakfast, but Jamie has been anti-breakfast since babyhood. What I've done recently is give the nurse in his morning school Quaker Chewy granola bars -- 100 calories apiece. She gives him one when he gets his meds at lunchtime and he's willing to eat that, eventhough he won't eat a single thing at school or anything I send in with him -- he throws it in the garbage. At least with the granola bars, he has SOMETHING in his stomach in the a.m. He's been OK with this. I'm considered now giving her a South Beach meal replacement bar for him. It's 210 calorie, but it's high in protein and fiber and low in carbs. I'm hoping to stop the afternoon "appetite express" by getting some late-morning breakfast into him.

I'm a big girl. I'm 5'9" and wear a size 14. Jamie makes me look like a wisp!

I guess...going on what you've said - Payne is skinny bodied - at least for now. We have him mostly on protein w/ the rest as supplements ... he is very active, but has lethargic moments. I always say if you can pinch an inch on him he's going to shoot up 2 inches! I tried the South Beach diet myself (w/ dh) and I couldn't make it through the first 2 weeks...I am such a meat & potatos person. Maybe the Hoodia will work - the only way you will be able to tell is by trying it - honestly they don't know what these things will do w/ kids like ours and their meds. Have you tried vitamin supplements that help w/ the hunger. When I wrestled I used to take a multivit & water to drop weight for a weight class...I could lose 5-10 lbs in a DAY. Not saying do it everyday b/c that wouldn't be healthy...if he's not eating anything until in the afternoon his body would be CRAVING food. The OCD thing would be logical too - might want to talk to the therapist about ways to handle that? Good luck. A therapist wouldn't work with my son because his language issues are so severe, he wouldn't be able to express his inner feelings. He does well with routines and rules. I am VERY concerned about doing ANYTHING in terms of appetite drugs or supplements with him. His tics come back SO easily. Also, any supplements I've tried in the past caused immediate, noticable and significant increases in hyperactivity and those increases didn't go away for quite a while. I'm not a dieter, but middle age and stress slowly put a lot of weight on me. My blood sugar started to look bad, so I lost 25 pounds and am back to the weight I was 30 years ago. I have always been in good shape and an exerciser. I used the online version of weight watchers, but since I"m also watching my carbs and sugar, I tried to keep the protein up and the carbs down. That's when I discovered the South Beach meal replacement bars. When I'm out running errands (which seems every day), I eat those as a fast food lunch. Even on days when I've been bouncing around like a kangaroo at Jazzercise and my hunger is WAY UP, they satisfy. He's eaten some, so I'm hoping getting him to eat them from the nurse will work. The small Quaker granola bar seems to have helped a bit already. Giving him any appetitie suppressant is SUCH a gamble. If I don't see him decrease his food obsessions, I'll talk to the doc about the OCD thing. I hate to see my beautiful son be so fat, but it's WAY worse to see him in full-meltdown from the tics. Thanks for the suggestions.Good luck...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Payne doesn't have tics - thank god - he's got so much other stuff going on...what meds do you have him on other than the risperdal (if you don't mind my asking)? He's on 6mg of Risperdal, 60 mg of Buspar (anti-anxiety), 3 mg of Tenex (helps a bit with the hyperactivity. These are given in 4 doses between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Since by 8, everything is out of his system, he sometimes gets moody and starts perseverating on every bad thing that ever happened to him. For that, we can give him up to 100 mg of Trazadone. This is supposed to help with the insomnia caused by the elevated levels of Buspar, but we had to add Melatonin, too. He gets up to 6mg of that. Mostly, though, he doesn't need the Trazadone every day nor the Melatonin anymore. I think his body clock has been reset and the Buspar is not causing as much insomnia. This is a LOAD of medication, but it results in a totally happy, compliant, non-moody, rested son. At his size, if he EVER got violent, I'd be dead. I"d rather have him on drugs than in a little white jacket in a prison for the criminally insane.I hear you on the I'd be dead if he got out of hand - again. Payne's a big boy and very manipulative - he hurt me pretty bad the last time and that was over a year ago. Payne takes 2mg Risperdal (aggression) 3 x day, Clonidine (like tenex - helps w/ impulsivity and sleep) .01mg 1/2 tab 3 x day, Prozac (anxiety) 10mg in the morning, Lamictal (mood stabilizer) 200 mg 2 x day, Topamax (migraines, mood, anticonvulsant) 25 mg 2 x day. My jon just gain another 10 lbs and i don not know what to doNo therapy cause of severe lang. problems That is wrong. The child is aloud this in school. Xylitol/stevia healthy sweetner's. Swimming, family walks. bikeing,Marshall arts, Motor bike.
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