Ritalin and what harm it can do????? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

daystar91 · 07-04-2005, 06:00 PM

Hi,
My nephew who is 10 years old has been on several different medication since he was seven years old for ADHD...At the moment he is on Ritalin four times a day and a time release tablet...He was on concerta but because of new insurance they would not cover that...
Any how he is having some problems with Ritalin horrible stomach pains....To begin with he is a very skinny kid but since being on this medication he is loosing weight...You could count his ribs.....Just the other day my sister took him to the doctor's for a check up with the meds and told them about the problems he was having...Then they did an EKG on him, never said why or what the outcome was....Now they want all kinds of test done on his stomach(utrasound), and blood work...My sister doesn't know what to ask and because of where she lives they are not very friendly...What could they be looking for???Has anyone ever had a problem with their children being on Ritalin??She is very worried about him as well as the rest of the family....Any advice would be helpful....

Jennita · 07-05-2005, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daystar91

Hi,
My nephew who is 10 years old has been on several different medication since he was seven years old for ADHD...At the moment he is on Ritalin four times a day and a time release tablet...He was on concerta but because of new insurance they would not cover that...
Any how he is having some problems with Ritalin horrible stomach pains....To begin with he is a very skinny kid but since being on this medication he is loosing weight...You could count his ribs.....Just the other day my sister took him to the doctor's for a check up with the meds and told them about the problems he was having...Then they did an EKG on him, never said why or what the outcome was....Now they want all kinds of test done on his stomach(utrasound), and blood work...My sister doesn't know what to ask and because of where she lives they are not very friendly...What could they be looking for???Has anyone ever had a problem with their children being on Ritalin??She is very worried about him as well as the rest of the family....Any advice would be helpful....

IMHO, they are looking for a reason not to blame the Ritalin. Now, although there are a variety of causes for stomach problems/no appetite, it is most likely the Ritalin is the culprit since those things are a common side effect of it. My nephew had alot of stomach pains on Adderall, but he is off it now and the stomach problems vanished, along with the mood swings and sleep problems it also created.

Sylvia224 · 07-05-2005, 12:47 PM

From what I have heard, this is a very common side effect of Ritalin, second only to heart palpatations. Does he take it with food or shortly before a meal? That might help.
Good luck!

daystar91 · 07-05-2005, 01:09 PM

Hi,
Thanks for the replies....I'm not sure if he takes his medications before meals or after but i will ask his mother...As for Jennita mentioning the sleeping problems he does have that problem, he just doesn't sleep well and really you would never know it...My nephew is very moody at a drop of a hat he cries about anything...Sometimes he goes from happy to sad...Thanks...Is there a difference if he takes the meds before or after meals???

disastermgmt · 07-05-2005, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sylvia224

From what I have heard, this is a very common side effect of Ritalin, second only to heart palpatations. Does he take it with food or shortly before a meal? That might help.
Good luck!

I was on Methylphenidate (the generic of Ritalin?), and although it worked like a charm, after about 4 or 5 months of use, I was hospitalized with pulminary tachycardia and palpitations. It worked so good that I was hesitant to get off of it. When I took it and it kicked in (15-30 minutes later), I felt much better, and easily performed tasks that normally would have taken me MUCH longer due to distractions.

Generally, doctors tell you to take right before meal. Taking on an empty stomache is what usually causes stomache aches.