ADHD meds and appetite

[Redebs]

Anyone have any suggestions for dealing with a child's poor appetite while on methylphenidate?

A friend's child (primary age) is really struggling to maintain and put on normal weight. She's been taking it for 12 months and while it's made a great difference to her behaviour and concentration in school, her appetite has dwindled.

School have been wonderful, coming up with options about her choosing her own foods and making sandwiches herself, as well as letting her choose where to eat. This worked for a while, but she's not keen on eating at school at all now.

She has weekends off meds to try to get some food into her.

Has anyone tried other options?

Would she drink shakes? There are nutritional shakes for children, that could help up calories & provide some nutrients.

https://www.boots.com/paediasure-shake-chocolate-flavour-400g-10168500?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--PLAs_HeroCompare--Baby_Feeding-_-UK_Smart_Shopping_Baby_Feeding&gclid=CjwKCAjw-IWkBhBTEiwA2exyO6ZuC9ALoTTNG9lMGmBjJNyxfe3MMMOhy_9-fcB8Jzcz8GUouzK4BxoCh4QQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Eat a huge breakfast before taking the meds, preferably eggs on toast or lots of porridge with cream, or just a big portion of her favourites.
At school drink a milkshake or nutritional shake, pack her lots of calorie dense snacks. Some kids really can’t eat much at school when k ok n meds and it isn’t always a problem so long as they make up for it at home.

In the evening when the meds wear off she should have dinner and supper and nutrient dense snacks. Things like nuts, or nut butter on toast, cheese cubes, and also a reasonable amount of chocolate etc. To drink give milk, hot chocolate, milkshakes.

Every drink should have milk in where reasonable. Milk should be full fat. Add lots of cheese to pasta, or add crème fraiche to the sauce. Real butter, custard with her fruit, or cream. Just add bits of fatty foods to everything and it may make a big difference.

Alternatively, switch to another medication. But it’s a shame not to try all the above first.

Thank you. I will pass these ideas on.