Effect of Ensure on BG??

[steph]

if you are set on ensure for convenience or some other reason, ensure plus tastes much better than the regular ensure. i think pediasure also tastes better and is formulated for kids.

[manda81]

My son has ADHD/anxiety and also drinks Ensure nightly. We have him on non-stim meds, but he's also got Celiac Disease, and Carnation Instant Breakfast has Gluten in it. We've had serious issues with his growth/weight.

Our CWD has drank one (he wanted to see what it was like) and we had no BG issues.

[DsMom]

Well...he had one with lunch...and he did like it, but he's now 245 2.5 hours after eating. And he started at 73 before lunch. Did a half cx bolus and will see what happens. If he continues to like it but goes high, I guess I'll play around with temp basals or something to see what works. It was many more carbs than he generally eats for lunch (85 rather than around 50), which often impacts his BG no matter what the carbs come from.

Thanks for all the advice!

[emm142]

This sounds like a good idea for someone on ADHD meds. My brother has been on Ritalin for a couple of months now, and the weight has dropped off (actually in a similar way to how I lost weight at my D dx - don't worry, I have tested his BG and it was 100). He's gone from normal weight to underweight and looking somewhat gaunt. He hasn't seen amazing effects from the meds so I'm not sure that he'll be sticking with them, but I'll remind him that he has this option if he would like to curb the weight loss.

[DsMom]

Originally Posted by emm142

This sounds like a good idea for someone on ADHD meds. My brother has been on Ritalin for a couple of months now, and the weight has dropped off (actually in a similar way to how I lost weight at my D dx - don't worry, I have tested his BG and it was 100). He's gone from normal weight to underweight and looking somewhat gaunt. He hasn't seen amazing effects from the meds so I'm not sure that he'll be sticking with them, but I'll remind him that he has this option if he would like to curb the weight loss.

Such a striking side effect can indicate that the dose is too high for your brother. Or, since he hasn't seen any effects on his ADHD, it's just not the right medication for him. One thing about these meds...there are many options. Just because one med or dosage does not work does not mean none of them will. Even when we find a good med for Daniel, we still go through dosage changes throughout the year.

I would be concerned about that weight loss and definitely encourage your brother to talk to his doctor about that. There is no need to suffer that. Although my son has not really gained weight, he definitely has not lost (although he is still a child). If he started losing, I'd drop whatever med he was on like a hot potato!

Hope your brother finds the right option for him!

Edited to add: Also...if the meds do not work at all, it might be prudent to question the ADHD dx. When my son was dx, the doctors said that often the way dx is confirmed (because there is no lab test for ADHD) is if the meds provide some improvement...if no improvement is seen at all, again, he may want to bring this up with his doc.

[emm142]

Originally Posted by DsMom

Such a striking side effect can indicate that the dose is too high for your brother. Or, since he hasn't seen any effects on his ADHD, it's just not the right medication for him. One thing about these meds...there are many options. Just because one med or dosage does not work does not mean none of them will. Even when we find a good med for Daniel, we still go through dosage changes throughout the year.

I would be concerned about that weight loss and definitely encourage your brother to talk to his doctor about that. There is no need to suffer that. Although my son has not really gained weight, he definitely has not lost (although he is still a child). If he started losing, I'd drop whatever med he was on like a hot potato!

Hope your brother finds the right option for him!

Edited to add: Also...if the meds do not work at all, it might be prudent to question the ADHD dx. When my son was dx, the doctors said that often the way dx is confirmed (because there is no lab test for ADHD) is if the meds provide some improvement...if no improvement is seen at all, again, he may want to bring this up with his doc.

Thanks for the input, I think they're waiting to see what happens (he's also been under a lot of stress, his girlfriend had a severe blood clot in her brain which has thankfully now been resolved, so they think that it wasn't necessarily just the meds which put him off his food). He is on the lowest dose possible (they were planning to move up slowly) but he said they make him feel calmer and although he hasn't had any schoolwork as it's summer, he is now more able to do things like sit through a 1 hour TV show or read a book for a while. So I think the dx is correct, and we're definitely watching closely to see if the weight loss etc. improves.

[DsMom]

Originally Posted by emm142

Thanks for the input, I think they're waiting to see what happens (he's also been under a lot of stress, his girlfriend had a severe blood clot in her brain which has thankfully now been resolved, so they think that it wasn't necessarily just the meds which put him off his food). He is on the lowest dose possible (they were planning to move up slowly) but he said they make him feel calmer and although he hasn't had any schoolwork as it's summer, he is now more able to do things like sit through a 1 hour TV show or read a book for a while. So I think the dx is correct, and we're definitely watching closely to see if the weight loss etc. improves.

Oh my...so sorry to hear about his girlfriend and glad she is on the mend. That sort of stress would certainly be enough to reduce anyone's appetite. Since he does have some positive impact on his symptoms, maybe it's just a matter of finding the right med.

Again...best of luck to him!