the med is Concerta, and according to his mother the dr didn't have a prob with it.
Concerta is a Methylphenadate..... Methylphenadate is a Central Nervous System Stimulant. It will cause cascades of CRH. It comes with the package of 'alertness'. As a result, he is actually using his body to fuel himself. Methylphenadate, like amphetamine salts are also a diuretic! The less water he is holding, the higher the levels of Cortisol he'll be having... Staying well hydrated should help a bit with the appetite.
Is he doing the 18's, 27's or the 57mg's? You may want to consider a dosage change.
The contera (as a methylphenadate) is significantly less 'harsh' than the Adderal, Adderal XR, Focalin and other amphetamine salts.
What he can do in the mean time is try to keep his cortisol levels down by antagonizing with a bit of an insulin response. He will need to force himself to eat 'small' portions of carbs through the day instead of meals. These portions should include as little fat as possible. (milk = bad)
Also... pick up some sublingual B12. That crap makes me hungry.
He should most likely try to advoid moderate to higher levels of simple carbs. With this medication, he will have an increased insulin resistance as well as a slightly more worked liver. For this reason, I would suggest staying away from the 'weight gain 2000' lmao
*One good solution would be to incorporate a workout routine that is very focused on intensity. (heavy low rep lifts for a short period [30 minutes] ) This doesn't mean enting bench pressing contents. lol. I think having to swim consequetive laps in a pool could
almost have the same affect.
*on the dosage change subject, he should also try to assess wether he is getting more frequent headaches, excessive urination frequency and/or a decline in vision (this one might be really slight though.) These are all a result of the diuretic effect.
*If he is doing the 18mg, you might want to consider switching to another methylphenadate like Daytrana or Ridalin.
*Another attempt would be to go to your nearest CVS pharmacy. Walk all the way back to the CVS by the Diabetic items. Get a tube of "glucose tabs". They come in many flavors. They are basically big smarties..... but they are a good quantity of a simple carb source (with no fat) to trigger an antogonistic release of Insulin. One or two every three hours should be helpful. The sucess of this method depends more on ethnicity though.