Child constantly needs sugar

amother

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:42 am

I’m trying to make sense of this, and find a way to sort this out.

My DS8 constantly takes junkfood, even after explicitly saying it’s not for now. It’s not just now, he’s been like this for years. His blood work is normal B”H, and we don’t have any suspected issues like diabetes in our family.

I allow them to take the regular common snacks every day, and we reserve junk food / candy for Shabbos and special occasions. So he isn’t deprived of it at all. And yet he keeps stuffing himself so many times, whether it’s emptying an entire container of jellies, clearing an entire box of chocolate, etc.

It’s honestly easy to know when he does it because it so obviously shows up in his hyperactive immature behavior afterwards (which I think is a combination of the sugar and the self-embarrassment of having done what he did). So it’s not like it has no effect on him.

I never know when to say something and when to pretend I haven’t noticed. Occasionally I can use a natural consequence like “Oh! I so badly wanted to give you a treat I bough special for you but I can’t find it!” Or when he asks why we couldn’t make the food craft I had promised, I tell him about the ingredients that are now gone.

We tried positive encouragement and affirmations, like celebrating/congratulating him on healthy choices, self control, etc. But it’s been going on for so so long and I’m so uncomfortable with this. Anyone had similar and effectively helped their child?

amother

Puce

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:50 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I know this isn't helpful but my child is the same will even attack raw sugar and baking chocolate! Ok the plus side he has loads of fruit as well but it's still an issue so I'll be following this thread hope you get this figured out soon 😃

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:02 am

Please have him tested for Prader-Willi Syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.....me%20(PWS),obesity%20and%20type%202%20diabetes.

Children who have this will have normal appetites until about age 4 or 5, and then suddenly will be come ravenously hungry. Nothing will satisfy them, because there is a genetic defect that prevents them from feeling full. In addition, they will crave sugar and carbs far more than they will broccoli and carrots.

I used to go to school with a boy who had this condition. Before he joined the school, we had a meeting with the teachers and it was explained to us that he had this, and that no matter how much he begged, and how nice we wanted to be, we CANNOT share our lunch with him.

He used to go from kid to kid, crying, bribing, begging for food. Eventually he gave up because we all knew we had to say "no" for his own good, but occasionally if he saw a treat that he really wanted, he could be pretty relentless. In that case the kid with the treat had to sit at the teacher's desk to eat, while the teacher took care of the boy.

amother

Gray

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:05 am

Diabetes wouldn’t cause him to crave sugar but low blood sugar would- hypoglycemia. But is he craving the sugar or taking it because he knows he can’t have it? I think you need to get down to the bottom of the reasoning and then you can figure out how to fix it.
As a side note, many kids have disorders that are not geneticist hereditary so definitely don’t rule anything out because it’s not in your family.

Teomima

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:08 am

Well, for starters get rid of the junk. Don't keep any at home, even if that is upsetting to the other members of the household. He's obviously not able to control himself so as his parent you need to take it out of his hands.

Testing for PWS is a good idea. Hopefully it will be a dead end because it's a very difficult diagnosis.

It's also not uncommon behavior for children on the spectrum. Is ASD a concern you may have based on his other behaviors?

But for sure start with getting all junk, treats, snacks, candy etc. out of the house.

amother

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:43 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Based on this link, it is quite unlikely. But I will mention it to the doctor.

amother

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:45 am

Teomima wrote:

I don’t want him to feel deprived though. I’m afraid that having no junk at home will intensify this craving.

He definitely isn’t on the spectrum.

amother

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:49 am

amother [ Gray ] wrote:

But is he craving the sugar or taking it because he knows he can’t have it? I think you need to get down to the bottom of the reasoning and then you can figure out how to fix it.

I’ve been trying to understand this for the longest time. I don’t know. But I tried allowing him to take whatever he wanted for a while, but it didn’t help. And as I mentioned, he has common snacks every day and treats on Shabbos and special occasions. So he’s far from deprived of junk food.

Most children (I think) would take 2-3 candies or chocolates and be fine. But wiping out an entire container in one sitting? I find this so disturbing.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:50 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Based on this link, it is quite unlikely. But I will mention it to the doctor.

PWS is a spectrum, and it's often a missed diagnosis at first because it's considered a rare disease. Sometimes the symptoms are subtle at first. Doctors will usually insist that it's anything BUT that, because they don't know how to fix it - and doctors hate admitting they can't fix things.

Expect you and your child to be fat-shamed. Expect to be dismissed and laughed at - especially if your child doesn't have a strong indication of other clinical markers.

It can usually take 6 to 9 months to get an appointment with a geneticist, and another 3 to 6 months to get the results back (insist on a full genome array). Start NOW. It's better to rule it out, instead of miss a good window of therapy and OT for your child.

While you're waiting for the genetic reports, get him to a good endocrinologist for a full panel.

You are an excellent mom for being concerned, instead of just assuming that your child is a "greedy kid, and a bad boy."

amother

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 12:33 pm

banana split wrote:

I would say yeast overgrowth in the intestine is the cause. Does he have a history of mollescum or excema? Adhd?
I don’t know if you want to pursue the “leaky gut” route but it might be the answer for you.
In the meantime lock up the sweets

He had molluscum as a young child but not too severely, yet so do many children. No real adhd but definitely more energy than most children.

I’ll look into this.

amother

Pearl

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 12:47 pm

Candida can contribute. Pinworms too. Both of those are related.
Re diabetes, BH its not a problem now.. In order for it not to become a problem, important to have a very well balanced diet of essential foods/nutrients and adequate water initake. Sugar should be minimal - for everyone. Iyh nobody should knkow of these things. Some are more prone than others.
Try limit all sugar in house including fruits with less fiber. Increase water intake. The less sugar consumed, the less cravings there will be. The more sugar eaten, the more the craving.