[QUOTE=jfla]As I understand it, Ritalin LA has tiny beads inside where half of them are instant release and half are released about four hours later. This provides a much smoother effect for my son aged 17. Also the drop off is much more gradual than the nose dive that short acting Ritalin provides. He used to take Ritalin 16.25mg every 3 1/4 hours. [/QUOTE]
* yOu are correct inside it is tiny beads that is what my daughter takes and we give it to her in pudding or applesauce. She is on the lowest dosage and it lasts 7-8 hours versus four and begins 30 minutes after taking.
Let me see if I can explain:
I take Ritalin 20mg X 3 daily
Its hard to explain but each dose seems to start high and go down like a 45 degree angle straight line until its gone
now Long Acting Ritalin will it keep me at the top like I feel after my ritalin regular kicks in at first and all of it is in my blood? or does it put little amounts of the drug into your blood but just for a long time.
After each dose of regular I feel great at the start of the drug acting but if I could just get that to last or feel that way all the time?
As I understand it, Ritalin LA has tiny beads inside where half of them are instant release and half are released about four hours later. This provides a much smoother effect for my son aged 17. Also the drop off is much more gradual than the nose dive that short acting Ritalin provides. He used to take Ritalin 16.25mg every 3 1/4 hours. I don't know if I am going to like it them since only half of the dose I am on now will be in my blood? The doctor should prescribe the appropriate mg of ritalin LA so that you get the same effect as on Ritalin. The dr. and pharmacist also said its not really equivalent mg. the Novartis (sp) website for Ritalin LA makes it seem equivalent and I was confused by that. For my son two doses of 16.25mg Ritalin covering about 6 1/2 hours is similar to 2 caps of Ritalin LA 30mg. (I take a very small amount out of the caps) I don't really understand it myself and will ask the doc to explain it again when we see him in mid feb.