My 8 yo takes the same med, same dosage, and we always take Saturdays off and Sundays also if he will be skipping Sunday School. There are usually no adverse affects on Monday, but remember that meds can affect all people differently. We are so pleased with this med that I'm holding my breathe, waiting for "the other shoe" to fall!!
There is a difference in behavior on skip days, but we all pull out the patience reserves knowing that a break is probably best for him.
I have a 10 year old son who has been on Concerta 54mg since last March. I have not given him the medication on the weekends for about 3 months now due to some major appetite issues.
It is important to note that Focalin and Concerta are different meds, and every child reacts differently to the meds, but Chase had no readjustment period each Monday once I started taking weekend medication holidays. He was on the medication for several months before we began the weekends off as well. And he has never showed any rebound on the concerta either.
Why don't you keep giving it to him on the weekends as well for at least a while...you may see that it helps him to cope in ways other than schoolwork and conduct. I do notice that Chase has a much shorter fuse when he is not medicated, which can make weekends a little stressful. It is doable, so we just deal with it. If your son functions well at home w/o meds, then go ahead and try to take the weekends/holidays off. If it is an issue on Mondays, you can always go back to giving the meds every day.
Chases doctor and I have decided to try him on a lower dose of the concerta to see if he has the same 'good' side effects while lessening the appetite suppressing factor somewhat.
This is his first day on 36mg (since he began and worked his way through the different strengths) so we are hopeful...if not,we will return to the 54mg.
Good luck and I am happy that you seem to have found the right med for your son!
Welcome to the board!
We only medicate on school days. Mark doesn't take his Concerta on weekends, holidays or summer. We also do this because of his lack of appetite. It does create for stress for the rest of the family.Talk to the doctor about weekends off. My daughter's doctor prefers no breaks until the meds have been used a lengthy time. She is on 27mg concerta and skips times when she is not home to take her meds in the morning (like sleep overs). The only thing I would worry about in your situation is going through the rebound each week (may or may not occur). If that turns out to be the case, maybe a lower dose on weekends would be posible.
vickie39030.3272106481Thanks everyone for your replies! Tomorrow is a teacher work day and we have a birthday party to go to. I will give it to him so I can see how he is on the med. The Dr suggested to give it on the weekends "at first" so we can see how he is and what kinds of changes it makes in his behavior. After that he said we could give it just during the week if we want. I do like the idea of giving him a smaller dose on the weekends-thanks for that suggestion. May ask about that at the next visit.
I am so thankful to have found this board, the wealth of information here and such supportive people. It really helps to know that I am not alone!
We have never medicated on weekends or summer vacations and that was suggested to us by the psychiatrist. His main incentive was to get Bryanna to focus in school and excel in her classes, which has happened on the meds. He feels strongly that whatever you have to cope with after 5:00 p.m., weekends, holidays, etc. is what we have to learn to handle. He feels it helps greatly with the side effects, loss of weight, etc.I uesd to take my son off on weekends but he started to get headaches Monday afternoon when I did this...I think I need a longer period of time for a med vacation.My son is on Ritalin LA 10 mg a give it to him every single day, I don't want to go back when he was impulve, would not listen, etc.... no thanks. He is doing to well on his meds that it is better for him and the family.
We had been keeping my 6 year-old son off of Concerta on Saturdays so that he would eat and sleep, and he experienced no adjustment in returning the next day. (When we kept him off his meds for two days, however, he DID have an adjustment of half a day or so on Mondays.) Recently, though, he began to have problems with his brother and sister. We were stubborn and continued to skip his medication, but soon we realized that we were probably doing more damage than good because we were getting angry and frustrated with the way that he was treating his siblings. Taking the kids off of their medication is great IF it is truly benefiting the child and the rest of the family, but don't be afraid to reverse your thinking if things begin to go downhill. (And if two days off of the medication seems to cause an adjustment period on Monday, try keeping him off for just one day instead. My son was not able to handle two days off.)
Good luck to you! (I read this board all of the time, but I've never posted before.)