My daughter is 4 and they just started her on methylphenidate which is a generic for ritalin it is for children over 6 I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with this drug.
Teresa
Hi
My son was diagnosed with ADHD in 2004 and has been on generic Ritalin 6/7 days per week. Dosage is 15mg x 2 daily. Side effects I can offer you from my own personal experience are, on first week of treatment my son complained of a minor tummy ache. He has also gained weight very slowly but not to the point where his paed is concerned. He hasnt had trouble sleeping as last dose is at lunch. I found the afternoon dose around 3-4pm interrupted his sleep. I have had nothing but positive experiences with Ritalin as it has turned my son from being socially unacceptable and lagging greatly in maturity and in his school work to quite the social butterfly who is progressing excellently at school
Hope this helps
Jodie
My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was at about age 4 1/2 years old. He is now almost 13 1/2 years old. I tried counseling and trying to keep him "under control" but after his 5th birthday he was put on generic Ritalin ( methylphenidate ). There was a difference. He has been on the generic Ritalin year round for about nine years. There have been adjustments to his doses according to his weight and age.
Ritalin has been used to treat ADHD for close to 30 years. It may be one of the safer medications. However, while taking it your child should have regular blood pressure checks, and even EKG as this medication is a stimulate and does have an effect on the heart. Any medication has it's risks.
There are basically two forms of Ritalin short acting or a time released or long acting. The doctor told me the regular or short acting lasts about four hours and the time released or extended release lasts for about eight hours. The regular Ritalin typically will take effect in less than thirty minutes. The extended release takes longer to take effect, maybe a hour.
The thing with Ritalin is it lasts for only a certain amount of time and if the next dose isn't given at a time where it's action overlaps the previous dose it kind of defeats the purpose of the medication. This is why my son takes a regular 10 mg tablet and a 10mg extended release tablet together every morning. The regular tablet lasts four hours and starts working before he leaves for school. Then the extended release tablet lasts the whole school day. Then he takes another 10 mg tablet at lunch time. After he gets home from school around 4:00 pm he takes one 10 mg tablet. This lasts until he goes to sleep. This is the lowest daily dosage he has been on for several years. When he started, he took three 5 mg.(or a 10 mg split in half) spaced out through the day.
The nice thing about Ritalin, if you have ADHD it really works. If you don't it will make you hyper.
In the early years and until he was in 4th grade he was always on the thin side. Low appetite and weight loss, were pretty constant. So, on the weekends I would reduce his meds by not giving them until a little later in the day or not give the last dose. This would help increase his appetite, for breakfast or dinner and I encouraged snacks like ice cream and cookies.
My son has had and continues to have occasional headaches, maybe migraines and vomiting. I am not sure if this is related to the medication. Since my family has a history of migraines. Ritalin can upset the stomach and it seems to be better tolerated if given after he has eaten food or right before he eats. This also helps keep up his appetite.
One thing about Ritalin that isn't really mentioned is that it has Antihistamine type properties. When my son was in about 2nd grade I gave him a antihistime because he had a head cold. Some how he had a bizzare reaction and it made him extremely hyper at school. The school called and said he was running all around the hallways waving his arms in the air and making strange noises. Nothing violent or agressive just wacko. Teachers finally caught him and settled him down. The only thing different that day was that I gave him the Antihistamine. I never did that again.
My son has had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) since 1st Grade. He has tested and is in the average to above average ranges for all subjects. He has attended regular classes this past school year (7th grade).