I learned something very important today. Inside the capsule for Focalin XR, there are short-term release pellets and long-term release pellets. If you want to 1/2 the dose, you cannot open the capsule and divide the contents in 1/2 because there's no way to know which are the short-term release pellets and which ones are the long-term release ones.
This came up because 30 mg of Focalin XR now is too high for my child, and 20 mg is too low, so we're trying 25 mg now (30 was right prior to starting guanfacine in the AM, and I have some leftover 20 mg capsules from long ago, so I tried dropping him to 20 mg). Since I have 20 mg and 15 mg capsules at home, I called the dr. to see if I could give him a 15 mg and 1/2 of 20 mg to approximate 25 mg. Since I can't do this, I got a rx for 5 mg so he'll get a 20 mg and a 5 mg capsule (I never stop giving $ to the makers of Focalin XR!).
I don't know if this is true for all long-term release meds where you can sprinkle the contents. It's true at least for Focalin XR that you should not divide the capsule contents to reduce the dose.
Yeah, Focalin XR and Concerta are not to be opened.I thought the Focalin XR could be opened an sprinkled? mom2adhdboy arent you just saying you have to take ALL of it?[QUOTE=Diane V]I thought the Focalin XR could be opened an sprinkled? mom2adhdboy arent you just saying you have to take ALL of it?[/QUOTE]
That's exactly what I'm saying. Focalin XR, Ritalin LA, and Metadate CD all have capsules that can be opened and have the contents sprinkled onto applesauce (others have tried other foods successfully, but the instructions for Focalin XR say to sprinkle it on applesauce). Concerta and Strattera must be swallowed whole. I don't know about Adderrall XR and some of the other meds.
Just like Diane said, I meant to warn that if you open the capsule, you should take all of the contents and not try to divide it in 1/2 (or whatever amount).
Mom2ADHDboy39275.3709490741Focalin XR can be opened and sprinkled. That's exactly what my son's doctor instructed us to do for his daily dose. [QUOTE=Mom2ADHDboy]I learned something very important today. Inside the capsule for Focalin XR, there are short-term release pellets and long-term release pellets. If you want to 1/2 the dose, you cannot open the capsule and divide the contents in 1/2 because there's no way to know which are the short-term release pellets and which ones are the long-term release ones.
This came up because 30 mg of Focalin XR now is too high for my child, and 20 mg is too low, so we're trying 25 mg now (30 was right prior to starting guanfacine in the AM, and I have some leftover 20 mg capsules from long ago, so I tried dropping him to 20 mg). Since I have 20 mg and 15 mg capsules at home, I called the dr. to see if I could give him a 15 mg and 1/2 of 20 mg to approximate 25 mg. Since I can't do this, I got a rx for 5 mg so he'll get a 20 mg and a 5 mg capsule (I never stop giving $ to the makers of Focalin XR!).
I don't know if this is true for all long-term release meds where you can sprinkle the contents. It's true at least for Focalin XR that you should not divide the capsule contents to reduce the dose.
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Good to know! Thanks for the tip! My daughter started it just today and believe it or not, our pharmacist actually suggested breaking open the cap to divide the dose it I was uncomfortable with the full dose!
Adderall XR is the same way. Some of the pellets in the capsule are immediate release and some are long-term release. THere is no way to tell the difference between the two. Even so our pyschiatrist told us to open and empty some out in order to go down on dd's dose. I was the one who figured out it wouldn't work! Go figure!