Metadate CD worked pretty quickly for my son. I would guess within about 30 mins time. We had been using dexedrine spansules and switched to Metadate CD a few months after he learned to swallow pills. I never felt the dexedrine was a great fit but he couldn't swallow pills. We also had to switch doctors before we could get him off the dexedrine. (We were military and finally had to request a psych consult to get help getting a better med.) Ds age 11 started Concerta about 1.5 years ago, I think. We had awesome improvement immediately. Teachers even commented on it. His handwriting improved as well, but that particular improvement was temporary. We have slowly had to increase the dosage but he has done pretty well on Concerta. Incidentally, I think the reason his home room teacher saw such improvement with Concerta in the classroom was because the Metadate CD, at any dosage, was wearing off around lunch and she had him for 1 hr before and after lunch. Anyway, that is our story. We have also used Ritalin boosters of 10 mg when he has late ball games, etc.
Oh, he sometimes has a bit of a flat affect on every medicine we have tried but it usually is very temporary. And he does lose weight on all of them but less on Metadate CD was the best for not losing.
TLCsmom39299.2724537037My son was taking Metadate CD 10mg during school last year. I gave it to him around 7:30 and it lasted till about 4:00. He seemed to do OK at school but homework was a big problem. It really suppressed his appetite, he's gained 11 lbs so far this summer.
We've decided not to put him back on this year. Instead we have tried homeopathy to see how that helps. We're hoping for the best.
We loved metadate cd but there were two reasons we had to switch. 1. my ds was accomodating to it quickly ( we were about to max out on the dose) and 2. he had to take it twice a day (which was why we were maxing out). For best results he was taking it at 7 am and again after lunch at school. It was worn off by about 5 or 6 at that. He ate better and didn't rebound but it just didn't last long enough for him. I know some people have longer results. I hope it works for you because it really has some great things to offer.It's probably because he's on such a low dose (he's working his way up), but the Metadate CD is lasting only 7-8 hours. I'm hoping it'll last longer once he's on a higher dose because it's wonderful how much more even he is throughout the day than he was on Focalin XR (when he was too flat for a couple of hours in the morning). How long does Metadate CD work for you/your child? The Focalin XR used to help him for 10 hours, and I'm hoping to get the same out of the Metadate CD.Thanks for your reply, TLCsmom. Do you remember how long it took to notice it working after your ds took it? I know it doesn't build up in the system and you see change the same day. I'm asking whether it took 1/2 hour for it to start working, an hour, or whatever.
Out of curiosity, what does your ds take now, and what else has he tried? If this doesn't work out, I'm wondering where to go from here. Focalin XR was no good because it left him too flat for a couple of hours in the morning.
Metadate CD lasts 8 hours, with peak effect at around 5 hours.My son had tried them all. Ritalin gave him tics. Adderal made him angry. Strattera did nothing and Concerta made his stomache hurt. We love the Medadate CD. He is on 60 mgs once a day and it lasts him 11 hours. If he does not take anything he is off the wall, but on Medadate he has some symptom control into the evening. It starts to work on him 25 - 30 minuets. I usually give it to him and he sleeps an extra 1/2 hour, by the time I get him up for the day he has plenty into his system. I have always listened to him as well has his doctors. He has always been able to tell us how the meds made him feel, it took a long time to find the right med and dosage, but now that we are there it feels great.madaev, do you remember if the Metadate CD worked the same way for your child when he was working up to 60 mg? Obviously you wouldn't get the same amount of ADHD control at lower doses, but do you remember if it still lasted 11 hours and took only 25-30 minutes to start working? I ask because I wonder if I'll notice symptom control in less than an hour if he's on a higher dose, and I'm hoping to get more than 8 hours out of it. One more question: does your child swallow the capsule whole or do you sprinkle the contents?
He started on 60 mgs. He was previously on a high dose of Concerts, which worked for approximatly the same amount of time. His side effects were to much for him on Concerty. I think the hardest part is getting the medacine and the dose right for a growing child. It was a constant battle, we would up a dose, change a med, lower a dose, change the med. I am happy to be at a place where the meds and dosage are right. He is now over 6 feet tall and 210 pounds. I don't think that the meds have affected his growth at all. He is still growing and should hit 6ft 5 or 6ft 6, time will tell. I hope I answered your question. Let me know if you have anymore questions. I am logging off and going to bed now, but will get back on tomorrow.