Daytrana side effects | ADHD Information

so glad she is feeling better.  my son complained at soccer practice he was feeling dizzy, he didn't look like anything was bothering him though.

I check the exp date its Nov 2008. Just a pain in the butt to remove. He had a little reddess and it was where the patch was creased.

I can't wait to see how his 1st day at school with this patch is. He told me he feels nicer! Only time will tell. Maybe now he will find a friend.

thanks for the feedback.

well if it makes you feel better, my daughter felt much better today. Minor headache at the end of the day, probably a little rebound. Our patches are hard too, but I called and they were part of the ones that were recalled. Call Shire, the numbers on the box. They'll see if they are part of the recall. The list is on here somewhere, but not sure where, and they can answer you right away of you call. She sent me, overnight, a card for 40 free and tips on how to use the hard to peel batch. I know anything with an expiration of March 2009 or earlier, plus a couple of other lot numbers.

She likes how she feels when she hasnt had the headache . So we'll see, it has only been a few days and the side effects do seem to be subsiding, keep trying, give it a chance, unfortunately rarely do things just work out perfectly right off.

Sorry about the nausea I hope that will pass. Other than that how is she doing? Or is the nausea thing just taking over? Good luck to you!thanks for asking. Well...............she has a headache every day and been quite dizzy. The nausea is gone though . Guess we cant ask for everything! Kidding, no, she feels lousy, came home from school yesterday. So far, no word today. We will give it some time, as everyone tells me I dont give her enough time to adjust to her meds. She is eating and sleeping fine, no skin reaction, aside from getting a box of not good patches, not returned with recall, we are managing that fine, just have to the jiggle things or throw a couple away, we'll get a new box as soon as we get a new script. Been a little bumpy, but we've had worse adjustments. I'm still hopeful. The headache thing is no good though.

Hi all,

I have been reading everyones input on Daytrana and starting to get nervous! We just got a starter kit for my 9 yr old son. We have been battling ADHD for 3 years w/o meds. Tried Focus & Brightspark which helped for awhile but he has now been diagnosed with a very high ODD as well. Things have been ugly for the last 6 months. 3rd grade is tough if you have no concentration.

We are starting with 10mg to start. My son was EXCITED with getting meds that he hopes is going to get him some friends. Is that not the saddest thing you ever heard. We can home from the docs ofc and put it on. 

I Hate those patches. I never worked so hard to get something off a piece of plastic! 

Does anyone have any tips on removing the plastic any easier.  The nurse at the docs ofc suggested putting the patch in the freezer for a few seconds?   I didn't see that was any tremendous help. I just knew it looked like a lot of sticky was still on the plastic after removing.

Thanks for any feedback.

my son had nausea - make sure you eat breakfast before putting it on (nothing high in fat) but the thing that worked for him was a banana every morning.  Don't know why - but worth a shot - good luck! did it eventually pass? She was nauseous even last night after we took patch off..............it did - he was on it for about 3 weeks before he stopped complaining.  to be honest - we loved daytrana but he had horrible skin reactions and now we are back to the beginning of the med. dance - its terrible to watch them go through all of this.

is this her first medicine?  has she had a problem with stomach aches with other meds.?
oh gosh no, she's been EVERYTHING and had all kinds of side effects, but never nausea. She is having no skin problems.Mine never got nausea, she did compain about a stomache ache though, for about a week.

Hi guys,

  OK, only day 2, but will this horrible nausea dd is getting with Daytrana pass? She really feels lousy.

Diane

What aren't you liking? How is the anxiety? Just wondering how things were going so far this week.Well, actually things are looking better this week. The side effects are SLOWLY subsiding. She was really "flat" last week, lots of headaches and on and off nausea. Now we should be able to tell how it's helping her focus and attention. My thoughts are they are definitely improved. I'll need feedback from school. I did get notes twice this week that she had "very productive days". Her hadnwriting is so much more legible. That has to be good right! She also got 100% on both a language test and a social studies test. Social studies she is in a mainstream class and usually hates it, so that is a BIG PLUS !!! So far I'm not seeing tics or that sort of nervousness she gets on the other stims. I would recommend it if people are thinking about trying it. It does take a VERY long time to "kick in". Over an hour. I get up very early so I put it on her while she's still in bed and she takes it off after school. Been pretty good. We have had not a single skin issue.Glad to hear things are subsiding and it is starting to kick in. Hope all works out, it sounds pretty good so far. Good Luck to you!

I've been lucky so far. no side effects except some insomnia.  I put it on every day at 7am, school starts at 9:20. It comes off at 4pm. 

The package says it takes 2 hours to get in their system. and stays for 3 hrs once its removed.

He brought home an 80 on a math test yesterday! we were thrilled. teacher said he even went back over his paper before turning it in.

His behavior modification sheet he gets everyday were 100's. Even the principle came out to meet me when I picked him up singing praises.

He hasn't passed an open book test yet since school started. We have one tomorrow. Can't wait.

His PHD has requested the teacher fill out the Connors Assessment again on him because he said the drug is that fast acting. I guess its to determine if they need to increase the dosage or not.

No wonder I am sleeping so well at night I'm pooped trying to keep everything straight.

Sounds like your daughter is going forward! I hope it continues for her.

We only experienced some redness in the first few days. I rubbed it with some triple antibiotic cream and its fine now. Welts oh boy I would have cried.

I hope the you will find something that will work for you.

Hi Diane V.  I would try to tough it out with the Daytrana.  My son is primarily inattentive, like your daughter, and we have had pretty good success.  Occasionally there will be a stomach ache complaint or headache, but for him the reward far outweighs the problem.  He is now a confident student operating in the main stream.  Improved handwriting and he was released from the remedial reading program this year.  Skin irritation definitely kicked in after about 3 months.   He got sent to the nurse for excessive butt scratching.  Rub the patch area every night with baby oil.  That did the trick for us.  For Kyle tics seem to come and go with or without the meds, but they are usually pretty subtle hand tics. 

Thanks Nancy! Yeah, after seeking everyones advice and discussing it to death, she is just doing SO well in school this year, we're going to stick it out. We've battled the appetitie issues for years, it's the tic issue that is what generally makes us stop the stim. School isnt seeing any tics and they are not that bad, so for now we'll stick it out. She absolutley cant get by on no meds, it's a matter of whther or not to switch to Strattera. I really dont want to do that as I am very worried about the sedating effects, she falls asleep at the drop of a hat on a stimulant ! My husband is always telling me I have to take the bad with the good and stop looking for perfect, but I feel bad for her, she hates the ticcing. Hopefully it wont get worse. Last year was BAD.That's great it's working pretty well for her. I would stick it out too. My dd had a sniffing sort of tick with adderall but it went away after a week or two. Also, when my dd was on Daytrana we gave a fast acting focalin in the morning to cover that time before the daytrana kicked in and it really worked. Also, we left the patch on until past dinner so that she would have evening coverage too. Good luck, maybe the daytrana just needs a little tweaking to get it to work better for her.  

OK guys, what should I do?

Been three weeks on the Daytrana. At first, HATED it, she was nauseous, falling asleep horrible headaches. After the first week or so these subsided and we were doing pretty good, except always an except ), the morning thing again, no meds, so having a very hard time being begnorganized and on task, since it takes so long to take effect (I put it on at 4:45 am while she's asleep), and the silliness due to no evening coverage. Now, this week, the mornings are getting worse, now she is complaining about not wanting to eat, and tics are rearing their ugly head. Lots of blinking yesterday. I didnt see any evidence this morning, but she was so lethargic and down and barely ate.

Do I wait this out a bit longer? Our plan C (this is plan B) was to stop and try Strattera.  I'm fine with that, but want to be sure I'm not being impatient. any time in the past once she started to get "ticcy" it doesnt stop until stop the stim, but..............school is going great...........of course. Part of school success though is this year they've started pulling her for reading and small group math. Not a resource room per se, but same concept.

I need some input what you guys all think................my gut says get off the stimulant, but it always does. I also really miss the 24 hour coverage and hate being back to this up and down stuff. No consistency, one day she seems grreat, the next she's falling asleep three hours after putting on the patch.

Diane V39380.3628935185

Wow, U have lots to think about. I feel so bad for your little one. I know it took me forever to make the choice to try something to begin with.

We are having great success with the patch.  I just have to remember to remove it no later than 4. He eats great in the morning, some days hes eating lunch, some times not and starving after school when he doesn't have his lunch. He has really only showed the insomnia symptons. I guess we have been very lucky.

Are there any long lasting meds that are not a stimulant?

I would say try your plan B - We loved Daytrana, tried it again and he still is having the horrible welts.  Now we are on NOTHING.  We go back today...

Its tough - i would say move to the next - only because after a week - i do.  You know as a Mom if it is working or not.  They want to try mine on Focalin next and if it doesn't work - i am tempted to go to a non-stimulant.

Hang in there and good luck!  Its tough to see our babies go through this....
She gets worse tics and anxiety on fast acting meds, but thanks for the suggestion,  it DID help whith ADHD stuff. I can deal with the unmedicated mornings, it's just the weight loss and tics that tend to get out of control for her. Hopefully it'll be this sort of intermittent "ticcing" thats just a blink and she has been doing the sniffing, and it'll come and go, that'd be tolerable. Before she was bad mutliple motor tics and all this sort of pent up nervousness. So far none of that. I was wondering how people did leaving it longer than the 9 hours. Doc says 9 and most people say 9, but because it takes so long to start workig we have to put it on SO early, there's no evening coverage.Diane, you have been through so much, I really hope this works out for you. We are just on the begining of a long journey of meds and even though the Focalin was working wonders for him I did start to notice some minor tics at bedtime. Hopefully they will stay there. I could tolerate those. I just don't want his self esteem damaged any more than it is. I know it can be rough on the, I had some tics from meds when I was young so I know. (at least I was hospitalized at the time) Once I went off the meds the tics stopped. that is the crappy thing. Need those meds to really make it good. I wish you guys all the luck in the world and if you decide to go the Strattera route I wish you luck there also. Hopefully things will not get any worse than they are right now. My heart goes oput to you.

I am putting the patch on between 630 & 7am and taking it off between 330 & 4pm when he gets home from school.  If I don't take it off before then he is up all night long.

I make sure homework gets done when he comes home while I know he still has meds in system but by 630pm he starts to get his appetite and is looking for dinner. I also give him a milkshake after dinner with ice cream & egg whipped in it.  He thinks hes special! He doesn't eat much for breakfast and very little lunch.

After 2 weeks on the patch we have received great notes home about his ability to stay on task in school.  Hopefully his report card will show improvement this next grading period.

Hi Floridayank03:  My daughter's been on the patch for almost a year & my husband cannot get the patch on her.  I've come up with an easy way, it's tricky to explain:  I peel back only the corner of each backing.  Then I bend it so each backing is sticking up.  Keep it bent & pull off one side.  The other side should still be on, but the corner should be sticking up.  Holding onto the sticking up corner, put the patch on the hip & pull the other backing off while rubbing the entire patch for a few seconds to make sure it sticks.  Hope this helps.  I've wasted a few until I got this figured out.  Has anyone noticed a side effect of lethargy/sleepiness in mid-day?  It's hard to see my daughter like this! caliranch, yes my daughter is falling asleep mid-day. It's really impacting school. The rest of ehr day is DRAMATICALLY more productive, but about 5-6 hours after we apply the patch, she gets really sluggish.  She just turned 13.yeah thats what I mean too, gets kind of "out of it", really tired, She gets the same way. Zero appetite during the day either. She is also on 10mg. Many people have success with Omega 3's. For us, I don't think it helped much. We've been using them for several months. It has helped her to have a more balanced mood I think, but hasnt helped her inattention or distractability at all. Has your daughter tried anything else?My daughter has only ever tried the patch.  She was diagnosed Nov 06 & patch followed immediately.  She's done much better, school is going great, not as impulsive at home.  I can't stand the mid-day side effects.  She's not the same kid.  I am thinking about asking her dr. if there is a milder drug to try or if we should try Omega-3's.

Hi ladies, I got a new box of patches and they are so much easier to apply. I did just that too!. Started both sides of the corners and presto!

My son is just the opposite. WIDE AWAKE! Like the energizer bunny. sometimes too 9 or 10 at night I can still hear him in his rom.

He is 9 years old, and he is either starving, or no appetite at all. He is only 54 lbs. Doc said if he is eating very little she has something that will stimulate his appetite, but removing it after school seems to have helped increase it.

He is also on 10mg.

caliranch, I have found some of the oral meds "milder" than the Daytrana. We had other side effects, but Daytrana seems to be different. I am still hopeful this will pass. You may want to try another stimulant.

We also got a new box and they are SO much better to get the backing off. I also just wish this sluggishness, headachey thing would subside. Some days she is GREAT, otehrs she jsut wants to be in bed, I do not find it very consistent. I sometimes wonder if upping the dose would help? We do have a problem with tics, which ahve returned with Daytrana, but it's toerable for now so I worry a higher dose will increase tics.

We have never had any tics with Daytrana.  She's been on it for a year.  She's never complained of headaches, nausea, etc.  I will set an appointment with dr. to go over other options.  She's doing so well in school I hate to change anything.  Her self-esteem is so much better now, she's trying new things, getting better grades.  I wish they had a 5 mg Daytrana!  That's why I tried cutting the patch in half.  It was like I didn't even put it on that day.  Maybe it gets ineffective if tampered with.  When she doesn't have the patch on (only if I forget to put it on) her appetite is non-stop all day, she's running, jumping, screaming all day.  My husband can tell within 2 seconds of coming home that her patch isn't on.  Sigh.

I noticed where I apply the patch on his thigh makes a difference. I try and make sure its mid thigh and I don't have the complaints. Maybe it gets into the system faster in some places than otheres.

Doc said mid thigh. Pharmacy mentioned I should try upper shoulder. I think maybe twice he has complained of a stomach ache or headache. I make sure he has eaten shortly after applying in the morning so at least I know hes got something on his stomach to start the day. I think if I make another waffle its gonna make me sick!

doc mentioned to me to cut it in half if I wanted to give him a smaller dosage on the weekend but he is still busy enough that I didn't want to mess with it.I didnt think of that, maybe I'm not consistent on where it goes on. Good thought! She had a really good day today at school I guess, so I'll see and try to be better about it. I alternate hips like it says. Not much meat on her hips though!Also, you might want to try cleaning the area with alcohol.  If the area isn't completely clean, I've noticed her being way more active that day even though the patch is on.  Maybe I'll try cutting it in half once more.  I'm hoping she's getting more mature/consistent.  Maybe she doesn't need as much medicine, but a little would help.

I alternate hips as well.

be careful with the alcohol.  I know that it dissipates adhesive even though the area appears dry. I work with ecg electrodes similiar to the patch and it is a warning we give as the manufacturer.

We have him shower every night and scrub the remains of the sticky while hes in there to make sure there are no problems when applying the next day.

They say it gets in their system faster applying to the shoulder (pharmacy) so maybe a 1/2 patch would work applied there. I don't know.

Thanks, I'll try that tomorrow.  A short day at school should be OK to try something new.  I'll report back tomorrow evening as to how it went.  Thanks again, I'm glad we're not the only ones going through all this....

I hope you find the happy balance.

His Phd that he goes to also mentioned to me that I child with ADHD has the opposite reaction to Coke / caffeine products as a child that doesn't have ADHD. He says in an ADHD child it should have a calming reaction.  No kidding, it works here at night. I tried because I thought he was blowing smoke!

November 2008 is part of the recall. Call Shire.

 

She seemed much better yesterday, as far as the dizziness, now we'll see if it is working .

My daughter doesn't fall asleep, she gets lethargic, far-away look in her eyes, really tired.  She has NO appetite all day.  She's lost about 15 lbs.  She's 7 1/2.  I am thinking about trying something else, but worried b/cuz the patch has helped so much.  I tried cutting it in half (she's on 10 MG).  It was like she had no patch on at all.  What do you think about omega-3's? I don't mind the patch, frustrating some times peeling it, I'm not sure we have the right dosage. He had a good day at school but so frustrated when doing homework. Still unable to stop to listen. I think hes so far behind hes not getting what he needs to do the work.good luck. Stick it out, things are settling for us this week, but am still not sure how much I really like this....................

Hi all thanks for the info. will give it a try. My son is also on the 10mg. friday was his 1st day at school with it. Had a good day and while waiting for me to pick him up got into it with another kid. SUSPENDED FOR 1 DAY.

Hes been home all day with me. I don't see any difference. Hes still all hands all over the place. Not sure yet what his school work situation will be. I only filled the 10 day starter. Maybe we may have to bump up to the 15mg.

Other than forgetting to remove it sooner and not sleeping that 1 night hes been fine. Complained at soccer the 1st day he felt dizzy but he was running in the heat and it was after dinner. Hes always hungry.

Tomorrow back to school. I asked them to keep me updated on a daily basis. His doc highly recommended this patch vs tablets. She said there is no control on the oral vs the metered the patch has.

We have been on Daytrana since May.

I find that lots of liquids help with the side effects.  This was the suggestion of the school nurse.

I am VERY FRUSTRATED tof ind that the patches are again having sticking problems.  This is such a hassle. 

For this reason alone I am thinking of switching meds???

 

 

My very first batch of the patches were AWEFUL! knowly they were recalled I was so mad at the pharmacy that sold them to me. I refilled at another place and they are so easy to handle.

My son drinks lots of water, maybe this is why he has had very little side effects. 4 weeks now and very happy although he had a rough day monday at school staying focused but he told me he removed the patch, he said at the end of the day, but who knows. KIDS!

We are trying to be really consistent with our reward system at home, using chips too.  Both our kids earn them for chores, getting ready for school, etc.  They have to pay a chip to watch TV or go on the computer. 

We did 1/2 patch again yesterday.  I asked her teacher how it went & the teacher said she was on task, got her work done.  She said she was a little "chatty", but no more than any second grader.  We're going to continue 1/2 patch as long as this is working.  We will definitely need some behavior modification geared toward ADHD kids to pick up the slack.  I hope I'm not asking too much of her, but the side effects from Daytrana are hindering her.

when I asked doc about cutting in 1/2 she said its still metered on the hour just a smaller dosage. Sounds like its just what she needed.

My sons behavior has done a drastic 180 since being on the med., we just minor reminders and he is in check. No more issues in school. THIS IS A NICE CHANGE!

How great! I just found saying NO and meaning it without the constant bantering and staying consistant with my final answer finally started working for me with his behavior. He was wearing me down and I was giving in before because it was easier.

We started out with a time out space but did not say it was for punishment. It was for him to calm down and to rethink his actions. He was able to talk to me calmly from that point.  I have chips and a jar we also use. Good behaviors in school earn him a yellow chip. When he gets 5 he can buy lunch at school. Good behaviors at home earn him green chips, at the end of the week he can turn them in for pokemon cards.

This week hes done so well he is moving up on his behavior chart at school from red to yellow. He has set his own goal of being student of the month for his class.

He is really thriving. He also doesn't look for the rewards as often either.

Well, we tried half a patch yesterday & it went well.  She seemed more like her usual self, active, but not overly so.  Her appetitate was in full swing.  She did well at school.  It was definitely a difference, she was not lethargic at all.  She had some moments of excess energy.  I'll try this for a while & maybe combine it with some behavior strategies.  I have some ADHD books.  Or does anyone have any good ideas for behavior modification?  I would just really like to lower this Daytrana dose because of her lifelessness during the mid day.  Thanks

interesting night last night. I forgot about the patch! Didn't remove it until 7pm. Ugh! He couldn't sleep. This morning he seemed off the wall but happy.

I can't believe this pharmacy would be selling a recalled item. Will have to contact them today.

The patch I used today came off easier. We shall see. 1st day at school with it on.

So glad to hear your daughter is feeling better.

innova is right that wiggling thing works, but why not let them also replace the patches, it's worth it for the hassle.

Concerta is also a 12 hour med, you may want to try Ritilan LA first, if you're thinking that family as that is only 10 hours.

Florida, I learned a pretty good trick to get the backs off of the patch better. You hold the patch with both hands (both forefingers and thumbs) so the crease is horizontal. use your wrists to wiggle the patch from corner to corner in a wavey like motion. you will see litte bubble lines in the patch. then I stick it in the freezer for a minute. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it is better than throwing them away! hope it helps!

On another note...my 12YO  son has been on the 10mg patch for a month and a half now and his side effects seem to be getting worse. this is the only medicine we have tried so I don't know if any are better. His rebound has been horrible. He is starving during the day but he can't eat because it makes him nauseaous. I like the patch though because he can take it off when he gets home and it will wear off by dinner time, and he usually has no trouble sleeping. I am afraid if he takes a long acting pill he will never have an appetite, and he won't be able to sleep! My mother in law told me she took concerta and it was really mild. has anyone else had any experience with that?