Daytrana -FocalinXR-Vyvanse - need help | ADHD Information

Thanks for the info, daytrana was one of my next choices if the Focalin doesn't work out. I thought it was an allergy to the actual bandage not the medicine. Interesting. Will be bringing it up at next doc appt. Again thanks.My son has been on daytrana for two years now.  It has changed his life.  We tried adderall, ritalin, concerta.... This patch has been amazing.  We have found that the itching starts approx. 15 minutes after the patch is applied and lasts for approx 15-20 minutes and then the skin becomes numb from the medication and it no longer itches.  While itching it can be unbearable.  Listening to an IPod seems to help.  The best solution we have found is to put the patch on while he is sleeping.  On school days we put the patch on him while he is asleep at 6am and then his alarm rings at 7am. He gets up without feeling any discomfort.  Putting the patch on while he is asleep has worked wonderfully.  He wakes up medicated and in control.  No more chaotic, crazy, frustrating mornings.  His first period teachers have also noticed a dramatic improvement in his behavior and school work.  The daytrana patch has dramatically improved all of our lives.I asked my son about the patch and he said he didn't want to try it right now. OK. I do not think with his anxiety issues out of control, it would last on him too long. He would probably rip it off. We will see. He also gets up by 5 like me so putting it on while asleep wouldn't work. It couldn't tkse enough money to bribe him to keep it on. This boy is full of excuses. He is afraid of what taking the medication means. I have heard good things about Vyvance. I have heard you need to ramp it slowly though. Good luck on your search.My son just stopped the patch last week and we are starting focalin tomorrow. the patch was great for focus but the rebound became too much and he felt nauseous with it. Instead of the side effects subsiding they got worse for him. He is 12 years old and he is doing really well in school, but it breaks my heart to see him feel like crap from this medicine. anyway we'll see how the focalin works out. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I have been really lucky. 3 weeks on the Daytrana patch, had slight redness for the 1st two days, little itchy but we applied triple antibiotic at night and all was fine.

I also apply the patch about 7am each morning and its off by 330/4pm each night.

My son hates pills so this patch has been a blessing!

When My 9 year old was taking his Focalin we got 9-10 hours out of it then he went into rebound.Then watch out! He decided to stop on his own because he can't deal with being different from the other kids. Daytrana was one of the ones I was going to bring up at our next doc appt. although I think he will take it off because he can and it will probably bother his skin as do band aids. Good Luck.

We used Nasonex( nasalcrom is OTC) and sprayed it on before using the patch. DD only has an issue 1 time, and I think it was more of a soap allergy.

Daytrana will work for 3 hours after removal, focalin is an 8 hour med, Concerta is a 12 hour med.

I've not used Daytrana for my 6 year old. We went from Strattera (horrible side effects) to Metadate CD to short acting Ritalin which worked but didn't last long enough and wanted a 1 dose med. So we started Concerta 18mg. Concerta is supposed to be a 12 hour med and some it does last that long. My daughter metabolizes it quicker and it lasts 7 1/2-8 hours.

Focalin XR I was taking for my own ADHD and it wore off around 12-1pm too. I added a smaller, 2nd dose then and it seemed to help me for awhile. I'm getting ready to start Vyvance tomorrow.

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the replies and ideas.  I put DS back on Daytrana patch Thursday and it's been much, much better since.  Tossed the FocalinXR -- as someone mentioned, not ever med is for everyone (I was just surprised at how not for us this was, we'd tried Adderall, AdderallXR, and my DD was on Concerta for a bit and none of them was as dramatically ineffective as the FocalinXR.  Live and learn, I guess).  Now to wait until his Dr. is back from vacation this week to see if he'll let us try the Nasonex to minimize the skin sensativity.  I've been able to get my son to leave the patch on by bribery ;-)  He gets a quarter for leaving it on and that seems to be working like a charm.  Who knew that's all it would take (and it's the best quarter I've ever spent!).  Spamula, you might want to give Daytrana a try -- I don't think it's the adhesive that causes the sensativity, it's the medication itself.  My 10-yr-old daughter who is extremely sensative to most sensations (tags, elastic in clothes, "scratchy" sequin decorations on clothing) tolerates the patch quite well, so you never know.  Crossing my fingers that we can make the Daytrana work for awhile (after the Focalin experience, I'm reluctant to try anything new including Vyvanse).

Hi,

This is my first post here, but I have been "lurking" for awhile.  Thanks for all the helpful info, it's been a huge help in sorting out meds and ADHD issues.  I have three children, two have ADHD.  My 7-year old son (who was diagnosed first and is the worse of the two that have ADHD) started on Adderall 5mg, increased up to 15 then went on to AdderallXR 10mg and increased up to 30mg.  I was concerned with the frequency of how quickly he needed to progress up to the next dose.  Last spring I asked his Dr. about the Daytrana patch (a friend's son is on it and they had nothing but good things to say about it, and I also saw the improvements in their son's behavior for myself).  We switched my son to Daytrana 10mg and my daughter switched from AdderallXR to Daytrana shortly after.  Although both have had the itchy, red skin reaction, my son started either itching or intentionally taking his patch off regularly over the summer. He complained that it itched too much, but I'm not sure there wasn't some definiance in there too.  Anyway, after school started and he had taken off the patch too early in the day a couple times a week, his Dr. suggested switching to FocalinXR last week -- a week on FocalinXR10mg and I have seen a HUGE step backward in terms of behavior, focus, and how long the meds last (by 1or2pm he's bouncing off the walls and can't concentrate on homework whatsoever).  I put him back on the patch this morning -- it's been nothing but frustration with him afterschool to bedtime on FocalinXR and his teacher even sent me an email saying how surprised she was at his backslide at school.  My questions are: does anyone have any miracle suggestions for lessening the Daytrana patch itching (we did the benadryl cream and that helped somewhat, but it still itched.  Tried other non medicated itch creams as well)?  Has anyone tried the Nasonex-type sprays that I've seen suggested on this board?  Is there anything that is OTC but similar to Nasonex spray that I could try while I wait for my sons' Dr. to get back from vacation? Has anyone tried FocalinXR that has also used Daytrana -- similar experiences to mine?  Did FocalinXR last for more than 7-8 hours?  Has anyone used Daytrana and the new med Vyvanse, and what did you like/dislike about each -- can you compare them?  Tried other long-acting meds like Daytrana (minus the skin reaction) lasts as long (up to 12hours), has little or no crashing when he comes off it, smooth during the day?  Any feedback or experiences you can offer, or suggestions on how to make the darn Daytrana patch barely noticable to him would be most welcome!  Thanks in advance!

DD ADD on Daytrana 10mg

DS ADHD back on Daytrana 10mg

DS no ADHD and thankfully only taking a daily vitamin

Concerta is a 12 hour med. Like all meds, some people love it, some people dont.