Question about Methylin (child) | ADHD Information

I thought I already posted about this but it must have been somewhere else.  There is a 2.5 mg chewable version of regular ritalin.  Even if he happens to chew some of the ritalin you have, I doubt it's a big deal since that's a medicine that can be crushed. 

That's an interesting comment about the side effects.  My son was on 30mg., then 40 mg. of Ritalin LA last year and he never touched his lunch at school.  Now that he's on Daytrana 10mg. plus Strattera, he eats lunch most days and comes home from school much hungrier even though the patch is still working at that hour.  I don't mean to disagree with a doctor, and obviously since we changed meds that could be the issue too, but I do think the dosage made a difference with appetite.

Spamula - I SO feel for you!  I really hope this will be the tough period you look back on later!  

[QUOTE=Enbmom]I thought I already posted about this but it must have been somewhere else.  There is a 2.5 mg chewable version of regular ritalin.  Even if he happens to chew some of the ritalin you have, I doubt it's a big deal since that's a medicine that can be crushed. 


I was never told it could be crushed, that makes me feel better. I was hoping if he bit into it, it wouldn't create a rush of medication.

I realize I could give him 2 doses of the 2.5 mgs back to back, but I want to ask his Dr. Tuesday about an extended release . He has an extreme mood swing when the Methalyn wears  off that lasts about 45 minutes, so I was hoping to avoid this mid-day. The mood swing is so bad that I try not to speak to him during that time because the slightest things upsets him and causes him to get very upset and angry. But on the other hand, the medicine is working fabulously with that being the only side effect.

Well I was with you until a few days ago. I went to a very well respected psychologist in my town and paid a lot to have my son tested.  I was disappointed in that he had no theories other than meds to help my son.  However, he told me that trying to give the smallest dose my son can get by on is not helping.  He said that appetite is affected or not, and if my son has little appetite on 27 mg of concerta he will have little on 18 as well.  He said that most stims are dosed on affect and not weight or age.
So I guess my point is if you are going to medicate give your child enough to get a good effect. He explained that if my son did not have enough to focus well and just enough to to "not be a problem in class" I was cheating him out of what he could achieve. 
This is just one Dr's opinion but I wanted to share and my sons teacher said his focus and handwriting has really improved in less than a week.  have I been cheating him all along? 

No you have not been cheating him. The goal is start low and increase until you see results, hopefully with little or no side effects. You saw results with some side effects (appetite) so you stayed there, thats what we do. Sometimes this ahs to be done, then as time goes on if attention and focus are still an issue the dose is increased. I think for hypercative children it's a little diificult because you see instant results behaviorally, then have to lookat focus sort of separately.

You have not been cheating him. We also started low with FocalinXR 5mg sprinkled on food. This worked great for the 2 weeks he took it. No reason to up it as the teachers reports were glowing during that time. He ate better and slept better, and certainly acted beter. Now he is off his meds by his choice(yes he is in play therapy for this) but it is driving us nuts. He has a big wall up and it won't budge. The Focalin is a milder form of Ritalin as well and can be hidden in food but not chewed, just swallowed. Good Luck

I replied to this on the parents board.

You could give half a pill before school and the other half after school.

The meds that you can sprinkle Adderall XR and Focalin XR both come in 5mg capsules and you must take the whole 5, you cannot sprinkle only half and save half.

My son is on his very first  dose of Methylin. He is newly diagnosed ADHD. Since this is all new to us, I asked for the smallest dose possible, because I was worried about side effects. He is taking 2.5 mg. of Methylin (generic Ritalin), and it is working tremendously, we are very happy. He is able to go through his 3 hour Kindergarten class without much behavior problems and he is actually learning and eager to participate .  These meds only last 3-4 hours. When we go back to the psychiatrist next week, I want to ask about something long lasting. Does this mean he will have to take a higher dose if we want it extended release? Can it be 2.5 mg released at a time or will it have to be higher to last? I'm a little confused. Also, since he is only 5, he can't swallow his pill. It is a tiny pill we cut in half , for the right dose. We currently put it in a tiny bite of food and tell him to try to swallow it, but I'm sure he has to bite some. I know it's not good if he bites the pill, but I don't know what else to do. I may ask his Dr. about one that can be sprinkled but I'm afraid to try anything new since he is doing so well on his current meds. Thanks!