Ritalinn SR is an 8 hour med, Ritalin LA 10 and Concerta 12. Ritalin SR only comes in 20 mg, Ritalin LA smallest dose is 10mg, Concerta smallest dose is 18 mg. I'm not sure they come low enough for your son. They cannot be sprinkled I dont think. Daytrana may be an option, but that also only comes in 10mg as the lowest dose.
I agree waiting a few days to see whats going on. If he has a fever it is probably NOT med related. Yes it is possible to have side effects that subside after the first week or so. Again, dont asssume it's meds though, especially if he has a fever.
My 5 year old son is new to his ADHD diagnosis, and new to meds. We did 4 weeks of 2.5 mg. of Ritalin. The first 3 weeks were fabulous, then the 4th went as though he were not on meds at all. His psychiatrist decided to try 5 mg of Focalin XR. I asked for something that would last longer. The first 2 days went well with no concerns, but yesterday he came home from school very sleepy, and was running a slight fever, but he then played with his cousin for a few hours and had plenty of energy. When we got home, he was feeling drowsy again. Today he has been very moody and drowsy. He has also complained about the noise from the dishwasher, and even asked me not to speak to him. It's hard to tell if he is getting sick or if it's the meds. I'm going to give it a few more days, and call the Dr. if I still have concerns. Would it be possible to get dose of Ritalin that last longer? Seemed like the Ritalin was great with no side effects except for about 30 minutes when it wore off. I don't know about the different types, releases of Ritalin. Is it normal to have some side effects in the beginning when getting adjusted to a new med?You might ask the doc for concerta or ritalin LA or metadate or daytrana. They are all long acting forms of ritalin. Everyone responds differently to the meds even to different release forms of the same med, so it may take some trial. Also, if your son cannot swallow pills, this limits the choices.
Focalin is the more centrally active isomer of methylphenidate and the others are both forms mixed together. Focalin can have fewer side effects but can have more moodiness.