Daytrana and side effects | ADHD Information

I don't know about the sleep problem, we've never had that trouble.  We did go through a huge appetite supression stage, our 5 yr DS lost 10 lbs over the course of about 4 months, he just wouldn't eat.  Now we've gotten it down, he eats as much as he wants for breakfast and then usually doesn't eat much at lunch time.  Sometimes we can get him to eat & other times not.  Dinner used to be supresses as well, but that has gotten better over time.  His appetite has come back, not as much as before but better.  We let him snack whenever he wants and give him Pediasure or Nutripals each night w/dinner to boost his calories for the day.  The last couple monthly appts, he's been maintaining his weight, rather than losing so it must be better.  Good luck!  The game of finding the right med combo isn't fun and it tears you apart to go through it with your child, but in the end, when you find the miracle combo, it's wonderful and life is good!My 6 year old son also just started on the 10mg patch....its been extremely difficult to get him to sleep. Last night it was 2am before he finally conked out. So now we go from one problem to the next....grrr!

I haven't seen a huge impact on his appetite....he may skip lunch, but he's still eating a good breakfast and dinner.

If anyone has any advise on helping the sleep situation, I would appreciate it as well!
can you take it off earlier?Epokey

Is the Daytrana your miracle combo or is your child on any other medications with it?

Embick:

What time do you put the patch on and what time do you take it off?  I usually take it off around 5:30 P.M. no matter what time I put in on.

I'm new to this message board, but I'm so glad that I found it.  I have a DS that just turned 6 that has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD last fall.  We have already tried Focalin XR 5mg and Adderall XR 5mg.  Both made him more aggressive, moody and didn't help much for his attention.  Recently we tried 10 mg of Daytrana.  Yes it takes awhile to kick in, but it totally kills his appetite.  He won't eat a thing or drink at all.  When it wears off he'll eat.  He also has more trouble sleeping than with the Focalin XR.  Since it has been summer we haven't been giving it to him everyday.  Actually, I think it has been a week without it because he's been with his grandmother on vacation.  Does the appetite and sleep issue get any better with time.  If not I was wondering if maybe a short acting Focalin would be better a couple of times a day?  I just hate playing this "find the right drug" game. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
I've been taking it off at 3-3:30pm....he has yet to go to sleep before midnight......and he's completely wound up the whole time....like all the energy thats been contained during the day is suddenly let loose.....LOL...sooooo not good!

So it is basically Ritalin but in another form?  I don't know if I'm too keen on her taking Ritalin.  Thanks for the input

yes it isMy doc didn't tell us that...aren't there bad side effects for Ritalin?  Would you recommend the Daytrana?  I'm still looking into if our insurance will cover it or not.  If not, then there is no way that we can afford it.every child is different. The most common side effects are appetite suppression and insomnia, but some people don't have any or have minimal side effects. There is no way to know ahead of time. Do some research. There are several Daytrana threads on this forum. My daughter did us it fairly successfully for a while. She is now taking Strattera AND a small dose of generic long acting Ritalin called Methylin ER. She is doing great on this combination and basically having no side effects.

I am trying to do some research on it before we put her on it.  That's why I'm getting as much advice/information on it as I can.

Thank you for your input and information- I will definately keep that infromation in mind.

My daughter is on Strattera, and celexa.  She has anxiety problems along with her ADHD.  She has not been good the last 6-8 months.  Short on attention, emotional, outbursts, etc.  (she is 11). The doc wants to put her on Daytrona patch and wean her off of Strattera.  We are not real excited about this since there are  no long term studies on Daytrona and don't know if it is safe in the long run.  We are also going through the 'right drug' process and it takes a lot out of me!  Any advice, or suggestions would be appreciated! Daytrana is methylphediante (same as Ritalin) just in a different form. My daughter did well on Daytrana, we stopped it because of appetite suppression and her preference to take a pill over wearing a patch. It also takes 2 hours to take effect, so it works best if you can put it on when they are sleeping.