I found Focalin XR and Metadate CD to last about the same length of time. Hopefully you'll get longer out of the Metadate CD!
In the beginning, it was taking about an hour for the Metadate CD to kick in. For some reason, that got shorter over time.
Thanks for the information. His doctor said it should take about a half hour, which we have not seen. It is more like an hour for us, however I am not sure if we are on the right dose or not. He had a rough day yesterday at school. Our mornings are very tough (lots of screaming at the top of his lungs, running up and down the hallway). The Vyvanse was taking about 90 minutes before he would start to calm down. We were were hoping the Metadate would work sooner or not have a bad rebound effect. Also we are trying to gage when to give it to him. When he was on Foclain XR, he was taking it twice a day. We are hoping the Metadate will last during the whole school day. Thanks again.I have found that Metadate CD takes a bit longer to "kick in" than Focalin XR did. It takes the Metadate CD around 45 minutes (sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little less).
It's hard to say exactly how long it lasts. We give it to him at 7:30 AM, and I like homework completed by 4:30 because focus seems to go down after that. In terms of impulsivity and hyperactivity, we get another hour or so before we start noticing that coming back slightly. He also takes Tenex, so it doesn't fully come back, but we definitely can tell when the stimulant has worn off.
He takes 60 mg.
My seven year old son has just started Metadate CD. He was on Vyvanse, Strattera, and tenex, but after over a year on Vyvanse, he maxed out on the mgs (80) and it just stopped working. Before Vyanse, he was on Focalin XR 15 mgs twice a day, but this started to not work as well either. His pyschatrist is starting him out at 30 mgs of the metadate CD (in addition to the Strattera and tenex for now). I just gave him his first dose this morning and am not sure if I am seeing much of a difference. He still seemed fidgety, making odd noises, and talked nonstop on the way to school. So I have a couple of quesitons for anyone who has had experience with Metadate?
1. When you gave your child metadate CD, how long did it take to kick in in the morning? He woke up at 6:00am, but I did not give it to him until 7:15 (he has a high metabolism and I didn't know if would last the 8-10 hours so I waited closer to the start of school).
2. How long did it last for you during the day?
I realize each individual is different but was just curious what other people's experience was with it. There are not too many reviews out there when I research it.
Thanks
erinfpdx, I am relieved to hear that you can go so high on the Metadate dose. My child currently takes 60 mg, and I was nervous what would happen when we need to go higher. He's been on this dose 1-1/2 years now. This medication has been so great for him -- doesn't change his personality, seems even throughout morning and afternoon, minimal appetite loss.
Does your child take all 150 mg at once, or is it taken 2x/day? If all at once, how do you do it (like, 2 60 mg capusles and then 1 30 mg capsule?)? How do you end up paying for it? Since 60 mg is the biggest capsule, I'm nervous what happens when we have to go up to 70 mg. Will I have to pay for two prescriptions since it's two capsules of different amounts?
Mom2ADHDboy, my son is currently taking 60 mgs in the morning and 30 mgs in the afternoon. I have to pay for two prescriptions since it is two different mgs. However if you have to take two pills of the same mgs, then it is only one prescription cost. For example when he was on Vyvanse, the highest the mgs was 70 mgs. He was on 80mgs, so his doctor prescribed two 40 mgs pills in the morning, and I only paid on prescription cost.Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I have tried to give my son his medicine and then have him go back to sleep. But once you wake him up, he bounces out of bed and is ready for the day! There is no going back to sleep.
We just increased his dose to 40mgs of the Metadate CD this weekend and omitted the Methylin booster. We started out at 30 mgs and it did not work. Then his doctor added a booster of 10mgs of Methylin. This seemed to help some, but like you, we are only seeing it last around four hours. The doctor is hoping an increase of the Metadate will make it last longer. My son too is a fast metabolizer and I have a feeling that 40 mgs will not be his optimal dose. The Metadate CD has helped some with his hyper activity, but not with his focus.
He has a doctor's appointment next week. Maybe I will suggest going back to starting the day out with a Methylin booster and then give him his Metadate CD right before he goes to school. This could then get him through lunch when he takes his second dose. Right now we give it to him around 7:00 and it only last until 10:45-11:00.
Sorry to hear about the cost. I understand what it is like. My son is on four medications and it is extremely expensive. I am hoping that we can eventually ween him off a couple once we figure out the right Metadate/Methylin combo. That would help some.
[QUOTE=jkshaal]Thanks for the information. His doctor said it should take about a half hour, which we have not seen. It is more like an hour for us, however I am not sure if we are on the right dose or not. He had a rough day yesterday at school. Our mornings are very tough (lots of screaming at the top of his lungs, running up and down the hallway). The Vyvanse was taking about 90 minutes before he would start to calm down. We were were hoping the Metadate would work sooner or not have a bad rebound effect. Also we are trying to gage when to give it to him. When he was on Foclain XR, he was taking it twice a day. We are hoping the Metadate will last during the whole school day. Thanks again. [/QUOTE]