1st day on meds | ADHD Information
My son is 4 years old and was just diagnosed with ADHD with ODD. His dr put him on the Daytrana patch. Today was the first day he was on it. Almost as soon as I took it off he seemed even more active than normal. Does any one know if this is normal. She told me it wold continue working for up to 3 hours.I have no info from personal use of the patch. Our son has been on concerta since he was shy of 7, now shy of 12. We tried the patch, but it did nothing. It did not work.
Either call the doctor or try something else. I do remember reading on these boards of children developing a rash, as well as folks happy with it, except for swimming and trying to keep it from getting wet.
I am sure people with post, but there is a thread if you search back.
Best wishes!! My son certainly should have started meds at 4, very hyper and impulisive. We have a lot of history with concerta and guanfacine, if you want to hear!!
All ADHD meds are not really approved for under the age of 6 because ofthe lack of formal testing. My son has been medicated since just before
he turned 4 with fast acting ritalin and has been on the patch for a good
6 months now. maybe the strength is not strong enough?
To help with getting the backing off, i put it in the freezer for 5 minutes
before i try to take the backing off ad it works great.
I also find that it itches him through the day and we have found that he
itches it off and it cannot be reapplied after it comes off so i place a
waterproof bandaid on the top and bottom of the patch for the itching
and so that when he pulls his underwear up and down it doesnt rub it off.
I give him a fast acting dose right when he wakes up. I stick it in a
chuckles type candy or sometimes i put them in chocolates and he will
get it right when he wakes. Ill put the patch on right when we are about
to leave for school about an hour and half to 2 hours after he took the
'booster' It really helps with the transitions through the day.
I also do not take it off till bedtime. If i take it off earlier he is impossible
to get to sleep and in his room. Its really been great for us.
Give it a chance. Sometimes you need to try it for a couple of weeks.
Are you removing it after 9 hours? It will work up to 12, so if you take it off after 9, it is supposed to keep going. Now if you leave it on say 11 hours, it will not work an additional 3.
I have also found that my son doesn't even get 12 hours out of it. I would say more like 8. We follow up with a booster dose of Ritalin after school.
The more you use the patch, the easier you will find it is to remove the backing. I wake up out of a dead sleep at 4:50 a.m., so I an apply it to my son and have it working by 7:00 a.m., and I have no problems 
Don't forget, it takes about 2 hours to work. A lot of people don't realize that, but if you read the patient pamphlet, it will explain it there.
The red rash is extremly common, just be sure to rotate hips each day, and don't repeat the same spot for a few days.
"I give him a fast acting dose right when he wakes up. I stick it in a
chuckles type candy or sometimes i put them in chocolates and he will
get it right when he wakes. Ill put the patch on right when we are about
to leave for school about an hour and half to 2 hours after he took the
'booster' It really helps with the transitions through the day. "
Redbanana,
I have thought about your method, but I was afraid the booster and the Daytrana would overlap, causing some unwanted side effect like being too sedated, or too hyper. This has not been a problem for you? I would LOVE not having to get up 2 hours earlier than I need to!
I would think you would know after the first day whether the med worked??
Why are you waiting those weeks?? that is too long, I think
I would call the doctor ASAP, juist my opinion.