What can we use after Metadate CD? | ADHD Information

My younger son, Holden, is on Metadate CD, 30mg.

it works wonderfully, however, it's not lasting the nearly
12hours we were getting back towards the beginning of the school year;
more like 7-8hours. It makes getting homework done in the afternoon an
absolute nightmare and he's impulsive and just can't. stop. talking!

In the past, we've upped the dosage of meds to get the longer
effectiveness but of course, we have this zombie-like kid for the first half
of the day because it works TOO well in the morning hours (it evens out
around lunchtime for him). I want to avoid that since really, the med IS
working... just not as long.

I know that Concerta is the same active-ingredient and typically lasts
longer, however, my son can't swallow pills yet so I don't think that's an
option, at least, not for now. This is what his doctor suggested, but I don't
want to wait until he can swallow pills to make a med adjustment since
who KNOWS when that will take place!

What about Daytrana? I'm thinking it's the same active ingredient and I
like the fact that there's NO PILL to swallow. What side effects do you
typically see on this? I do like the idea that it can be left on for longer
dosing (if needed) or can be taken off earlier for shorter dosing. that
greatly appeals to me.

What other meds are long-acting with the same active-ingredient that we
can look into? Ritalin LA?

Or.... should we just look into a short-acting med that he can take in the
afternoons (preferably not at school but maybe right near the end of
school day so it's working by the time he gets home from school).

Methylin is short-acting right? and comes in a chewable or liquid form?

Just trying to gather info so we can converse with the doctor.

thanks so much!wow that was quick. ;)

had emailed the doctor this weekend and had gotten a reply late last night
and then replied this morning asking about Daytrana. His feeling is that it
won't last any longer than Metadate but that it's very worth the trial to see if
it does work better/longer. Plus, no more pills if it works!

keep your fingers crossed (we'll start it Thursday ..... he has running after
school Wed and I'd hate for him to miss it if a negative side effect from the
Daytrana)

Why can't your son swallow a pill yet? Just curious. My 7 yr old prefers pills to liquid. When we started her on meds for adhd we sprinkled the med from the capsule on applesauce. She didn't care for that at all. So I made her practice for a few days after the spoonful of applesauce swallowing the empty capsule. It worked and she even has learned to swallow the horse pill omega 3.

Good luck with the Daytrana. I hope it works out.

My son has an extremely sensitive gag reflex and we've tried M&Ms, mini
M&Ms, and other things ... problem is, THOSE melt so he ends up chewing
them.

His doctor suggested using sunflower seeds to start out with and then using
tic tacs and then raisins. But this will be a process and I don't want to wait
until he CAN swallow pills to make an adjustment that might very well work.