I found this information on a medical website. You should still ask your doctor or pharmacist
if swallowing a Metadate® CD or Ritalin® LA capsule is difficult, this capsule may be opened and the dose gently sprinkled on a small amount (1 tablespoon) of cool applesauce. (Do not sprinkle on warm applesauce or this may result in improper dosing.) The sprinkles should not be crushed or chewed. Take the medicine immediately after sprinkling (do not store for future use). Drink some fluids (water, milk or juice) after taking the sprinkles with applesauce.
My son has been on Ritalin LA for about a year. He has tried Adderall, Straterra, and regular Ritalin. He doesn't have any side effects from the Ritalin LA. However, he's in kindergarten and starts school at 7. So I have to give it to him at 6:30 and by 2:00 when schools over the meds are gone. This causes a problem b/c he's been kicked out of two daycares after school for his behavior. I'm not sure how I can work if he can't stay in after school care.
Sorry, I just needed to vent a little. He is so demanding!!!
I have always read that giving Ritalin to any child under the age of 5 is not something that should be done. Not making a stand here or anything! But that is what I have found... I may be wrong.
Maybe try Ritalin SA?
Dosing of stimulant medication is not determined by weight or age. Every child is different as it is determined by metobolic rate of absortion and that is why children are put on a trial of meds to determine which dose and which med works for that particular child. Straterra, on the other hand is a non stimulant medication and dosing is determined by weight. With regard to not giving children ADHD medication under a certain age, the concerns are about the fact that these medications have not been tested under the age 6. However many chidlren under the age of 6 are taking ADHD medication with great results and no matter what the age, the child should always be followed carefully and closely by their physicians. That applies to any medication.Hello everyone! I'm new to the board! I wanted to make a comment on the first post about Ritalin LA. My son is 8 years old in the 3rd grade and has been on Meds since he was in the 1st grade. He has been on Ritalin LA for almost 1 full year or a little over a year. The side effects that I notice are not hungry during lunch time but starving by 4pm. He is always itchy, skin looks really bad! (that's with all the meds though) A little moody at times but when he comes off he is very wild he comes off very very hard. And also when he comes off he is very sensitive about things. Very easy to cry!
I don't like the medicine approach anymore but this year is the best year my son has had in school. He is one of the top students in his class. He has improved on everything. We recently switched his medicine to just plain Ritalin where he gets one in the morning and the other at school because the LA was giving too much in the morning and not having enough to tie him over in the afternoon at school.
Thanks for listening.
Connie
From the literature I have read and my doctor's advice, it is fine to give it to a child under the age of 5. They base the dose on their weight, not their age.
Also, the pharmacist says there is nothing wrong with opening the capsule and putting the medicine in applesauce or pudding, as long as you are sure that your child is getting the whole dose. One day my son wanted to try to swallow it whole. I didn't think he could do it b/c the pill is pretty big. He tried it and ever since he's been swallowing it with no problem.
my daughter (also a toddler - VERY tough decision to medicate, but VERY VERY mecessary for her safety and ability to function) is on Ritalin LA. She started about 6 weeks ago on 10 mg and was upped to 20 mg 2 weeks ago. I see many positive changes in her behavior, but also side effects. Her appetite is non-existant when the medication is in effect in her body. I make sure she eats good in the am before the med and before bed. The Drs. told us not to focus on the appetite side effect if she was doing ok eating at other times of the day. At first she was biting her nails like crazy! She has always been a nail biter but this was much worse. Over the last few weeks this has subsided a great deal. The other problems have been a horrible rebound in the afternoon when it wears off (she is moody, WILD, mean, tantrums, just not at all herself - she literally runs into things she is moving so fast). We have problems getting her to sleep and staying asleep but we are working on this.
Her pre-school teachers (she is in a special ed program because of the ADHD) still don't report much improvement - this has me stumped because i definately see improvement during the hours she is at school on the days she is home - i am suspecting that they expect more than is realistic from her at this point.
She sees the Dr again in 2 weeks for a medication check - i can't wait - this afternoon rebound is horrible!!!
I am relieved to see that others have gone through this too. We are in the process of trying to find a psychiatrist that has an opening AND takes children at the age of 3. My son needs a lot of help right now and so do I.
I am having a lot of problems relating to my son because he is so mean and hateful a good part of the time. I am with him when he is off the meds because he is at preschool/daycare during the day.
The school also hasn't seen much difference with the Ritalin. They didn't like what they saw on the Adderall. They told me they want the old Logan back.
Logan has about 4 sores on his face and about 20 on his arms that he picks at on a regular basis. We have a lot of bloodstains everywhere. It was going on about a year ago and then it has gotten a lot worse since the meds. This is a BIG reason I want to see a psychiatrist.
His pediatrician diagnosed him ADHD. The psychologist is thinking maybe Anxiety Disorder and/or ADHD with even Bipolar in there too. My counselor is thinking Bipolar even. I don't know what to do with him but I know we need to start with something and get part of him under control so we can deal with the rest of him.
Thank you for all your help!!!
can you have a major medical center local? I took my daughter to the NYU Child Study Center ADHD Clinic - the psychiatrist's there are EXPERTS in ADHD - I'm sure that there are similar clinics all over the country. I feel soooo confident in the drs advice. Even if the Ritalin LA may not be the answer but I know there is help out there - go to the experts!!!
My son has been on Addrall for the past week and a half and it has been hell. I don't know what else to say about it. I took him to the doc (ped) tonight and he changed him to Ritilin LA. I had a hard time finding the dosage because he is taking only 10 mg in a capsule so I can mix it up in his food. (he is 3) I had a hard enough time deciding if I wanted to bite the bullet and put him on meds to start with but then the first med he is on, totally backfires and causes him all these weird side effects.
I am a little nervous about putting him on Ritilin. I know a lot about the "old" ritilin but I don't know much about this long lasting one. What kind of things has anyone experienced? I would really like him on Concerta but they don't make a low enough dosage in a capsule. Let me know what kind of experiences anyone has had on this med.