adhd parents-anyone's child tried the patch meds?

[barkley]

ds's neurologist just prescribed daytrana which is an adhd med similar to the type he's taken oraly with success but is delivered through a patch which adheres to the skin (like those stop smoking patches). ds is of course thrilled to try something that does'nt require him to swallow a nasty tasting pill-i'm thrilled not to have to argue with him to take the pill-and i like the idea of a time released dosage that supposedly will prevent him from 'crashing' down in the afternoon.

has anyone tried it-any comments would be appreciated.

 

[Forevryoung]

I haven't tried that one in particular (I don't have ADHD) but I do take a similar patch that is an MAOI.

I've been on it for a year and absolutely love it- I bought alcohol free wipes to wipe the spot where the old one was and the new one will be going to make life easy (unless I just showered).

I have showered, swam in the ocean and pool... no problems at all with it sticking.

My favorite spot is between my rear and my lower back (closer to my rear) so it's covered by pants. More importantly, it's a spot that doesn't have voluntary muscles that would stretch the skin under the patch. I just switch sides every night.

Good luck, glad your son is excited about it... it is definitely nice having a 24 hour dose and not worrying about running out of the house in the morning without taking it

 

[mamaminnie]

I've been using Daytrana on my ADHD son for almost a year and I love it. He never had a problem swallowing pills but the up/down crashes were horrible and time release meds weren't that effective at all.

With the Daytrana he has very few mood swings and is much happier.

HTH

 

[Christypl]

My son has used this for about 4 months. It is great for us because he hated taking pills. It takes about an hour or so to notice a difference. It also works steady without the crash.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to move this to our disABILITIES Community Board.

 

[Mish]

My DS used it but he got a really bad rash, I called the company and they said I needed to stop using it if it didn't go away in a week. I waited a little longer with no change. I was upset because my son is unable to swallow pills, but our doctor switched to Focolin XR that I can sprinkle in pudding. I was happy with the way the patch worked. He was better on it but much better on the Focolin. If you call the company they will send you a card so you can take it to the pharmacy with the prescription and get a free supply to try it out. Michelle

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

My son tried the patch and it was sooooo nice not to have to argue about taking his medicine.

But, I didn't like his mood while he was on it. He was so sad and didn't feel like doing much. He just looked so blue all the time. I gave it a few weeks just to make sure it wasn't something else then finally took him off. He's on Medadate now and doing well (although we argue about taking it everyday! Augh).

I'd say give it a try, but like with any med, just watch for the reactions.

BTW, no rashes, no weight loss, no other side affects other than the one mentioned.

 

[Poohnatic]

Wow,this sounds like a great idea.

What family of ADHD meds is it in? If it's non stimulant (like Strattera), I'll probably ask my son's doctor to give it a try. Even though the Strattera is supposed to be long acting, it's not in him. As a result, my son takes more than the average adult dose!

I hope to hear more comments about this medication.

Suzanne

 

[mamaminnie]

Wow,this sounds like a great idea.

What family of ADHD meds is it in? If it's non stimulant (like Strattera), I'll probably ask my son's doctor to give it a try. Even though the Strattera is supposed to be long acting, it's not in him. As a result, my son takes more than the average adult dose!

I hope to hear more comments about this medication.

Suzanne

I'm pretty sure it's a form of Ritalin. So that puts it in the stimulant category.

 

[Stellaluna]

Wow,this sounds like a great idea.

What family of ADHD meds is it in? If it's non stimulant (like Strattera), I'll probably ask my son's doctor to give it a try. Even though the Strattera is supposed to be long acting, it's not in him. As a result, my son takes more than the average adult dose!

I hope to hear more comments about this medication.

Suzanne

It is Methylphenidate (Ritalin).

DS7 has been on the 'patch' for about a month now and I just cannot say enough good things about it. His mood is much more even, he's doing better in school, we get coverage into the critical homework period without having to take an additional pill, and best of all, he is able to get these results with a much lower dosage than when he was taking Ritalin LA. We've been through a variety of meds with him in the past 2 years and the Daytrana patch has by far done the best job of helping him manage his ADHD symptoms. He does sometimes note some itching while the patch is on, but it is mild and doesn't bother him enough that he even picks at it, and we've had no problems with rash. It stays on in the bathtub, through sports and swimming. We do have to watch to be sure he is eating sufficiently, as it does supress his appetite (as many of the meds do) but this is something very manageable for us.

Hope that helps!

 

[SusieStone]

My DS is 5. He is on Daytranna patch. Ritalin. Catapres patch. Trileptil and Clondine. It is a perfect mixture and I know have an all around balanced child. No fihgts, no tearful outbursts. I realized that there was not one pill that would cover all the symptoms. It took about 6 months to get things tweaked but all is good now.

 

[Blondiex46]

nope not here. They tried clonadine patch and got a rash from it.

 

[packetminnie]

My DS (9) has been on the patch since 9/06, he is doing so well on the patch. The only issues we have had are weight loss but we had those issues with Concerta, Focalin, and Adderall. His grades this year have been fantastic.

 

[barkley]

thanks for all the info. we just moved so it's taken me awhile to check back in.

ds has been on it for 3 weeks and is doing realy well on it. it took about a week for it to realy kick in, and we are going to go up to the 15mg patch-but it is truly amazing.

two of the greatest benefits i've seen is (1) by putting it on him 2 hours before his normal waking time for school, he awakes much more easily and plesantly. (2) his appetite has gone through the roof this is a 10 year old boy of normal height who has never weighed more than 46 pounds dripping wet. in the 3 weeks he's been on the patch he's packed on 2 and 1/2 pounds he is a human eating machine-and i've never made so many batches of enchiladas in my life (he still is one of those kids that is only hungry for one or two items for long stretches of time-currently it's pb and j's and bean and cheese enchiladas (the kid is going through a loaf a bread almost every day-as well as 3 large enchiladas, we are thrilled).

for those of you who have had successes or failures with daytrana-let the manufaturer know, they are still evaluating date on the product, and any input they receive may help it become a successful product on the market place.

the only complaint i have with it is those darn adhesive backings-half the time the meds start to tear off with them

quick question-does anyone get their daytrana without perscription coverage? reason i ask is we've just moved and not located a new pedicatrician as yet (nor a neurologist for the adhd issues)-it's going to take about 90 days to get everything lined up so-i checked with our current insurance carrier and they said ds could get a one time (with doctor proir approving it through the carrier) a two month supply wich they will cover minus our copay. that however leaves us with one month without daytrana before the new ped picks up. our current ped says she could write it for 3 months, but we know that we will have to pay full cost for the 1 month supply. so has anyone bought it without insurance-and if so at what cost? the only quote i've gotten so far is from our local pharmacy and thats close to $180 anyone found it less expensive any place else?

 

[Mish]

quick question-does anyone get their daytrana without perscription coverage? reason i ask is we've just moved and not located a new pedicatrician as yet (nor a neurologist for the adhd issues)-it's going to take about 90 days to get everything lined up so-i checked with our current insurance carrier and they said ds could get a one time (with doctor proir approving it through the carrier) a two month supply wich they will cover minus our copay. that however leaves us with one month without daytrana before the new ped picks up. our current ped says she could write it for 3 months, but we know that we will have to pay full cost for the 1 month supply. so has anyone bought it without insurance-and if so at what cost? the only quote i've gotten so far is from our local pharmacy and thats close to $180 anyone found it less expensive any place else?

Call the company when we were having trouble with the backing and my son had the bad rash they sent me a card for a free month that I had to bring to the pharmacy (with a prescription) and it was filled for free. they are very helpful at the company and I am sure if you explained your situation they would be more than willing to work with you. We had to take my son off of the patch because his rash was so bad and we couldn't get it to go away. hope this helps.