Long-acting Meds

[katiekat]

Can anyone tell me which meds. perscribed for ADHD are long acting? When we go the the psychiatrist (next week yay!) if he wants to put Sean on something I want to make sure that it is something that he will not need to take in school. I had way too many problems with the nurse last time and will not deal with that again.

[lisacap]

Concerta is long acting stays for up to 12 hours, Ritalin LA is also long acting but only lasts 6-8 hours, Strattera is another ( we had no luck with that) lasts about 6-8 hours, Adderal says it will last up to 10 hours but didn't...if I were you I would go with Concerta. Christian has been taking it since he was 6, now 12 1/2...I did take him off for a year here and there to try something new, but none of them worked like the concerta did..only down fall we have with the concerta is the sleeping, he doesn't sleep at all on it, I have to give him clonadine to sleep at night otherwise he is up all night, that also helps him with the anxiety....eating is another problem for the first year or so, he still doesn't eat well during the day, but more than makes up for it at night....good luck

[puzzled]

Concerta does last a LONG time, in fact it lasted too long for chase, he was never hungry. Ritalin LA did great for him, but even with insurance it is too expensive, we recently switched to dexedrine spansules, which have a generic. It seems to be going well, it is the second week.

Adderall XR also lasts a long time, and there is a new one, Vyvanase that is time release too.

[katiekat]

He was taking Adderall and that did nothing at all. Thanks for your input guys. I really appreciate it.

[bugsmom]

Well, lets see, we've done Ritalin, Ritalin LA, Concerta, Strattera, and Adderal and as the others has stated, Concerta was by far the one that lasted the entire day. But, that doesn't mean that it will be the one for Sean. I will say that Concerta was the "smoothest", and what I mean by that is that there wasn't a lot of up and downs thru-out the day as it dispensed throughout his body.

It should be interesting to find out what your new doctor will do for Sean in regards to meds. I guess the only concern for me would be if he is dx with bipolar. Most kids with bipolar can't take stims, it can make moods worse.

I'm so excited that your appointment is coming up soon. I know how long you've waited to start this process. Hope this helps a little bit.

[mary2]

Concerta has been working great for my son in regard to the time it lasts. I think he is doing fine for the 12 hours; however, I give him a 5mg dose of Ritalin in the mornings to help him focus better at school. Now, I agree with Puzzled in regard to appetite. He can have a very good breakfast, but after he takes the pill he won't be hungry until the effect has faded, so I really make him eat well at nights. He takes it always at 6am, so, at about 6 pm he is done with it; I try to make him go through the homework time before 6 pm; sometimes it is difficult because he gets home at 4pm and has other activities, so I just have to cope with his symptoms, but I don't like the idea of giving him any more medication.

KK, I wish you the best of lucks with Sean. Please, keep us posted about the outcome.

[lcdc1]

There are a lot of long acting ones out there as everyone has kind of said. Concerta seems to be pretty good for me as an adult, but it does not last 12 hours for me! I think I read or heard somewhere that is varies based on metabolism too. Whatever you and the doc decide to try, should be started at the lowest dose possible and then titrated up to the optimum level. Good luck!

By the way, concerta is one of the more expensive ones that I am aware of, you have to check with the pharmacist to see what it will cost you with your insurance plan. I take 72 mg a day and that equals about 60 pills a month and with insurance I pay out of pocket around 50 bucks a month. If I did not have a good insurance plan I would pay strait out over 300 bucks a month for just concerta! I also take ritalin at night, but htat is cheaper.

[islandmom]

My daughter takes Dexedrine spanules for a little over a year now. They seem to work well for her except for very little appetite so weight loss is an issue, but it definately lasts all day.

[squirrelgirl]

My ds uses Daytrana patch. This is a quote from the Daytrana website:

"It’s recommended that the patch be worn for 9 hours; its effects continue for 3 hours more after it’s removed."