Daytrana patch

[Aubreyneveau]

Wondering if people have experience with Daytrana patch. I really want my son to try it because he doesn’t handle the oral methylphenidate very well when the drug concentration goes up and down quickly in his blood/brain. He has a really bad rebound when it decreases and gets anxious when med is increasing. From what I’ve read Daytrana patch has the smoothest increase and decrease and lasts the longest which is also important.

[ErinMarionSkystar]

(just a heads up, i'm not a parent, i'm a 17 year old who is hoping to help give parents a better idea of what's going on in our ADD/ADHD heads)

I actually started taking methelphenadate probably around when i was 5 or six. it worked really well for a while, but about 5 or 6 years later, it had little to no effect on me. I had to bounce around trying all kinds of different meds (all while trying to figure out 5th grade math) and eventually I ended up on the Daytrana Patch. I've been on it ever since, and i can honestly say it works wonders. I've had no side effects (other than the skin where the patch is applied can get irritated and a bit itchy) and it has helped me get through junior high and high school. another bonus with the daytrana patch is that if you look on their website, they have some sort of coupon type thing so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Hope that helps

PS another thing i would suggest for dealing with add/adhd (and you may be doing this, i don't know) is looking into a 504 plan. i discovered it just this year and it has made a huge difference in my time at school. I am able to have fidgets for when i'm restless and can listen to music to help me block out the chatter so i can concentrate. i wish i had known it was an option years ago xD

[Aubreyneveau in reply to ErinMarionSkystar]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I really appreciate it when teens and adults talk about their experience with ADHD meds because my son is too young to explain anything to me but I know he needs something. We tried very very hard with behavioral methods and “natural” methods with no real change in overall behavior. We have been trying to get meds figured out for the last year now and I’m pretty sure we are close. Glad to hear you had success with Daytrana because everything I’ve read about it seems pretty good but you never know until you try.

[allibrenner]

My 8yo son did not tolerate the oral stimulants so we played around with the non stimulants and have him on Strattera. He generally does well with it but we did add back Daytrana parch which gives him more focus in school. He tolerates it great.

We also take him to a psychologist to help with behavior, and have a 504 plan for him. This is his first year with the diagnosis and he is really blossoming in school.

[Aubreyneveau in reply to allibrenner]

I believe I read that strattera increases norepinephrine which has a calming effect. Does that sound right? Hard to keep them all straight. My son takes guanfacine right now which has a calming effect because it relaxes the amygdala but it doesn’t do much for focus and attention or motivation. Glad to hear your son tolerates Daytrana well! I’m very hopeful it will help my son function better. I will be asking his psychiatrist in 3 weeks to try it even if we have to pay for it because it sounds like the best option for him.