Stimulant breaks on weekends.

[simplething]

My 13 year old son takes 15 mg of Bifentin (methylphenidate HCl) in addition to Intunive ER 1 mg.

Does anyone have any advice on stopping the stimulant on weekends?

[Aspen797]

I think this is pretty individual, depending on what the stimulant helps with for your child and any side effects. For some kids, continuing it on the weekends means they are getting along better socially and getting tasks accomplished which is good for self esteem. For others who do well socially without it or who aren’t in circumstances on the weekends where they need it to perform well, and maybe have side effects like loss of appetite, skin picking, or anxiety, skipping it might be the way to go. We are in the second group now, but when younger were in the first group. Your pediatrician might be able to shed more light on the subject.

[simplething in reply to Aspen797]

Thanks. That’s helpful and along the lines of what I was thinking and watching for.

[scooter0304]

Our 12-year old daughter takes Focalin on weekends too. Otherwise, she takes forever to get her chores done, and struggles with impulse control and emotional regulation. Luckily, she doesn’t experience any side effects from the meds, which makes it easier to take on weekends too.

[lll435]

My 8 year old is on Focalin and we do a half dose of immediate release on weekends for activities or to get chores/practices done. I used to skip weekends completely but it was taking a toll on our relationship with the dysregulation and trying to get him to do anything besides playing. He has full dose ER for school and half dose booster for afternoon activities during weekdays.

[simplething in reply to lll435]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I will not take breaks at this point. He is not seeing any side effects he would need the break from and he feels more in control of his actions. As some others have mentioned it is important to be sure he would be the one to benefit first and not the others he is interacting with.

[BVBV]

We do meds breaks on the weekends. My son eats a lot more and also sleeps later on Sat/Sun.

[anirush]

Our psychiatrist said meds need to build up to work. If you keep stopping them they will not be as effective.

[simplething in reply to anirush]

Good point