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Post by NativeLI on Jun 29, 2004 10:43:17 GMT -5
My DR has suggested that during this summer we experiment with metadate CD instead of concerta. Concerta is losing its effectiveness with my son if we don't take breaks from it.
anyone have better luck with metadate cd? We also have major appetite issues with concerta - is that the same on metadate?
thx for your help!
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Post by Dakotah on Jun 29, 2004 10:50:27 GMT -5
Hi NativeLI! We went from Concerta to Metadate CD about 4 months ago. We miss Concerta very very much. It lasted about 12 hours vs. Metadate CD lasting only 8. We are having great success with Metadate CD using a split dosing. We give 30 mgs. in the am and another 10 mgs. at around noon. This has made it last longer AND the rebound is basically gone. Let me know if I can offer more info!
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Post by JulieinSC on Jun 29, 2004 16:02:54 GMT -5
Metadate CD and Concerta both contain Methylphenidate, which is probably the stimulant used most often to treat ADHD. (Ritalin also contains methylphenidate.) What is different between Concerta and Metadate CD is the delivery system, ie the way the methylphenidate is delivered. Concerta is also formulated to be longer lasting than Metadate CD.
Having said that, how YOUR child reacts on Metadate CD can only be guessed at, as kids react so differently on meds.
My son did wonderful on Ritalin, horrible on Concerta (stomach and headaches) and now great on Metadate CD.
Good luck!
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Post by NativeLI on Jun 29, 2004 16:17:24 GMT -5
Dakotah -
thanks for the advice on the split dosing. My Dr gave the prescription in 10mg increments - he said take up to 3 pills per day. My son is 9 and 56 pounds. Maybe I'll start with 2 in the am and see how he does - then maybe I'll try adding 1 at noon. I was nervous about the rebound - we had that on ritalin la pretty bad. The split dosing sounds great for that!
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Post by jwm on Jun 29, 2004 17:53:17 GMT -5
Hello, we stopped the concerta last Monday and my 9 yr. old son is doing fine. He is eating great, sleeping great, his attitude is great. We do have to repeat ourselves a few times for most tasks but that was expected. He was on 36mg from last October until around end of May. It just stopped working  He started taking 45mg which seemed to be good for the first day or so, then he became very irritable, frustrated, moody, etc. He didnt see much improvement at school either. He tried 54mg and felt better. He wanted to take a break from meds. so we gave it a shot. He is doing very well. He is pred. inattentive so right now while out of school he is ok. I want to try the 54mg again for atleast a week to get a good look on how he does. I am nervous that he is going to stop eating, sleeping, and become very emotional again. If he does not do good I am interested in the metadate. He is only 52lbs, I thought 54mg would be too high for him but his dr. said its not about size as much as how much he metabolizes it ?? anyway I will see what happens. |
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Post by Eliserose on Jun 29, 2004 19:37:53 GMT -5
Hi Native,
Our 8 year old ADHD combined type dd was on Concerta 27mg with great improvement in all area. The only problem was appetitie supression and getting "run down". We tried Metadate for a few days but found that it lasted only about 6-7 hours and then we had rebound. The concerta lasted 10-12 hours. We did find that the appetite supression wasnt as bad with Metadate but I presume it was because it didnt last as long. The split dosing sounds like a good option. Good luck. Let us know what you find out. We decided to give Straterra a try over the summer but know that if it doesnt work well we will go back to Concerta. Did you try Straterra? Just curious.
Nancy
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Post by NativeLI on Jun 29, 2004 19:48:14 GMT -5
Yes, we tried Strattera. My son is primarily hyper/impulsive, and I didn't have much luck with Strat. However the major problem that we had was the Strat made him extremely lethargic, and he is an avid hockey player. He totally lost his drive to play and that was not acceptable, since it was his only "positive" in his life (vs. school and social issues).
I've really liked the concerta, but it wasn't working too well lately. I guess summer is a good time to experiment with the meds. I was afraid my son would need an increase of Concerta too, and didn't want to go that route. From other messages I've read that many parents found that taking a break from Concerta helps its effectiveness.
My sons been off meds for two days now, and its really not that bad. He is very goofy. But it wasn't as bad as I expected. He is eating much better (12 chicken nuggets yesterday for lunch!) and is much happier. He even told me he feels happy. I just can't trust him to behave without meds. When I'm with him supervising, it is ok. But at 9 it is hard to supervise him constantly, and I don't want the same old troubles we used to have to come back.
I guess I can only try the metadate and see what happens....
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Post by jwm on Jun 30, 2004 18:14:02 GMT -5
Hi Native1, My 9 year old ADD, is a serious hockey player too. We tried the 54mg of concerta today and it has not been good. He is lethargic, but jittery, he said he has the shakes, he has not eaten at all.  I called his doctor and he told us to stop the 54mg. We had taken him off the concerta for awhile and he was doing great like your son... eating, sleeping well, funny, etc. So we might stick it out without concerta for another month or so and his doctor said we can start him back on the 36mg before school starts and take it from there. If we get no results or negative from the 36mg then we may have to try another medication. Like your son, hockey is my son's life!! He truly enjoys every part of it. I know that the concerta was fine before when he took the 36mg so hopefully things will smooth out. |
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Post by JeanMarie on Jul 1, 2004 11:33:21 GMT -5
My 9 year old (53lbs) has been taking Metadate 20 mg since he was dx'd in late Fall '02. It works VERY well for him at school, and lasts right about 8 hours.
Though we know he could benefit from the longer lasting benefits in Concerta, we've been reluctant to make any changes, because even the Metadate affects his appetite and ability to fall asleep at night. Those side effects are tolerable, but we don't want them to get worse.
So...for us it is a trade-off...he eats well at night and usually falls asleep at a decent hour. He grows slowly, so we don't want any more appetite issues than we have.
Just wanted to share our Metadate experience...HTH.
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Post by Eliserose on Jul 1, 2004 13:37:36 GMT -5
Native,
I know exactly what you mean about the need to supervise your son. Our daughter is 8 and also very hyperactive and impulsive. We were at a swim meet last night which was a crowded and chaotic event and she was very out of control with energy and impulsivity. The energy it took for me to supervise her was too much. We have only just started the Straterra and know that it can take up to 4 weeks on target dose for it to work so we are hanging in there. I am curious, did you find that for your son that it helped with the attention and the hyperactivity? How long was he on it before you gave up? Did it help him with hyperactivity and attention issues? Good luck with taking him off of Concerta. I found that the first few days were bad after we took our daughter off but that things did get better. We had her off of it on our beach vacation last week and she was great. Just a normal kid, I think the combination of the beach and freedom to run and play was the ticket to getting rid of the energy. She also slept and ate very well. YEAH! Keep me posted on how things go.
Nancy
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Post by NativeLI on Jul 2, 2004 10:00:24 GMT -5
Eliserose - Strat never worked well for my son with controlling his impulsiveness/hyperactivity. We were never able to take him off stims with it - What strat did do for us was make his rebounds much less intense and allowed him to sleep easier. But when i tried to get rid of the stims and just use the Strat we had the big lethargy problem.
My son started the metadate two days ago - now he tells me he likes being on meds better - he said he feels better on them. (Even tho he said he was happier without them - I think he felt out of control).
The metadate is not working very long (but it is definitely working). Appetite is NIL. I think I'm going to try a split dose once I see how this dose is doing. He is on 20 mgs. The doc said I can go to 30. I'm hoping the appetite issues smooth out, I know from experience sometimes the appetite will kick back in once the body is used to the new meds. Although his appetite was never great on concerta. At least he is eating ice cream. He'll get alot of calcium! But now I just worry about the calories (and sneak a vitamin in him each night!)
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He started taking 45mg which seemed to be good for the first day or so, then he became very irritable, frustrated, moody, etc. He didnt see much improvement at school either. He tried 54mg and felt better. He wanted to take a break from meds. so we gave it a shot. He is doing very well. He is pred. inattentive so right now while out of school he is ok. 
