Focalin to Concerta

[afelderman]

Hello,

My son is 6 years old and has been on Focalin (short acting) 10mg twice a day. Since he is starting kindergarten I would like him to be on a long lasting medication. The doctor switched him to concerta but it just isn't working as good. Can someone tell me what the conversion is from Focalin to concerta?    

[healthy11]

Afelderman, first, let me welcome you to this forum. Without going into a lot of detail, let me say that I also have a son with ADHD, but he has used Adderall and Adderall XR (extended release). Unfortunately, as you probably already know, some children respond better to one medication than another, and dosages can also be a very individualized thing. Two kids who weigh the same and have the same diagnosis may end up utilizing different treatments. Sometimes, it takes a trial period before you can identify an optimal medication and dosage, and then if a growth spurt or something else happens, it can require "tweaking" again. I'm not personally familiar with either Focalin or Concerta, but I am surprised, since your son apparently did respond well to Focalin, as to why your doctor didn't give your son a prescription to try Focalin XR first, since it's approved for ages 6+. Have you asked your son's doctor about it? (If it has to do with insurance costs, and there being generic versions of Concerta available, be aware that some people have reported generic Concerta doesn't always work as well as the name brand: millermom.proboards.com/thread/14013/issued-statement-generic-versions-concerta ) Here's some info on Focalin XR; I believe it's made by Novartis: medlibrary.org/lib/rx/meds/focalin-xr-2/ and www.rxlist.com/focalin-xr-drug.htm

I was trying to look up information for you, and found the following comparisons:
CONCERTA® uses osmotic pressure to deliver methylphenidate HCl at a controlled rate.
Focalin is dexmethylphenidate.
Ritalin is methylphenidate.

The difference between Ritalin and Focalin is very simple- put both your hands out in front of you and pretend that your hands (two separate compounds) are Ritalin.

Your hands are mirror images of each other and so is methylphenidate, there is dextomethylphenidate and levomethylphenidate. D-methylphenidate is your right hand, l-methylphenidate is you left hand.

Ritalin contains both forms of methylphenidate, the dextro (right hand) and levo (left hand) forms.

However Focalin only has the right hand, dexto, form of methylphenidate. Instead of naming it (dextro)methylphenidate it is called (dex)methylphenidate.

The dextro from of methylphenidate is what does most of the pharmacological action, levomethylphenidate does not do very much and it is not nearly as potent or effective as dextomethylphenidate.

So Focalin is twice as potent as Ritalin however they do have the exact same drug, dextomethylphenidate but Ritalin also has levomethylphenidate.

So clearly Focalin and Ritalin are much more similar, they do have similar actions to amphetamine however methylphenidate is NOT an amphetamine.
Source(s): I am a medical student (M.D., C.M.) at a university in Montréal, QC, Canada for psychiatry and internal medicine. I have a Hons. BSc in pharmacology and I have interned with two psychiatrists and one neurologist. I have also worked as a pharmacy assistant.

A different source gave more information about how Focalin works, compared to Adderall: mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/06/02/focalin-vs-adderall-comparison/