Daytrana: The ADHD Patch
ByThis particular medication, Daytrana is the only medication authorized to be applied as “patch” for ADD/ADHD treatment. Its chemical name is methylphenidate transdermal system, and it stimulates the central nervous system. It is often called the ‘Daytrana patch’, the ‘ADHD patch’, and it’s even called the ‘Ritalin patch’.
If you have been using the oral form of methylphenidate prior to this and are changing to the skin patch, your doctor may advice you to start out with a low-dose of the patch. Your schedule then may call for a stronger patch with each succeeding prescription. Of course, it goes without saying (or should) that you shouldn’t change the dosage of your Daytrana with the express consent of your doctor.
The dosage most recommended fro children with ADD/ADHD is 20 mg applied once daily in the morning. More than likely your physician will start with this, and increase the dosage in weekly sessions if warranted.
To use the patch effectively, you’ll start by opening the sealed pouch. Then you’ll remove the protective liner. Press the patch onto the skin (most physicians recommend to do this in the hip area) and hold it down with your hand for about 30 seconds to help ensure its adherence.
Make sure that the patch is particularly well sealed around its edges. If you’ve applied this patch properly, you should have no concerns about using it either when bathing or swimming.
Within two hours of applying this medication, it should begin working for you. Daytrana is manufactured to last approximately nine hours — and after this time you should remove it. You should not take this medication for more than nine hours daily by the way, even if you had to replace a partially used one because it fell off.
The effects of this medication can be felt throughout your system for another three hours, after your remove it.
This particular medication actually comes with a chart to help you track when you’ve applied them and removed them.
The 10 mg patch releases about 1.1 mg of the medication per hour. This means that entire patch contains approximately 27.5 mg. Additionally, there’s a 15 mg patch, a 20 mg version as well as a 30 mg patch.
Some people discover that they have problems sleeping at night or even notice a loss of appetite while using this form of ADD/ADHD medication. One method to remedy this is to put it on earlier in the day, or alternatively take it off earlier at the end of the day.
<h2>Daytrana Side Effects</h2>
Some people report that they experience impaired vision while on Daytrana; others say that the drug makes them drowsy. One of the side effects of this patch is variation in sleeping patterns. Some people, for example, complain of insomnia while on it.
Other side effects of Daytrana may include milk skin redness where the patch has been placed. This includes the presence of bumps or itching. Some individuals report nausea or vomiting while on this drug; others report weight loss and a loss of appetite. Still others complain of a stuffy nose and sore throat. Talk to your doctor about any side effects or concerns with this medicine.
What’s your experience with Daytrana been? Is it a good alternative to pills? Please share your comments below.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
HELP! My son is 9 years old we have tried just about everyhting out there for his ADHD and have not been real successful. He has an anxiety disorder and mood disorder NOS as Well as ADHD Combined type. We have been at his for msany years in and out of the hospital and crisis units. He is currently taking 72mg of Concerta in the am, 20mg of ritalin and 0.25mg of risperdal at 3pm anf then at bed time he takes 175mg zoloft as well as another .50 mg of risperdal and we have hit a brick wall. we have don clonidine, adderall, focolin, straterra, ritalin and a couple of others what else is out there for the last three months he has beeen spiraling down hill and his dr. is trying to figure out what is going on any suggestions. He has weekly thereapy, we see the med clinic one to two times a month and may have med changes between visits. I am at a loss nothing seems to be working
After trying all sorts of ADD meds including natural holistic, we weren’t successfuly with my now 12 year old son. We tried most everything starting at age 11. The biggest issue really is that he cannot swallow pills. At one point he could swallow the real low doseage of Strattera, but what we found when he was on that was that he had trouble sleeping, eyes were glassy and expressionless most of the time, and there were lack of appetite issues. Once they upped the doseage, he couldn’t swallow the pills. We then tried Vyvanse, but no luck swallowing. I then found a doctor that had patients using the Daytrana patch and we went that route right before Christmas. He started at 10mg and is now at 15mg. We can see a difference with him on it; however, I think he really needs a higher doseage. The good thing is no glassy eyes, his personality has returned, and no fighting about taking the medication. The only issue with us really is the price since insurance doesn’t pay much because of our high deductible. So I’d love to hear when it’s available in Canada too. It does leave a big red spot on the area for several days and you can definitely see where the patch has been. It doesn’t seem to bother my son though. Big fan of the patch so far!
Tracy,
Glad to hear the patch is working.
I don’t know when it will be coming to Canada – likely in 2011 at the earliest.
Regarding Vyvanse – you can actually open the capsules and pour the medicine into water and it can be swallowed that way. I hope that helps.
Dr. Kenny
My son (9 year old) was on the patch last fall. It worked great. It was Awesome. He read the whole Harry Potter serie!! He did very well in school and we loved the lasting effects of it at the end of the day. The soccer coach came to us telling how well Kevin was doing and he didn’t k even know we had a new medication! It was a life saver!
But, we had to stop. My son had severe skin rashes. He just couldn’t stand it anymore. Of course we switched the area everyday. Even trying to put the patch on the upper thigh. We applied lots of moisturizing cream. But the skin just would not heal fast enough and there wasn’t room where to put the patch anymore. We were bummed and still trying to find an alternative that will work as well. He’s now on Vyvanse (2 days) and maybe, we’ve found it! It’s about time because he’s getting behind in school again.
Big, big, big fan of the patch, unless you have sensitive skin.
Nathalie,
We too are great fans of the patch and had some skin issues. Our doctor gave us a Rx for Nasonex – the stuff you spray up your nose. It has a seroid in it that helps heal the skin quickly. You spray it on your son’s skin, let it dry and then apply the patch. We were amazed how well it worked. Now he doesn’t have the itchy skin and scratch himself raw.
Did it prevent the rashes completely?
You can read my post below. My 8 yr old son has the exact same problem! His rashes got so bad that his whole body broke out in a red rash. This was even after using prescription Anti-itch and antibiotic creams on the rashes. His rashes turned into sores because they were so itchy and he got to where he would take the patch off as soon as he got to school. We also had to resort to putting the patches on his upper thighs with the same result so his poor body looks awful! I will ask the doctor about Nasonex from post below but right now we cannot contiue with the patches. He also refuses to take any form of oral medication and any sort of force we try to use on getting it down him just results in his throwing it back up. It really is a nightmare for us! Without the medication he simply cannot function at school!
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 7th grade and now I am in 11th and ive gone through adderall, concerta, stratera with good results(focusing), but some bad side effects. Also, after 2 years of various pills I became tired of taking pills so my doctor thought the patch would be a good idea. I have now been taking the Daytrana patch for about 2 years. My dosage is usually about 15 mg. Im not really sure how expensive mine costs (because I’m not paying the bills!) However, if I do leave it on more than 7 hours I get irritable. And the reddish square doesn’t bother me much. Definitely recommend!
My son has been recently diagnosed with A.D.D. On April 1st, his first medication ever is the daytrana patch. The doctor started with the lowest dose for 2 wks and nothing, then the next mg for 2 wks and nothing, now he’s been on the 20 mg for 2 wks and still nothing. I am very upset with the patch. I hope we can find something else that does work.
I’ve used the patch off and on for years. When its hard to get off of the plastic, stick it in the fridge or freezer – makes it easier to peel. For the redness, you can apply a small amount of Nasalcort (nasal corticosteroid – like benedryl) to the site after cleaning before application and it reduces severe reactions – or after. However, if applied before, it doesn’t seem to be absorbed as well so you might have to increase your dose. I’ve had major problems w/pills and was on a Shire drug study for Adderrall XR – wish I would’ve NEVER contributed to that drug being approved – and because of the study protocol, I was overdosed (didn’t find out what problem was til after, since I believed everything the doctor told me at the time!)…anyhow, I’ve NEVER had ANY of those sideeffects from Daytrana. I actually cut the patches smaller during certain parts of the month. Being female, I track my cycle, and find that I need half the dose during the phase where more estrogen is present since it has a dopamine stimulating effect among other things. Obviously I’m an adult female…
I measure it out, mark it to make sure I take same amount, cut it w/scissors, and apply as regular. Works when I listen to my body & document (log/track) changes & what meds I’m taking & what day of my cycle I’m on – helps me & my doc keep tracked of things.
Best wishes!
My 8 year old son started the patch last February. It was the first med we tried for his ADHD as he cannot swallow pills. The difference has been night and day almost from day one…..we couldn’t be happier with it! We only put it on him mon.-fri. and not at all in the summer. The main side effect for him is the loss of appetite. He eats breakfast, but by the time the patch kicks in he won’t eat snack or lunch at school…..not even one bite. So he eats a lot at night (after the patch wears off) and he eats a lot during the weekend. He is currently a little under weight so we made some changes in his diet to address that and added vitamins, etc.
Skin irritation has also been an issue, but not wearing the patch during the weekend gives his skin time to heal and a good lotion applied nightly helps as well.
Also wanted to add that he is still on the lowest dosage.
My son was diagnosed with ADD in 4th grade. The first year on concerta we saw improvement, but then it changed. We kept increasing the dossage, and still no change. We tried vyvance for about 6 mo., but saw no change. We changed him to Daytrana about 3 monthes ago and have seen wonderful change (He is now a 6ft tall, close to 200 lb Soph. in High School), and I’m so happy and so is he!
What strength is his dosage? We are trying to decide if my son’s weight change has anything to do with the medicine not working the way it did last year. Wondering if we need to increase it.
Denise,
We too noticed his patch was not as effective and discussed with his doctor. He told us we would need to adjust his dose yearly because of growth. Last year we used the 10mg (he was 7) this year we cut the 15 mg patch down to about a 12 mg.
For the past 3 years my 12 year old sons have been using the patch for ADHD. It does take a good 2 hours for it to “kick in,” but then it’s smooth sailing all day. There’s also less of a crash at the end of the day when compared with the oral meds. The funny thing is that my kids love their patch, and neither can imagine going to school without it. They’re in accelerated classes at school and their teachers have only positive feedback for me. When the dosage is right, they have plenty of personality- no zombie boys. The 9 hour dose covers the school day and homework time, and we have a tight routine for the sake of survival. The patch comes off before dinner, so it doesn’t interfere with appetite or sleep. Love the Daytrana Patch!!!
I am a college student with bipolar and relatively new to Daytrana. But I have a question about the medication and its side effects, and was wondering if any of you have any thoughts on this. I was taking Concerta for a little over a year, but because it didn’t seem to last more than 5 hours for me, my Dr. suggested trying Daytrana. I was instructed to leave the patch on from when I wake up, till an hour before I go to bed. This meaning that the patch is on for well over 9 hours a day. My question is, does Daytrana accumulate in the system throughout the day? I feel more energetic/driven as the day goes on, continuing into 6, 7, 8 at night. I do take the patch off at least an hour before I go to bed, but does the amount of medication in my system almost snowball as the day goes on?
I’ve had great experience with Daytrana so far. I’ve felt more alert, able, aware, and able to concentrate than I ever did on Concerta/Adderal/Focalin. I haven’t been able to feel this good, for an entire day in quite some time.
hello i had some questions my son has been on concerta and stratera, but they would either make him sick or he would forget to take it. now he is on the daytrana patch with positve results, he’s a different kid, almost night and day but his school system wont let him wear the patch at school, how can they do this? i have finally found a medication that is working and now they want to take that away from him? any advise on how to handle this?
Heather – I can’t believe that!
I would contact parent support groups – like CHADD. I would contact your school superintendent, as well as your elected official (as I’m Canadian, I’m not sure which level of government pays for the school system – probably the State government) for the state government and ask for their help. I don’t see how a school can prevent a child from using the prescribed medication that he needs.
Please let us know how this goes.
Heather, how is your son doing and were you able to get help so he could wear the patch to school?
Hi My 12 year old son is having a hard time with falling asleep on this medicine. He says it’s “too strong”
I read an earlier post that a lady cut her patch? can you reduce the amount of daytrana by cutting it smaller? he also complains that his heart is “burning” also? not sure it this relates to one of the side effects of heart issues. His BP is fine?
My 8 year old has ADHD and simply refuses to take any form of ADHD medication if it tastes bad or even if he just “thinks” it tastes bad. We have tried Vyvanse – sprinkled over some sort of food. That lasted for a little while until he started to refuse it, then we tried Daytrana(the patch). I thought Daytrana was going to be an answer to our prayers! Just put it on and off he goes UNTIL the rashes started. Everywhere we put the patch it formed a raised, extremely red and itchy place the size of the patch. We tried different places but all that resulted in was more sore skin for him. Eventually these irriated places became sores (from his scraching) and then infection. So we have had to discontinue them again. We have tried using the patch a year apart to see if maybe the manufacturer corrected the irritation problem but to no avail. Same thing happened second time around. We tried Focalin for a while by opening the pill and sprinkling the beads into sugar. That too worked for a short period of time until he decided it tasted to bad to tolerate anymore. We need help! He refuses to take any form of medicine except ironically he will chew Gummy Vitamins! When he is sick and needs antibiotics I have to get him Amoxicillian because the taste is not as bad as any other antibiotic liquid. Even then it is a terror to get him to take that. We have tried teaching hin to swallow pills using every trick possibly but the fear of getting choked is too great for him to overcome! I am at my wits end!
My 8 year old stepson is taking the patch Monday-Friday, but his mother does not give it to him on the weekend. He seems fine until bed time when he claims he is scared and even says he is hearing voices. Is this possible or is this just an excuse as he has heard his parents talking about side effects from this medicine? Please help!
My 8 year old daughter has been depressed and miserable ever since starting the patch 2 months ago. It doesn’t seem to be helping is school either. Taking her off of it. I do not like the patch at all!
This note is for Sharon. She should check with her son’s physician. I am familiar with a similar ‘taste’ issue, and that problem was solved easily because Daytrana is also available as a ‘patch’.