Special Needs Education

» jad0327 - new to patch

In response to new to patch posted by skippypac:

One of the great things with the patch is that you can control when the medication leaves your son's system. We switched from 54 mg of Concerta to the 10 mg patch (which seems to be working fine for now) partly due to my son not eating. We put the patch on about 1 hour before he goes to school and he eats a big breakfast. He isn't eating much/any lunch (milk and a granola bar is all he takes with him) but he takes the patch off himself (he's 13) before soccer practice at 2:30pm and when he gets home he dose homework right away and eats a big dinner. The meds seem to stay in his system for 3 or 4 hours after the patch is removed.

We're not seeing any sluggishness or crankiness until the hunger kicks in. You may want to try removing the patch earlier (you may have to have the school nurse do it if you son is young).

On this schedule my son has actually GAINED some much needed weight. His doctor had not problem with the schedule and was pleased to see the weight gain.

-- posted by jad0327

» jad0327 - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by marytyler99:

We've had numerous problems with the backing on patch. According to Shire (the manufacturer) the problem has to do with the patches being exposed to heat at some point. Some patches have no problem, some we've had to toss due to the backing not coming off without the meds attached. I find that if I store them in a cool place I have better results. Also I bend them back and forth a few times before I try to remove the backing. I also remove one side and part of the other side before I try to apply it.

Let me know if that helps. Also, contact Shire to let them know you are having problems with the backing. I've reported it and they are supposed to investigate it and will work to resolve it.

-- posted by jad0327

» jad0327 - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by marytyler99:

We've had numerous problems with the backing on patch. According to Shire (the manufacturer) the problem has to do with the patches being exposed to heat at some point. Some patches have no problem, some we've had to toss due to the backing not coming off without the meds attached. I find that if I store them in a cool place I have better results. Also I bend them back and forth a few times before I try to remove the backing. I also remove one side and part of the other side before I try to apply it.

Let me know if that helps. Also, contact Shire to let them know you are having problems with the backing. I've reported it and they are supposed to investigate it and will work to resolve it.

-- posted by jad0327

» marytyler99 - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by jad0327:

Thanks for the help. I noticed that the patch is taking longer to start working and he is now getting in trouble in the morning before he even gets his day started. I don't know what i should do. I want to give the patch a fair chance but i can't afford for him to mess up in school. I am waiting for the Doctor to call me back, if you have any suggestions, it would be helpful. Thanks.

-- posted by marytyler99

» mmmom - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by marytyler99:
alot of us are giving a small dose of the tabs we were using before to help with getting through the morning. i also apply the patch at the same time, which is while he is still asleep, about one hour before school.

-- posted by mmmom

» marytyler99 - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by mmmom:

I told the doctor about the problems that I am having as far as the patch not working within 2 hours, that it does not start working until the afternoon and asked if I should give him something in the morning, he told me no and increased the meds to 15mg. Yesterday, I woke up early to apply the 15mg patch and I went through 4 patches because the backing of the patches would not come off at all and when you finally pulled as hard as you could the backing would come off but with all the meds attached to it. So, I gave up and put him back on his old meds. I really wanted to give the patch a fair chance but I cannot afford for him to be acting up in school.

-- posted by marytyler99

» Burb15 - Daytrana skin irritation and slow start

In response to Daytrana skin irritation and slow start posted by egg57:

It is my understanding that the ingredient in the patch is the same as Ritalin. I don't know what you mean by being unsuccessful, but we saw good response to Ritalin.
Yes, my insurance does cover it.
My daughter's doctor is a Psychiatrist and she recommended we try the patch for the extended dosing.

-- posted by Burb15

» lmd081474 - Daytrana patch

Has anyone noticed any mood swings or depression in their kids? My son is currently using a 10mg and 15mg patch and today had a self hating episode at school. His stomach is now hurting and he is experiencing diaherra. I have left messages with the dr. but wanted to know if anyone else had any insight on what is going on my kid. HELP

-- posted by lmd081474

» momof4boyz - Applying Patch

In response to Applying Patch posted by marytyler99:

I had a lot of problems with the 10mg patch (he wore 2)...the backing was horrible to get off. We switched to one 20mg patch. The backing on that comes off much easier although I am still having problems with it sticking sometimes. Today it came off after only about 3 hours. One thing that might help is to pull the backing off with a pair of tweezers. I tried that and it helped a lot. I have started giving my son one to two 2.5 mg Focalin tablets before he leaves for school after applying the patch. If if's happy I only give him one but if not I give him two. They are immediate release tabs and they work until the patch kicks in. I had used them before in the afternoon when he used to take Focalin XR in the mornings. I went for about a month on the patch and was worried b/c the patch took a long time to kick in. The 2.5 tabs really help. I have a pill crusher and we crush them to powder and he takes it with a sip of juice. He will eat a lot in the morning so that really helps him. I buy energy bars that he likes and also give him Carnation Instant Breakfast shakes too.

-- posted by momof4boyz

» momof4boyz - Went back to old meds

We went from 2 10mg patches to 1 20mg patch and the thing would not stay on longer than 4 hours. Has anyone else had this problem? I called Shire at my dr.'s request and they said that there were no other reports of the patches falling off...but that with any new product there are things to improve on. As much as we all wanted the patch to work it was not worth it. We went back to Focalin XR. It worked great before. Maybe next year we'll try the patch again. If anyone else is having trouble with the patch sticking call Shire's customer service number. Ask to speak or leave a message for someone in quality control or quality assurance. It was someone in that dept. that apologized and is sending me one of those cards that I can use to get free patches...don't know how many and you have to use the card with a new Rx slip.

-- posted by momof4boyz