Daytrana: Medication Patch for ADHD Update
An FDA advisory panel has recommended approval of the transdermal methylphenidate patch (brand name Daytrana). It is recommended that the patch be applied in the morning and removed approximately nine hours later, or about two hours before bedtime.
There are many children who have difficulty swallowing pills, and liquid preparations of methylphenidate are short-acting and are effective for only about 3 - 4 hours, so Daytrana offers these children a longer-acting preparation. When the patch was left on for 12 hours, there was a significant incidence of insomnia, but when the patch in left on for nine hours, efficacy and side effects are fairly comparable to Concerta.
Improvements in symptoms of ADHD were found to occur within two hours of putting on the patch and persisted for approximately three hours after the patch was removed. The patch was primarily studied in children aged 6 - 12 years old, which is the only age group that the drug companies (Shire and Noven) are seeking FDA approval for. The patch is generally well-tolerated, and although redness can occur at the site of the patch (methylphenidate can irritate the skin), there is usually not itching or other signs of irritation that has occurred with other patches (e.g. the clonidine patch).
However, an unknown small number of children might develop a sensitization to methylphenidate, meaning that they could never take methylphenidate (patch, tablets, capsules, or liquid) again, and the advisory panel recommended that the PDR should include a warning about this possibility. It seems unusual that Shire Pharmaceuticals is involved with Daytrana, as they are the company that sell Adderall and Adderall XR, and for years have heavily advertised the advantages of Adderall products over methylphenidate products. Their new stance seems to be what most clinicians have said all along, that everyone is different and a particular individual may respond better to one medication than another. Generally, the FDA accepts the recommendations of their advisory panels, so hopefully, there will be another treatment option for ADHD available soon.
Related Topics: Stimulant Therapy for ADHD, Long-Lasting ADHD Patch May Be An Option
Technorati Tags: ADHD, medication, Daytrana, FDA
There are many children who have difficulty swallowing pills, and liquid preparations of methylphenidate are short-acting and are effective for only about 3 - 4 hours, so Daytrana offers these children a longer-acting preparation. When the patch was left on for 12 hours, there was a significant incidence of insomnia, but when the patch in left on for nine hours, efficacy and side effects are fairly comparable to Concerta.
Improvements in symptoms of ADHD were found to occur within two hours of putting on the patch and persisted for approximately three hours after the patch was removed. The patch was primarily studied in children aged 6 - 12 years old, which is the only age group that the drug companies (Shire and Noven) are seeking FDA approval for. The patch is generally well-tolerated, and although redness can occur at the site of the patch (methylphenidate can irritate the skin), there is usually not itching or other signs of irritation that has occurred with other patches (e.g. the clonidine patch).
However, an unknown small number of children might develop a sensitization to methylphenidate, meaning that they could never take methylphenidate (patch, tablets, capsules, or liquid) again, and the advisory panel recommended that the PDR should include a warning about this possibility. It seems unusual that Shire Pharmaceuticals is involved with Daytrana, as they are the company that sell Adderall and Adderall XR, and for years have heavily advertised the advantages of Adderall products over methylphenidate products. Their new stance seems to be what most clinicians have said all along, that everyone is different and a particular individual may respond better to one medication than another. Generally, the FDA accepts the recommendations of their advisory panels, so hopefully, there will be another treatment option for ADHD available soon.
Related Topics: Stimulant Therapy for ADHD, Long-Lasting ADHD Patch May Be An Option
Technorati Tags: ADHD, medication, Daytrana, FDA
20 Comments:
I have used Daytrana for 1 week now. There is redness with occasional itching. I do like it better than oral medications other then the above and it's size. Patch is too large!
I have been using the daytrana patches for about three months and I do have the occasional itching but mostly redness... if I put some kind of moisterizer around the patch it gets less irritating. And its getting to be summertime now, and it is hard to figure out where to place the patch on my hip so you can't see it uner my bathing suit. But, I manage.
My almost 11 year old son has been taking Daytrana for 2 1/2 weeks now and I am pleased with him having an even dose of the med. and we do not see him "crash" like he did not Ritalin LA. One thing we have had to work around is is appetite. It has decreased so we have let him eat at different hours when he is hungry. I will let him get yogurt or another healthy snack at anytime he wants because he somewhat smaller then healthy boys his age. So my opinion is that you have to adjust dinner time somewhat when you find out when they are going to be hungry.
There has been some irritation at the patch sight but nothing to bad right now and he has sensitive skin normally.
adhd mom
i have add and iv been on this patch thing for about 3 weeks and i my whole body itches today....is any one else haven the problem im haven..
My 5 year old son has ADHD and ODD, and has been using the patch for 5 months now in conjunction with risperdal. It has worked great for us. We have seen a great improvement. A little skin iriitation, but he has sensitive skin anyway, and it doesn't seem to bother him. His appettite hasn't been too much of an issue, I, like the other mom, let him eat snacks when he is hungry.
My son is 9, he has ADD Inattentive type and has been on Daytrana for one month. A week ago, his teacher called me and said that she had seen such a remarkable improvement in my son's attention in class. He participates more, he's more confident and his grades have improved dramatically.
My 7 year old son was on the patch for about 4 months.. we recently had to take him off of it immediately. It had increased aggitation and also before he started using the patch he only had 1 motor tick.. the day we took him off the patch.. he had 5! Its a great patch.. dont get me wrong.. but sometimes the patch doesnt work for all..We are now back on Adderall XR..until that doesnt work agian.. sigh..
My seven yr old started a new month of patches that caused burn irritation to bottom. We had to return them to pharmacy for different lot.
I myself have used the patch and i had symptons like burning and redness, irrtation at the patch sight. I had somewhat of an appetite loss. It changed my behavior i was able to consintate. Besides the smytoms i had no issue with the patch.
My son have been off the adderall xr since may of 07.He was doing fine without any meds until now,his teachers are calling me all.
I was thinking about the patch any idea.
I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!!
All:
Please post questions about your child's situation on our ADHD message board.
Thank you.
My son is on the 30mg patch and has been complaining of stomachache and now said it hurts down lower. Which may be his bladder. Anyone have any stomach problems? My son is 8yr old, we started on 10mg and didn't see any change, went to 20, and now 30. I'm not sure if it's helping or not. He is AD with impulsitivity.
CONFUSED...
Our 13 year old daughter has been using the Daytrana patch (10 mg) for almost a month now. She does complain of redness and itchiness at the site of the patch. I am wondering if she can apply neosporen on the skin before putting the patch. I did notice a change in her concentration level but she does have a little ways to go yet. Not sure we are ready to increase her dose, however.
my son is 9 and has been onthe 20mg patch for about a year and recently went to the 30mg patch and at first thought there was an improvement in his behavior and i thinkg that his teacher are telling me wrong because he has now gotten into more trouble and he is not the type to get into trouble and he has just getten suspened from school for his behavior. I'm a single mother trying everything, he's in therapy twice a month but has a lot of anger. Don't get me wrng the patch has been great I think the dose has been too much and the teacher have told me wrong...anonymous
My son is 9 and he has been on the patch for about 4 months. I have seen positive and negative affects. He has completely lost his appetite. He eats only at night so we have had to change his schedule and change is not well tolerated for a child with ADHD. Also I think the patch is very large, and does not stick. I am having to use tape, I reported it to the company and I have seen no change. On the positive side he is doing amazing at school and the aggressiveness for Ritalin is gone.
Good Luck
My 6 year old son was on the patch for about four months. We loved the effects on his behavior and attention span. However, the patch did irritate his skin and we only took him off because he began taking the patch off, even with surgical tape on it. Good luck!
My 9 year old has been on Daytrana since last tuesday and i'm debating on whether or not to not have him wear it on Saturday or not. He's not eating as much as he used to during the week and i'm thinking that if i take him off of it on saturday then he will at least on that day. Anybody have any ideas. i'm also wondering if it would take longer for the meds to get back into his system on sunday.
My 13 year old son has been on the Daytrana patch for about 2 1/2 mos. This is the 1st rx we have tried for his recent diagnosis of ADHD (inattentive). He wanted to try the patch, it made him feel more in control of the situation. So far, just irritation and redness (but not always), no large loss of appetite at this time, he does have ticks sometimes that last for a few days then go away and his grades at school have improved alot. I am pretty happy with it at this time. He is getting ready to bump up to the 15 mg patch. So we'll see what happens.
My son is 9 years old and has just stopped using the patch due to severe stomach problems caused directly by the patch. Vomitting, loss of appetite, aggressive behavior were all side effects my son experienced.
my 6 1/2 yr. old daughter has been on the 10mg. patch for almost a month. it takes a while to kick in and once it does, it's great, but i think her anxiety level has increased. she's become very nervous and clingy and cries at the drop of a hat. has anyone else experienced this? is it just her?
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