Any Mom's Tried The New ADHD Medication In Patch Form

Nicole - posted on 03/25/2010

I tried it with my 10 year old. It did work ok but I had to stick it on his butt so he wouldn't pull it off everyday. It seems like a good alternative but it's kind of a pain to remember to take it off at exactly the right time, because it continues working for a couple hours after it's removed. It's especially hard if your used to the pill once a day. Just like the birth control patch for women it leaves a sticky mark behind, and you have to switch sides everyday. I dont know about your son but mine definately did not want me to come in the bathroom and scrub his butt when he was in the shower and he couldnt see to get it off.;) So, he's no longer on that patch.

Kelly - posted on 02/11/2010

I have a 7 year old step son who is ADHD/ODD. We have tried several medications and techiques at home. The public school was unable to handle him. He would not listen to women or transition well from one thing to another. He has been on Stratera, Daytrana, Vyvanse, and now Tenex. We have found that the Tenex is working wonderfully. IT is not a stimulatant like the others are. He does not have trouble eatting. He has actually put on weight and doesn't look sick like he did with the others. He was also very aggresive and moody on the other meds. We did try taking him off meds for a 6 month period but we were not able to control him. He is also on Clonidine for bed time. It helps him to calm down and get to sleep. Tenex and Clonidine are in the same family of drugs. They have recently come out with an extended release pill that is supposed to last all day. My husband and I are not sure we will try it. We feel that those seem to wear off to fast for our son.

Jamie - posted on 02/10/2010

My son is 11 years old and has been on the Daytrana patch for a little over a year now. In the first year he grew 3 1/2 inches and gained 7 pounds. He has been on many ADHD meds and this seems to be the one for him. He does not eat a good lunch but takes the patch off when he comes home from school so he eats a very good dinner. And since he takes it off at about 4 pm, he sleeps very well. He did get the red spot everyone has mentioned. I put a dab of over the counter antibiotic cream on them if he has scratched too much but otherwise they do go away. He did go through a spell of taking it off at school and discovered that it backfired on him very quickly. Haven't had a problem since.

Karen - posted on 02/10/2010

My friend tried it for her son, but he had a sensitivity to the adhesive & itched terribly. I had him in Sunday school and the itching was so bad it was hard to tell if the meds were working. (I have experience with ADHD, my son, now 29, was diagnosed at 7 yrs old, and my daughter was diagnosed at 18, and her son, now 8, was diagnosed at 6. I have not been diagnosed, but I see it in my 80 yr old mom, so I probably am too. =)

Melissa - posted on 02/09/2010

My son was on the Daytrana patch. It worked very well for him. It makes the skin right under the patch very red, but it goes away after the patch is removed. He left it alone, suprisingly. It kept him stable all day...no ups and downs from in between dosages. But after 1 1/2 months, it did start to get itchy and bother him, so then he didn't want it on anymore. Then it was a battle, so we had to go to something else. I really liked it, though. I wish he could've stayed on it!

Jennifer - posted on 02/05/2010

I have read some below too. It did take a long time for it to take effect. I had to wake her up so early for school so it would take effect for the school hours .

Jennifer - posted on 02/05/2010

I have tried the patch for my daughter and it worked for a while but what did happen was at the patch site she got red and the glue edges just got so bad on the skin. It is a great concept for the children who don't take meds well. But the irrataion got it be too bad.

Christy - posted on 02/05/2010

Daytrana was good for my oldest son, but he had to change meds when he turned 13 due to insurance.

Christina - posted on 02/04/2010

My son used the patch for about 6 months and we loved it! I didn't like that it took so long to get into his system each morning. It was a good hour and a half before you noticed it working. It did make him lose his appetite almost worse than any other medication he had been on. But, we had to stop using it because he was getting a really bad skin irritation from the adhesive on the patch. You apply the patch to a different hip each day...and a different spot than previously applied. But, his hips and cheeks started to look like a patchwork quilt! And then he would itch them and they would get redder and not heal the way they were suppose to. He does have a mild eczema and the adhesive didn't help it.

Carol - posted on 02/03/2010

My son wore the patch when he was 10-11 yrs. old. I loved it. It goes directly into the bloodstream and he didn't have any issues with his appetite being surpressed (which I know is a side effect). The only thing he didn't like was that it tugged on the skin like tape, left red marks and I didn't like that it would come off in water (eventhough it said it wouldn't). But the medicine worked great for him. We are now on vyvanse because I was fighting him on wearing it.

Melissa - posted on 02/03/2010

Well I have a 16 yr old who takes the Daytrana patch. He got tired of taking pills that he eventually starting spitting out around the age of 13 yrs old. I would find them on the front porch or hidden in the couches. So I had to check his mouth to make sure he swallowed them. I finally found the patch there is no guarantee that your son will leave it on, because my son starting ripping it off...so I had the school nurse check his hip where it usually is advised to be placed, everyday. If the nurse is willing to work with you it is well worth it:) The patch still curved his appetite but other then that the patch is sufficient....Good Luck to You n Your Son:)

Melia - posted on 02/01/2010

My son is on Concerta and my daughter on the patch. Each child is different. The patch works great with her no problems. We do have to put lotion on the night before to help her skin. We are very satisfied with the results. If we decide to take it off the effects last for an hour. You can't stop the oral medications. The patch last for 8-10
hours. You just have to find the right size.

Karen - posted on 02/01/2010

My son tried the patch at one point, liked how it worked but the red mark it left behind was a huge problem, he has very sensitive skin. He has been on Focalin XR for the last year and a half which works well but we do see the difficult mornings and sometime hard evenings but still working on it. He will be trying tenex when school testing is over. Good luck!

Lori - posted on 02/01/2010

my son who is 13 has used the patch for 2 years. We have really enjoyed it as it is much easiet to get him up and moving in the morning and the fight to take meds is over. The only draw back we have seen maybe his age and not meds, we are not sure. When he is off the meds either early in the morning or late at night or on the weekend we when don't use it he has major impulse issues. We had never noticed that when he was younger but now it is a problem when not medicated. Once again though, that may be an age thing and not an ADHD thing. Go on their website and they had a link to get a discount on it to try. We have been very happy with it.

Amy - posted on 01/31/2010

my son is on the daytrana patch and it has been my miracle worker for the ADHD end of his issues. He leaves the patch on all day . I think it is great. The only down side to it , is that it is a stimulant and it can decrease his appetite WHILE it is in his system.

Misty - posted on 01/31/2010

One of my 4 1/2 yr old has been on the daytrana for several months now and it seems to be doing wonders but I cut the patch in half. The only issue we are having with it is that it leaves a red mark on their hip for a few days and that is why they want you to alternate hips and spots. I keep her sides lotioned up and try to give her a break from it a day on the weekend. The other part I like about it is that since it isn't a oral med it does not go through her organs and when you put it on it takes aboutan hour and a half to two hours to get in their system and than the same length of time to get out of their system.She is doing allot better at preschool since she has been on this medicine but doesnt know about the red marks it leaves for a few days but her pediatrician doesnt recommend oral meds for small children so I am just waiting to the summer to see how this does.

Terri - posted on 01/29/2010

i have a 7 yr old son w/ ADHD. we tried Aderrol first and the mood swings were so horrible i was actually having to pick him up from school at least once a week for melt downs. after only 6 weeks or so we switched him to the Daytrana patch and it has been wonderful! he's been on the patch about a year now and the only side effects i've noticed are loss in appetite and mild mood swings as the medication is wearing off. my son also has Sensory Processing Disorder and Aspberger's Syndrome so the way he is affected may be a bit different. i actually have to put his patch on at 3:30am for it to be effective in time for school, and it takes about 3 hours after removal to completely wear off. he is definitely much calmer, more focused, and easier to manage when he is wearing his patch, but after a year of use i have begun to notice it losing it's effectiveness. of course after so long it may simply be time to up the dosage. one thing i really like about the patch, besides the minimal side effects, is that we can put it on and remove it when we want and therefore have better control over when he is medicated. we don't use his patch on the weekends because i want him to eat more (at 7 he still only weighs 45 lbs) and try to gain weight. i haven't noticed any problems w/ skipping the weekends. in the year we've been using it my son has only removed his patch once and that was because he showered and it started coming off. his teacher and school nurse are aware of the patch and he goes to the school nurse every afternoon to remove it.

we've been very fortunate that we found something that works on only the 2nd try. my 14 yr old daughter also has ADHD and was on meds from 6 to 11 yrs of age. we tried about 4 or 5 different meds before i finally gave up and just worked w/ her on controlling her impulses and learning techniques that worked for her. luckily her ADHD was not as severe as my son's so taking her off meds wasn't a big deal. i know how frustrating it can be so i really hope you're able to find something that works for you and your son!

Genevieve - posted on 01/29/2010

If you are talking about daytrana my 6 year old daughter is on that 20mg. She is ADD She refuses to swallow pills. We did have problems at first with her taking off the patch, but we got the teacher to help up make sure she has it on all day at school by asking her where her patch was. My daughter would have to tell her. Since then she keeps it on till we tell her to take it off. I even give her points for keeping it on. Her mode swings are very little and i can reason with her better then my son.My son is 10 and taking Conserta. He has server ADHD He has no problem swallowing the pills so he does not need the patch. He is good when he gets home from school, but when you try to pull him away from something he is having fun with like Playing video games or watching a good show he will have a fit. It does take some time to get him to calm down, but once her does its like nothing ever happend to upset him.

Lisa - posted on 01/29/2010

Hi Everyone!!

My son is 13 years old, has had ADD/ADHD since 1st grade. We have tried just about every pill out there over the years. They get used to the meds after a while and you have to change. He is now maxed out on the mgs on the patch, Daytrana and we have no where to go until a new med comes out. I give him a 10mg Ritalin when I wake him up, to jump start the patch. 30 mins later he puts on the patch, thank goodness I'm not putting it on him anymore. I know he struggles in his first class. I'm not sure if its because the patch hasn't kicked in yet or because its his worst subject. He still never eats, though this has improved some over the past year. But definately within 15-30 mins after patch is removed they go wild, well back to how they were before meds. The BIGGEST ADVANTAGE is they become their normal selves after it is removed, it actually stops working when removed. So he eats and sleeps alot better, definately. He has his mood swings and never wants me to interrupt him while he is doing whatever he's doing, Xbox, toys, movie, whatever. Although I guess any 13 year old boy wouldn't want mom around, I don't know. HaaHaa

Kim - posted on 01/28/2010

I see Daytrana is for children 6- 12yrs old. My son is 13 and it's not an option for him.

Jeanette - posted on 01/28/2010

I tried the patch it was Daytrana and it did not work for my son who is 13. I now use Vyvabse 40 mg. It is probably a lower dose then my son needs. He has severe case of adhd. The trade off is that he eats regularly.

Laura - posted on 01/28/2010

I have an 8 year old daughter with severe ADHD and have tried several meds and they all seemed to have pretty uncomfortable side effects. She also was afraid to swallow pills, so it was a fight each AM getting her to take her meds. I was recommended Daytrana (transdermal patch) by a friend of a friend and made an appt with my daughter's DR the next day. Let me tell you, my daughter and I are so greatful to be introduced to Daytrana! It works wonders and the side effects are very mild. There is not one ADD/ADHD med out there without the loss of appetite side effect, but in time they do subside. The patch is great, you put it on 2 hours before it's needed ( good tip because no one told me that it takes a while to "kick in") and it lasts for 9 hours. If it's not needed for 9 hours simply remove the patch and in 15 minutes its effects are gone. Its definately worth the try! Keep me updated!

Heather - posted on 01/27/2010

My son has been on the Daytrana patch for about 2 1/2 years, and it is great for him. It does affect his appetite, but we take the patch off as soon as he gets home from school and he is hungry by dinner. He did start having tics, so we added Tenex which make them stop and helps him sleep. This combo works well for him.

Angie - posted on 01/27/2010

Depends on what drug it is... I'd be interested in knowing. It may have fewer side effects as a patch, but yeah if he doesn't like taking his ADHD med it may not a good choice for him