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ADD/ADHD Medication Dosing
Parents of children with ADD/ADHD ask me: "My child was on Adderall 10 mg, and my doctor changed her prescription to Vyvanse 60 mg. Why was the dose increased?" The reasons for the numbers have to do with target dose and release mechanism.
Target dose: Each product releases a specific amount of medication into the blood over a given period of time. The FDA requires that the number value for each product represent the total amount of the medication in the tablet/liquid/capsule/patch, not the amount in the blood at any one time. Thus, if the medication, let's say methylphenidate, is in the form of a four-hour tablet, and it releases 5 mg over that time, it is called methylphenidate 5 mg. A capsule of Adderall that releases 10 mg immediately and 10 mg four hours later is called Adderall XR 20. The number is not based on the amount released at any one time, but on the total amount of the medication in the capsule.
Release mechanism: This indicates the length of time a medication will remain available and active. Stimulants come in a variety of forms -- tablet, capsule, liquid, skin patch -- and release medication in an hour, four hours, or over eight or 12 hours.
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