I am on the daytrana patch. Recently diagnosed and I am finding it does last until I retire.

I am on 20mg and I apply in the morning at 6:30 am, go to work and have the smooth delivery last until 9:00 pm, when I get ready for bed.

It takes a good 6 weeks to indiviualize the effects. The first week I started out on 10mg and by the end of the week would start to get tired and irritable 8 hours later. Working with my therapist who explained to me that I needed to increase my dose to 15mg. That helped for a week then the tiredness and irritability ensued.

I also have the co-morbiditiy of having depression and mild anxiety so I am also taking Lexapro 20mg. By the 6 week of daytrana the positivie effects wore off. I was increased to 40mg. My partner noticed I was more agitated and had pressured speech. So now I am back down to 20mg. I find that the patch works great when you can find your correct dosage.

So I am still struggling to find that right dose. My add doctor however, states that I might be developing a tolerance. And maybe I need to switch to Adderall. I want to give mph(daytrana)ingredient (ritalin) more of a chance to achieve the desired effects that I got when I first started. The patch is new for use in adults and there is not enough evidence based research yet to help augment its use in combination with other co-morbidities that alot of adders have.

Overall, as a 45 yr adult using the patch I find it helpful. It has decreased my appetite alot and my hips are very red and itchy. My doctor has ordered the nasal spray Flonase (steroidal compound) to spray on my hips after taking the patch off at night and it has helped. I am also taking omega 3 flax seed capsule once daily to also see if I noticed a change in appetite, etc. I will try to update the forum on the daytrana patch as I noticed my personal experiences to maybe help others who are just now considering using the patch. Hang in there because oral histories will help researchers gain insight into its efficacy.

- Sherry

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I'm not getting on to anyone, but it's not good to cut the daytrana patch. It damages the time release diaphragm that is in it. When you cut it, it allows extra med to gradually ooze out of the side of the patch. It is no longer working as it was intended too. Call your doc. and tell them what is going on.

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My son's doctor just suggested the patch for him. We are going to try it upon returning to school after the weekend. He is 10 and we are trying 10 mg. I am hoping for less irritability after school.

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My son is on 20 mg. He can't swallow pills so we thought this would be perfect for him. He only wears one on school days and even then he complains constantly about the rash it causes and the itching. He also likes to eat and of course the patches ruin his appetite. I'm wondering if we shouldn't switch to a pill we can put into food. Is there anything that successfully curbs the itch?

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We started using the patch for my 10 yr old when it first came on the market (over a year ago). For many months, it really tore my daughter's skin up. We used cortaid nightly on her skin to help with the itch and redness. She wouldn't take a pill (whole, sprinkled or crushed) and wouldn't take a liquid, so it was really our only option. We kept at it and eventually (after several months) her skin got accustomed to it and tolerates it much better now. BTW, our therapist began working with her on taking AdderallXR sprinkled but we found that it wore off much more quickly than the patch. Our MD allows us to put the patch on at 6am (school starts at 8am) and take it off at 5pm. It's the longest coverage out there - and it makes a huge difference!

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I disagree about the dangers of cutting the patch. We have been doing with both my kids with no adverse effect.

Remember, the dosage is selected WITH the cut there - so any "extra" leakage would be factored in.

IMHO, the "extra" is insignificant. Just look at the thickness of the cut - a thousandth of an inch? in relation to the totality.

My son has no skin reaction to the patch but my daughter does get itchy. Alternating sides helps as does olive oil.

BTW, my son (14) found it helped him a lot to just keep the patch on until the next morning when the new ones (he is on 60mg) went on. This way he avoided the down part which is when he used to get depression with adderall.

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This has been researched and found not true. Quote:

badger said: I'm not getting on to anyone, but it's not good to cut the daytrana patch. It damages the time release diaphragm that is in it. When you cut it, it allows extra med to gradually ooze out of the side of the patch. It is no longer working as it was intended too. Call your doc. and tell them what is going on.

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My son was taking Vyvanse, but his appetite was very diminished. When I voiced my concern to his doctor, the doctor suggested switching to the patch because "it is absorbed through the skin and not the stomach." I have seen several posts here that say the patch causes decreased appetite. My son has not been on the patch long enough to see a difference, but now I'm concerned that our doctor was either blowing smoke or doesn't know what he's talking about! The Vyvanse was working great (although he needed to increase the dose) but I was very pleased with the results. Why would the doctor make this up?

(By the way, our doctor said the patch could be cut to adjust the dose, but I had keep him informed. There is nothing in the drug literature that says "do not cut")

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Since the daytrana patch is being discussed, I thought I'd share a scary (albeit unusual) experience we had in case it can help someone else.... My daughter is 16 and began using the patch last spring when she was first diagnosed with ADD. From the beginning, the drug worked great -- the improvement to her focus was immediate and dramatic -- HOWEVER, she always had irritation and redness at the sites where the patch was applied.

One day she broke out in raised, itchy hives all over her body and was having difficulty breathing. I took her to an emergency care center. I thought she was having a reaction to something she had eaten or come in contact with. The doctors there determined that she was having an allergic reaction to the adhesive used in the Daytrana patch. She was instructed to stop using the patch and they prescribed steroids and an anti-inflamatory cream. After several days, the hives and itching went away. After 10 days, she resumed her meds, this time taking concerta -a pill version of the drug used in the patch. The hives and shortness of breath returned immediately! After researching further, we learned that once the body has an allergic reaction to an adhesive, it can also develop an "associative" allergic reaction and intolerance to the medicine on the patch. The body associates the drug with the allergy to the adhesive and reacts in the same way.

Having said all of this, I don't think that this type of reaction occurs very frequently. I have been told that she can no longer take concerta or any other form of that particular drug...and probably will never be able to do so! Luckily there are other options out there -- she is currently taking adderall and seems to be tolerating it well.

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There are a few things you can do to prevent the rash:

1) Refridgerate the patches as soon as you get the box. Pull one out of the refridgerator only when ready to use. 2) Switch hips each day. For a while, using Goo Gone to remove the adhesive before bath/shower can help. 3) Place patch even on weekends. Skipping a day can return a child's skin sensitive again.

Be patient, as it can take a month of constant placement to stop the sensitivity and rash. If none of these ideas help, your child may be allergic to the adhesive, especially if they are latex sensitive or allergic.

I hope this helps immensly!!!

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