I’ve asked this question elsewhere, but it was so deep into a thread, I though I’d ask it again.
My 13 yr old son takes concerta - Add/inattentive type. Mainly because we forget, he doesn’t take it on the weekend. There’s also the issue of his not being up as early and taking it late makes it difficult for him to get to sleep.
Is this a bad idea? It really doesn’t make sense to me to not take a drug daily, but the concerta really doesn’t help at home, particularly.
What do you think?
Re: Meds 24/7?
I recently attended a seminar by Dr. Amen who said kids need their meds at home, on weekends and over the summer. He made the analogy of eyeglasses. He said doses are like lenses: the goal is not to wear the thinnest lens but the one that lets you see the best. Doseage is the amount that helps you function the best. And you need the medication no matter where you are or what you’re doing. And by the way, he is a fantastic speaker and makes complete sense.
Concerta is time-release Ritalin (methylphenidate if I remember right) - it is a fast-acting, out-of-the-body and its gone drug. Other drugs you need to keep taking to keep them in your system; they have to have built up to be effective. So not taking it over the weekend shouldn’t have any adverse effects and will make it last longer.
I suspect caffeine is similar, but when I don’t have it over the weekend, it sure has a bigger kick Monday morning. But it might have a tolerance factor that Concerta doesn’t.