243 Responses (26 Discussion Threads) to “More Resources on Problems With the Daytrana ADHD Patch”

1. 

   Heidi

   161

   10th December 2008

   Melissa – I am also having the same problem as you. This am I tried three different patches before I got one that would stick. I’d love to hear anymore ideas on how to make it stick.
   Heidi
2. 

   Jen

   162

   10th December 2008

   Hello,
   The 10 mg patches are the stickiest to get the triangles off, but once they come off, sometimes it’s hard to get the patches to stick.

   What works for us: 1) put the patch briefly in the freezer to cool it so the triangles can be removed more easily; 2) take off both triangles before applying — I know they have different directions in the package (take off one, apply, take off the second) but that’s harder; 3) take the patch and put it on their skin, not at the waistband. Press firmly with the palm of your hand for about a minute. This warms the adhesive. Make sure you cover the whole patch with your palm (not fingers) so that the edges stick down. I wouldn’t have your child bath or shower with it, if possible. If you don’t do the palm thing, most likely the patch will curl up during the day. good luck!
3. 

   Karen

   163

   18th December 2008

   Has anyone experienced their child ‘crashing’ in the evening a couple hours after the patch was removed? We have had this experience the past few days since she began using. It is like a drug high crash — not good — angry, anxious, etc. Curious if anyone else’s child has had this experience.

   thanks
   • 

     Megan

     163.1

     27th January 2009

     We have experienced this every single day with our 9-year-old son who has been on the patch for about 6 months now. He puts on the patch in the am. and takes it off about 3:00. By the time I pick him up from after-school care at 5:00 he’s in full swing with crying jags, anger, and general over-emotional behavior — extreme reactions to simple requests, etc. I would love to know how to better deal with this but I’d rather him have the benefit of the patch at school, if given the choice.
4. 

   Susan

   164

   3rd January 2009

   Shannon,
   I found your posting very comforting. My daughter was diagnosed at age 7. She always described her brain as “busy” and she could never sleep because her brain “wouldn’t shut off”. The school described her as a kind child but they couldn’t understand why she was almost 2 years behind academically. We worked so hard with her, even pulled her and home schooled her to try to catch her up. The Daytrana patch has been remarkable for her. It helps her academically (she has caught up to her peers)and with some memory issues that she had. She went up 2 reading levels in less than a months.
   The down side, she does not want to take the patch. She hates that she isn’t hungry at school, especially for class parties.I give her these days as off days! She recognizes that the patch helps her but struggles with the pros and cons to it ( and she is only 8) It breaks my heart!
5. 

   Jennifer

   165

   6th January 2009

   I am 33 years old and have been on the Daytrana patch for a little over 2 months. I’m hoping my experiences can shed a little light on some possible issues and offer some help as an adult who can (sometimes)articulate better what is going on. (I am unable to take any XR or CR meds orally due to absorbtion issues. I was on Strattera for the past 4 years but due to my oral absorbtion issues felt like it wasn’t always smooth because absorbtion could be erratic. And forget trying to take any of the normal release pills! Talk about a roller-coaster!)
   I wake about 4 am and apply the patch. I then re-set my alarm for my normal wake time which is 6 am. I think I may need to shorten that time span as I am feeling restless at about an hour. This obviously will differ person to person, however the biggest indicator for me is how red the skin looks under the patch. I can actually press it or pinch it or just rub it and see if I can feel the burn or not. There is a direct correlation between the red skin and the absorption into my body. Early on I was experiencing some issues. I thought I was getting “dud” patches. About half the time I would wake and could tell that there was no drug in my system. Key indicators for me, in addition to non-red skin and burning are hunger (as I have very little when on the patch) and dry mouth (which I have plenty of when on the patch). What I came to realize is that the skin under the patch wasn’t clean…. I was applying the patch before showering (being that it was 4 am and I am only waking enough to peel it and stick it). Depending on what I had done the day before, including sometimes moisturizing the area (due to irritation) or maybe more activity (sweat) or the like, could drastically affect the absorption! I was actually blocking the patches ability to absorb with whatever foreign substance was on my skin. I now clean the area every night prior to going to bed and have had no problems since.
   I originally had a small amount of irritation, even on the 30 mg patches I use. It has seemed to increase quite a bit in the past few weeks. It is to the point now where I have roughly 10-15 spots very carefully mapped out on my hips. Clear around to my back. All in the same 4 inch wide area under my waistline. (2 rows) I’ve put a few on vertically rather than horizontally too to see if I can fit more. (Never more than one at a time obviously, but it looks like a cobblestone path!) This morning I made the mistake of putting one on an area that is still slightly irritated. I ALMOST had to take it off. The itching/irritation/burning were so intense! I won’t call it pain…. More like a really bad sunburn…certainly not pleasant, but not excruciating either. I find when I take my pants down to use the restroom and they slide over the area I feel it more, the direct contact seems to irritate. Just like a bad sunburn that doesn’t hurt (much) until it’s touched. I talked to a pharmacist tonight who said to try Claritin for the red skin reaction, which she thought was possibly an allergic reaction to the adhesive. I’ll let you know if that works. She also recommended Eucerin for the soothing the irritation. I’ve also tried aloe vera which feels good. Yes, it gets red and raised some days and is taking around 8-10 days to heal completely. Honestly though, except being worried that it may show in a bathing suit, the positives of the patch SO outweigh the negatives for me. It is working wonderfully and I’m hoping my skin will get used to it and get better with time. Oh…and one more tip, once applied, I always lie back down on that side…the warmth of the bed and the pressure of my body helps it stick better! Peeling the backing off? Never easy, but so far I’ve only ruined one. I start from the middle of the crease between the two sides and pull quickly.
6. 

   Shelba

   166

   13th January 2009

   My son who is 8 years old started taking Daytrana 7 months ago. We started out on 10mg and after 2 months upped it to 15mg. We noticed a terrific change in him at school with his focusing about 2 weeks after we changed his patch to 15mg. But about a month ago, after being on the 15mg for 5 months, he is starting to bob his head uncontrollably and has a tic in his eyes where he blinks hard all the time. He is still focusing better at school, but the bobbing and blinking are bothersome for him. He is never hungry, is losing weight, can’t sleep at night, and is very moody now too. I’m beginning to think we need to look into another treatment method.
7. 

   Jin

   167

   18th January 2009

   My daughter is 16 years old. She started on Daytrana about 6 months ago and the difference in her grades are drastic. She has always been a good student but she had a problem completing tasks and remembering to take her homework to school. Needless to say, it was frustrating for all of us. We started her out on 10 mg of Daytrana and while we saw some change it was not enough, hence, it was increased to 20 mg. The first few day on 20 mg was hellish (headaches, stomach cramps, etc) but after the third day, she was able to return to school. I noticed that she does not have an appetite and has trouble going to sleep at night. BTW, the first batch of Daytrana that we got from the pharmacy was defective (recalled) because it had a “peeling” problem. For all of you who may have that problem, please check with the company for the recall numbers and then check the box number as some pharmacies are unaware of this.
8. 

   Rena

   168

   19th January 2009

   Hello everyone: my son is 7 years old and he has been on the patch for exactly one year. This past year has been a rollaer coaster. Like many of you my son has experienced the side effects of the patch such as loss of appetite, insomnia, and restlessness (when coming off the patch). He is very emotional as well. It breaks my heart that he is like this. He is doing very well academically however continues to struggle with organizational skills and he forgets things. He also has difficulty with eating lunch at school. I don’t put the patch on him on the weekends because I am able to manage him…furthermore I’m not asking him to sit down for long periods of time. In the beginning I had problems with peeling off the backing of the patch but now its better. I’m wondering if anyone has had their child come off the patch as they got older…or does this carry over into adulthood…I guess I’m just being optimistic!
9. 

   Delene

   169

   19th January 2009

   Rena, I can tell you what the problem is. Your sweet son is going through withdrawals every weekend that you don’t put that patch on him and is having the bad side effects when you restart it on Monday. I tried this with my daughter and I finally realized what was happening. Now she has no problems. My child could be managed on the weekends too without the patch but the problems we had with her on and off, on and off made me change my tune. Good Luck
10. 

    Rena

    170

    20th January 2009

    Hey Delene…thank you for your comment. I guess I’m stuck inbetween because when I was giving him the patch on the weekends he still had the same side effects. Like when he is coming of the patch he is restless…which I was told to be expected. I believe the patch does cause him to have a lack off appetite. I make sure I feed him a big breakfast in the morning with a multi-vitamin and a nice dinner. The loss of appetite seems to happen at lunch time at school. I know I think the on and off might have something to do with it but it may sound crazy I like him being himself. The patch of course calms him down but he is too mellow and will only speak one word answers when asked a question. What about your daughter how is her disposition on the patch?
    • 

      Jackie

      170.1

      1st February 2009

      Rena – We started our 6 year old on the patch about a month ago and I go back and forth. We have seen significant improvements in school. Not only have his grades jumped, but his focus as well. He pays attention during his afterschool activities and I actually don’t mind taking him to the store because he is so much calmer. We struggle ALOT with appetite and with moodiness when he is coming off the patch. He cries about the littlest thing. I also struggle becuase he’s almost TOO quiet. I miss my bubbly, cheery kid. We’ve tried weekends where he is off the patch just to get him to catch up on eating. While I see it working, I don’t like the side effects. I hear 2 different stories….the side effects are a part of it and the other side which is, you shouldn’t see side effects…the medicine isn’t the right one.

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