My 7 year old has been taking Focalin XR for his ADHD. This is an extended release and is taken once a day. His new insurance doesn't cover the extended release just the regular which is twice a day. My question is when do you give the 2nd dose? I assumed it would be 12 hrs from when he takes it in the morning but then he'd take the 2nd dose at 7-8 at night which is pointless. I will ask his Dr, he has an appt in June. Just thought I'd see what other moms do. As always thanks for the advice!
The XR medicines usually only last between 8 and 12 hours (not 24) so the regular would be taken after 4 or 6 hours. Usually it's morning and lunch time.
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The point of taking the medication, either one, is to maintain a consistent dose in the body at all times, day and night. The extended release releases the drug into the body all day/night long maintaining the same level of drug. The other one only lasts for 12 hours. So in order to keep the same level of drug in the system for 24 hours, you take one in the morning and one at night. I take the XL version of a similar drug in the am. My husband takes two pills of a similar medication, once in the am and once in the pm. I hope this helps!
That's a bummer about insurance not covering...can you submit an appeal and ask if they will? Expect a no the first time, then ask to speak with a manager, because this means you'll have to dose at school and that can cause a bit of social stigma needing to see the nurse daily.
Since ADHD meds are basically a stimulant the second dose should not be taken anytime after 2- 3pm-ish so that it will not interfere with falling and staying asleep. Of course, this depends upon your son's bedtime, but I'm guessing it's 8-9pm.
My guess is your son will take a morning dose with breakfast and a lunch dose.
It should be on the script. For Adderall it is 8 and 12.
My daughter is on short acting focalin, she takes it fist thing in the am , then at 4pm.
Regular version will konk out pretty quickly. You'll most likely be directed to give the second dosage at lunch and it will last until late afternoon. The big difference you'll see with the regular version is the roller coaster effect. He'll do great and then as the dosage fades, behavior will dip. Give the next dose and behavior goes back up again.
If you find this isn't acceptable (we hated it), ask the doctor about long-acting alternatives that might be covered. Concerta is very similar to Focalin XR and it's also long-acting.
Normally it is around noon/1:00 with the XR it is an extended release which means that it lasts 12 hours. The regular version should be a much shorter acting version. You can ask your child's doctor to see if they can do a prior authorization for the XR, I had to do that with my son's insurance.
