Methylphenidate
The following information is an educational aid only. It is not
intended as a medical advice for individual conditions or
treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before
following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and
effective for you.
(meth il FEN i date)
Concerta®; Daytrana™; Metadate CD®; Metadate® ER; Methylin®; Methylin® ER; Ritalin LA®; Ritalin-SR®; Ritalin®
Apo-Methylphenidate®; Apo-Methylphenidate® SR; Biphentin®; Concerta®; PHL-Methylphenidate; PMS-Methylphenidate; ratio-Methylphenidate; Ritalin®; Ritalin® SR; Sandoz® Methylphenidate SR
Concerta; Ritalin; Tradea
• This medicine is available as a long-acting capsule, a liquid, a skin patch, a tablet, a chewable tablet, and a long-acting tablet.
Central Nervous System Stimulant
This medicine may be habit-forming; avoid long-term use. May cause serious heart-related side effects. Tell healthcare provider if your child has any heart disease.
This medicine does not mix well with many medicines. Serious reactions may occur. Check all medicines with child's healthcare provider.
Please read the medication guide.
• Not if your child is younger than 6 years of age.
• Not if your child has an allergy to methylphenidate or any other part of this medicine.
• Be sure to let healthcare provider know if your child has any allergies or reactions to medicine, food preservatives, or dyes. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected your child. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or any other symptoms involved.
• Not if your child has any of the following conditions: Agitation, fast heartbeat, glaucoma, structural abnormalities of the heart, tics, or Tourette's syndrome.
• Not if your child has small bowel disease, short gut syndrome, peritonitis, cystic fibrosis, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, or Meckel's diverticulum, talk with healthcare provider. Your child should not take Concerta®.
• Not if your child has an overactive thyroid gland, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or weakened heart, talk with healthcare provider. Your child should not take Metadate® CD.
• This medicine is used to treat attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity.
• This medicine is used to treat narcolepsy.
• Methylphenidate has a stabilizing effect in attention deficit disorder.
• In narcolepsy, it stimulates the brain to increase alertness.
Oral:
• To gain the most benefit, do not miss giving your child doses.
• Give tablet and long-acting products 30 minutes before meals.
• Give this medicine early in the day to avoid sleep problems.
• Give at least 6 hours before bedtime.
• Have your child swallow long-acting products whole. Encourage your child not to chew, break, or crush.
• Give Concerta™ once daily in the morning. Give with or without food. Give with water, milk, or juice.
• Methylin® chewable tablet: Give with a glass of water or other liquid.
• Metadate® CD: Give before breakfast.
• Metadate® ER: Give before breakfast and lunch.
• You may sprinkle contents of Metadate® CD or Ritalin® LA on soft food. Encourage your child not to chew.
Skin patch:
• Follow directions given by healthcare provider or read the package insert.
• Do not use patches that are damaged or cut.
• Wash hands before and after use.
• Your child can bathe, shower, or swim after applying.
• Apply patch to clean, dry, healthy skin on your child's hip area. Do not apply patch to your child's waistline.
• Apply patch in the morning and remove 9 hours later or as directed by healthcare provider.
• Move patch site with each patch.
• If the patch falls off, replace with a new one to a different area on the same hip.
• It may take several weeks to see the full effect.
• Give a missed dose as soon as possible.
• Do not give a missed dose within 6 hours of bedtime.
• If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to your child's regular schedule.
• Do not give a double dose or extra doses.
• Do not change dose or stop your child's medicine. Talk with healthcare provider.
All forms:
• This medicine may be habit-forming with long-term use.
• If your child has been taking this medicine for several weeks, talk with healthcare provider before stopping. You may want to gradually withdraw this medicine.
• Your child may have certain heart tests before starting this medicine. Talk with healthcare provider.
• Talk with your child's healthcare provider before giving over-the-counter cough, cold, or allergy medicine.
• Limit your child's caffeine and chocolate intake. Use with this medicine may cause nervousness, shakiness, and fast heartbeat.
• If your child has an eating disorder, talk with healthcare provider.
• If your child has heart disease, talk with healthcare provider.
• If your child has high blood pressure, talk with healthcare provider.
• If your child has a mental health disorder, talk with healthcare provider.
• If your child has PKU, talk with healthcare provider. Some products contain phenylalanine.
• If your child has seizures, talk with healthcare provider.
• Check your child's medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.
Skin patch:
• Have your child avoid use of heat sources (such as sunlamps, tanning beds, heating pads, electric blankets, heat lamps, saunas, hot tubs, heated waterbeds). Avoid long, hot baths or sunbathing. Your child's temperature may rise and cause too much medicine to be released at once.
• Feeling dizzy. Rising slowly over several minutes from sitting or lying position is recommended. Children should be extra careful climbing stairs.
• Nervous and excitable.
• Not hungry.
• Emotional ups and downs.
• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals and frequent mouth care may help. Older children may suck hard, sugar-free candy.
• Weight loss.
• Extra muscle activity.
• Inability to sleep.
• Tablet shell of Concerta™ in the stool.
• Skin irritation.
• Change in condition being treated. Is it better, worse, or about the same?
• For the occurrence of side effects.
• Change in child's behavior.
• Check blood pressure and heart rate regularly.
• Monitor your child's growth carefully.
• Follow up with healthcare provider.
• If any of this information causes you to be concerned, any of the common side effects occur, or if your child's symptoms do not improve after taking this medicine.
• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.
• If your child shows signs of a life-threatening reaction, call healthcare provider or emergency department immediately. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or if your child exhibits any other unusual behavior.
• If your child shows signs of severe dizziness or passes out.
• If your child has violent actions or thoughts of violence.
• If your child develops serious behavioral problems.
• If your child shows signs or symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, nervousness, emotional ups and downs, abnormal thinking, anxiety, or lack of interest in life.
• If your child has a severe headache.
• If your child has a sudden change in vision.
• If your child has a fast heartbeat.
• If your child is feeling extremely nervous and excitable.
• If your child has severe nausea or vomiting.
• If your child has severe skin irritation.
• If your child develops a rash.
• No improvement in condition or if you believe your child's condition is worse.
• Store at room temperature.
• Protect from light.
• Protect capsules and tablets from moisture. Do not store in a bathroom or kitchen.
• Keep patches in protective pouch. Use within 2 months of opening tray.
• After you remove a skin patch, be sure to fold the sticky sides of the patch together.
• Throw away unused patches when they are no longer needed. Remove them from pouch, remove liner, and fold in half.
• If your child has a life-threatening allergy, he/she should wear an allergy identification bracelet at all times.
• This medicine is available by prescription only. If there are refills, contact your pharmacy. If no refills remain, you may need to contact your child's healthcare provider.
• This medicine should be thrown out when your child no longer needs it or if the medicine becomes outdated.
• Do not share your child's medicine with others and do not give anyone else's medicine to your child.
• Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
• Many medications interact with other medications. Keep a list of all your child's medicines (prescription, natural products, supplements, vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to your child's healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, physician assistant).
• Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or in Canada to Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program at 1-866-234-2345.
• Talk with your child's healthcare provider before giving him/her any new medicine, including over-the-counter, natural products, or vitamins.
• Medicine can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Follow directions given by healthcare provider.
Created: 2006-10-16 12:01:04.0
Modified: 2009-09-01 14:21:51.0
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