Posted by BekkaH on July 4, 2002, at 18:47:55
In reply to Re: Focalin vs. Ritalin? (Compounding Meds etc.) » BekkaH, posted by fachad on July 4, 2002, at 17:07:05
Fachad: Regarding the applesauce thing, I just open the capsule into water and stir vigourlsy until it looks completely dissolved and equally mixed. Then I drink the amount that has the right amount of milligrams. I don't know how you could ensure equal mixing in applesauce.
Bekka: Yes, you're right, and I probably won't bother to check in a Chemistry handbook on the solubilities of these meds!
Fachad re: Dextrostat: Besides, it lasts a long time for me, not like Ritalin which wears off in less than 2 hrs.
B: Oh, so you've experienced that, too? Regular immediate release ritalin is awful for me!! For me, it feels as if it wears off before it ever peaks! The rebound is horrendous. I wonder how so many children can tolerate that. Perhaps they metabolize it differently.
> fachad: I took Ritalin 30 mg a day for a quite a while. When Concerta came out, 36mg seemed a lot less than 30 mg Ritalin, so I took 54mg.
B: I haven't verified this yet, but I read somewhere that Concerta is now available in 27 mg capsules, as well as 18 mg. That would allow for more flexible dosing. 36mg isn't enough for me, and 54 feels like too much.
> Bekka: I have been told that the Methylphenidate dosing is supposed to be twice the number of milligrams that you'd take of Dexedrine.
>
F:> Since I am taking 40mg of Dex, that would imply that I should take 80mg Ritalin. Since Focalin is supposed to be half the Ritalin dose, I'm guessing it should be the same as dex, 40mg. But the package insert talks like the FDA prescribing limit is 20 mg per day. That's why I was wondering if anyone had been RX'd more than 20 mg/day.B: Well, as with most stimulants, I think the best thing is to start with the smallest dose you can manage on, and then work up from there, if you need to. As I said, I found Focalin to be VERY intense, and perhaps you will, too. If that's the case, you may not need that much. I don't know of anyone who has gone above 20 mg on Focalin, but I know very few people who have been on it. It's still so new.
Thanks for your help and ideas! Good luck with the compounding and with Focalin!
Bekka
poster:BekkaH
thread:110960
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020628/msgs/111422.html