Description
Advantages
Flexible duration. Patch can be removed at different times depending on daily demands.
Flexible fine-tuned dosage, by cutting patch.
Crash-resistant. Because it wears off gradually. The irritability that can occur when a stimulant wears off at the end of the day is greatly reduced.
Compliance. (Parent knows that a child had the patch on all day, because if removed, it cannot be reapplied.)
Disadvantages
Expensive, not often covered by insurance. Mild skin irritation is common, but treatable. Rarely an allergic reaction may prevent use. Leukoderma, a discoloration of the skin, is rare, but when it occurs, it is permanent.
Excerpt from the book: ADHD Medications: Does It Work and Is It Save? Available on Amazon
Of all the medications used to treat ADHD, Daytrana is probably the most unique medication available. If it were not for two problems, Daytrana could be the single best form of methylphenidate to use in both children and adults with ADHD. Daytrana is not a pill but a skin patch. It is another method of delivering methylphenidate to the body, and it is the only stimulant medication available as a skin patch (Catapres TTS is the only other medication treatment for ADHD that is currently available in a skin patch, but Catapres is not a stimulant, does not contain methylphe- nidate or amphetamine, and is not as effective at treating the ADHD symptoms. Noven Pharmaceuticals is currently developing a skin patch for delivery of dextro-amphetamine for children with ADHD. Clinical trials are ongoing, and early results are very promising, but at the time of this printing, this medication has not yet been approved by the FDA.)
Many other medications deliver medication into the body through a skin patch (estrogen and testosterone are frequently prescribed in a patch form), as well as other medications that need a constant level of medication in the bloodstream throughout the day (scopolamine for motion sickness, opioids for chronic pain, and nicotine for smoking ces- sation). However, most of these patches are designed with a reservoir in the middle of the patch surround by adhesive that keeps the patch attached to the skin.
Instead, Daytrana is produced by mixing methylphenidate with an adhesive, and this mixture is applied to a plastic sheet. This sheet is then cut into smaller squares. The size of the square dictates how much medication will be available in the patch for treatment.
The main reason that Daytrana excels as a stimulant treatment for ADHD can be summed in one word: flexibility.7 This skin patch prepa- ration of methylphenidate excels compared to other ADHD medications for four reasons. Daytrana is the only ADHD stimulant medication that allows the physician and patient to determine how long the medication will last, and it is the only medication other than the liquid prepara- tions (Quillivant XR and Methylin liquid) that allows the physician and patient to fine-tune the dose. It wears off more gradually than any other methylphenidate medication, which usually prevents the emotional “crash” that can occur as other medications wear off at the end of the day. Finally, it is the only ADHD medication that gives the parent a way to monitor whether the child is taking the medication
