Concerta Ritalin, which is a long acting form of Ritalin, is a widely used central nervous system stimulant to treat children and adults who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder otherwise known as ADHD.
Ritalin that contains methylphenidate is prescribed in small doses initially. To bring the effect of medicine daily dosage is raised by 5 to 10 mg in each week. Gradually you will start to see the difference in the concentration level and behavior. Ritalin or any other tablets for ADHD shall not be chewed or crushed but to be swallowed. Only children who are 6 years old and above are allowed to take tablets that contain Methylphenidate. Also, it is not recommended to have daily dosage of above 60mg. Ritalin tablets are available in 10 and 20mg tablets and 20 mg extended-release tablet. Short, intermediate, and long acting forms of Ritalin are available. Among short acting forms that last 3 to 5 hours are Ritalin and Methylin, which comes in chewable and liquid form. Intermediate acting forms of Ritalin that lasts 3 to 8 hours are Ritalin SR, Metadate ER and Methylin ER while long acting forms of Ritalin comes as Metadate CD, Ritalin LA and Concerta Ritalin. If your child takes Ritalin LA, initially he gets half the dose in the morning and the other half later. For example, if your child is taking Ritalin LA 20mg, he gets 10mg in the morning and it is different from the 4mg dose he would get if he takes Concerta 18mg. If he cannot have Concerta in the morning then switch to Ritalin LA, which might be a better option. Instead of swallowing it, you can even open Ritalin LA sprinkle it all over you child’s food so that there will not be any difficulty in having it. Ritalin LA comes in 20mg, 30mg, and 40mg capsule.
Though both of the stimulants contain methylphenidate, Concerta is chosen over normal Ritalin. Why? Concerta, a variant of Ritalin, which is available in 18mg, 27mg, 36mg, 54mg and 72mg have effects that stay longer up to 10-12 hours while effects of normal Ritalin wears off soon. A child who takes Ritalin has to take it 3 times a day, which makes it inconvenient when they are at school. It is easy for Ritalin takers to switch to Concerta of Ritalin as total daily dose of Ritalin is almost equal to a single daily dose of Concerta. Suppose a child is taking 15mg Ritalin daily with 5mg each time. Concerta of Ritalin’s single daily dose is 18mg, which is close to 15mg Ritalin. Concerta tablet with OROS delivery system releases only 4mg on medicine in the morning and rest is released gradually providing longer effects. With a good stimulant like Concerta Ritalin your child can get a new and bright life.