Methylphenid Er 27

My 13 year old son has ADHD and was recently per-scribed the above med to replace one that was no longer working. I was under the impression that this drug does not build up in his system and because it is time release it would be completely out of his system in 12 hours or so. Because of the apatite suppression side effects I have not been giving him the meds on the weekends. A friend told me that this is not safe and that the medicine DOES build up in his system and must be taken every day. Which is the truth?

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Hello, Lois! How is your son?

Actually, you are both technically correct.

It doesn't necessary build up in the body, but regularly taking it does help your body get used to it, so the side effects tend to lessen in intensity and eventually go away. However, the detriment to this is that taking it regularly can also enable your body to become tolerant to it, so it stops working as well.

It is, however, perfectly safe to skip giving it to him on the weekends, as long as his doctor approves, because it's basically a medication vacation, which will help prevent him becoming tolerant to it and needing a dosage adjustment or switch to a different medication. Many doctors actually instruct parents to dose these medications like that, some don't treat their children, at all, during time periods they aren't in school, such as over the summer and during holiday vacations.

The FDA warns that this is a stimulant that carries the risk of being habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, headache and irritability.

Your friend may have misunderstood the standard medication warnings that you're usually given with most drugs. Generally you're warned not to skip doses and etc. because many do need to be taken regular to fully work, such as antidepressants, and skipping doses of some others, such as heart or blood pressure medications, can be very dangerous.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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