After my testing and diagnosis I was referred to a pediatrician who specialized in medication and treatment for ADHD symptoms.  Dr. Reece examined me and looked at the report from the testing and agreed with the diagnosis.  He put me at ease and explained to me and my parents how the different medications worked. We agreed that it would be best to begin with a smaller dosage of medication and increase it if necessary. 

I started out taking Ritalin that had to be swallowed.  This was a problem for me in third grade and I simply could not do it.  Swallow pills that is.  The more I tried the harder it became.  So we immediately switched to another medications.

Metadate is similar to Ritalin but in a time released form.  It also can be opened up and sprinkled on apple sauce.  This worked better for me.  The medication immediately helped me to focus and concentrate and after just a week or so my grades improved dramatically.  In fact, it was shortly after that I was actually tested for the gifted program.  I missed it by a couple of points but was very close and very encouraged.  The problem I had with Metadate was that it wore off too quickly and by the afternoon was not effective anymore.

The doctor then prescribed Daytrana.  This is a fairly expensive drug and is really just Methylphenidate which is the same drug that is in Ritalin or Metadate.  The difference is the delivery system. This is what made it wonderful.  Daytrana or the patch is time released and gives a steady supply of Methylphenidate throughout the day.  I believe it is called transdermal. Like I said before, it was the same basic drug as before but with a much better way of getting it into your system.  I was on Daytrana from 3rd grade until the end of 8th grade and can’t say enough good things about it.  It is what rescued me from the effects of ADHD. 

Another nice feature of the Daytrana patch is that you can cut in in half or in thirds.   That way as you grow you can increase the size or if you feel you do not need as much you can decrease it.  You would want to consult your doctor about this but this is what I did.  It is harder to do this will pills.

In closing I will say that Daytrana was not without side effects.  It made me feel sort of dark and not myself.  I was off it in the afternoon, weekends and summers so it was not too bad.  I did, however, want to be off of it and in my first week of high school I was able to do this.