Chewable and Liquid ADHD Medication

Your doctor has just handed you a prescription for the attention deficit disorder medication methylin. You've just received a different form of methylphenidate. In other words, you've just received a prescription that has the same chemical compound as Ritalin with one major difference. The medicine you're about to take to your pharmacy comes in two forms: liquid or chewable.

Parents of children who can't swallow pills are tremendously thankful for these forms of the stimulant. Ironically, this same medication that you use to treat your child's ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the very same one used in adults to treat narcolepsy. This is the disease where people fall asleep for seemingly no reason.

Methylin, in most cases, should be taken two to three times daily. For the most part, your child will probably be administered a dosage of anywhere from 10 mg to potentially 60 mg per day. This will be divided into two and possibly three dosages. Your last dose, by the way, shouldn't be taken after 6 p.m., because it can interfere with sleep.

If your child is taking the chewable variety of the medicine encourage her to drink an entire, full glass of water after chewing the medication. Ensuring that the medication is downed with at least eight ounces of water helps to prevent any possible choking.

Many parents, when giving their children liquid medications -- especially over-the-counter -- depend on the household "teaspoon" as a measurement. Try not to do this. As tempting as this may be, if you're administering the liquid form of Methylin, use a regular "dosing spoon" for a more accurate delivery.

You may want to instead even use a regular measuring cup or even an oral syringe for measurement.

It doesn't matter whether you take the medication with your meal or not. However, it is important that you follow your doctor's instructions -- and the directions on the label -- when using methylin. Otherwise, you may not get the best results from it.

Of course the exact doses of Methylin will vary depending on a number of factors, not the least of which of them is the age of the person the medication is prescribed for. Your child's dose may also vary depending upon if she's already tried several other alternatives for treating her ADD/ADHD. And of course, the last variable in dosing amounts will hinge on any other prescription medications she may be currently receiving.

Yes, every prescription medication (and over-the-counter ones too!) come with some type of side effects. Those of Methylin include nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, dizziness, headache, drowsiness, stomach pain and weight loss.