My Son Of 8 Years Has ADHD And Is Taking

Posted on Sun, 3 Mar 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 3 Mar 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : My son of 8 years has ADHD and is taking 10mg Ritalin LA everday. Should i also be giving it to him on weekends? and during holidays? By not giving it to him on weekends, does it take longer to take effect on Monday?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
It can be withheld on weekends after discussion with physician

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for asking on Ask A Doctor platform

I have gone through the query and do understand your.
Ritalin LA contains methylphenidate and it is a long acting formulation.
The time of onset of action is about 1 hours and half life of elimination of drug from body is about 10 hours.
There are many studies showing the drug holiday means discontinuing the medicine on weekend has some benefits but still this is not followed as a recommendation. Considering the less duration for onset of action weekend gap should not effect the next dose.
As the onset of action is less the drug holiday can be considered after discussion with the treating physician under close monitoring.

I hope this helps.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (2 hours later)

Thank you.
So by not giving it to him on weekends is not going to affect the efficacy of it on Monday....is that correct?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jain (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Yes

Detailed Answer:
Yes, because of short duration of onset of action and limited half life of elimination from body. But drug holiday should be strictly under supervision of physician.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj