Tag: Quillivant XR

What to Do About the Quillivant XR Shortage?

Quillivant XR is a long acting form of methylphenidate that is available in a suspension form, so is easy for kids with ADHD to take if they can’t swallow pills, at least it is when there isn’t a shortage.

Does your child with ADHD take Quillivant XR?

quillivant-xr-shortage

Then you likely hopefully aware that there is a shortage of Quillivant XR because of a manufacturing delay.

What Is Quillivant XR?

Quillivant XR is another stimulant that is used to treat kids with ADHD.

Like many other ADHD medications, the main ingredient in Quillivant XR is methylphenidate – the main ingredient in Ritalin.

The big difference is that Quillivant XR is an oral suspension or liquid form of methylphenidate.

What to Do About the Quillivant XR Shortage?

So what do you do if you can’t get Quillivant XR for your child?

There are plenty of other ADHD medications…

You will likely want to stay on something similar though, which will mean another long acting stimulant with methylphenidate, such as Aptensio XR, Concerta (Methylphenidate ER), Cotempla XR-ODT, Daytrana (patch), or Quillichew ER (chewable tablet). Metadate CD, Metadate ER, and Ritalin LA are other forms of methylphenidate, but they only last about 8 to 10 hours vs the 10 to 12 hours of all of those other long acting ADHD medications. Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) would likely be another alternative.

Unfortunately, there are no other liquid forms of methylphenidate. Except for Concerta and Metadate CD, you can open and sprinkle the contents of these capsules on applesauce if your child can’t/won’t swallow pills though.

You can also try and teach your child to swallow pills…

Best Alternatives To Quillivant XR

In reality, you probably don’t have that many options.

Your child is likely taking Quillivant XR because he couldn’t learn how to swallow pills, won’t take medications if you open and sprinkle them on things, and didn’t tolerate Daytrana (the methylphenidate patch).

That still leaves you with a couple of good options, including:

  • Quillichew ER – a chewable form of methylphenidate available in 20mg, 30mg, and 40mg chewable tablets (was under backorder, but that seems to have been resolved)
  • Cotempla XR-ODT – an oral disintegrating tablet form of methylphenidate available in 8.6mg, 17.3mg, and 25.9mg tablets

The main difference between all of the different forms of methylphenidate?

Surprisingly, it’s not only if it is a liquid, capsule, or pill. They all have different time release mechanisms that affect how your kids get the medication.

Quillivant XR, for example, uses a 20/80 time release delivery system. That means that your child gets 20% of the dose immediately and then 80% throughout the rest of the day. Ironically, because it is only available in a pill that can’t be crushed or opened, the closest medicine to that delivery system is Concerta, with its 22/78 system.

Cotempla XR-ODT is close, with a 25/75 delivery system.

Quillichew ER uses a 30/70 delivery system.

Aptensio XR uses a 40/60 system and some others, like Focalin XR use a 50/50 system.

Why does any of this matter?

If your child was doing great on Quillivant XR and you switched to another medicine using an equivalent dose of methylphenidate, they will be getting that dose delivered to them differently throughout the day. While that might be okay, it could also mean that your child is now starting the day off with either too much medicine (watch for side effects) or is getting too little medicine later (watch for decreased effectiveness). And that will mean some extra fine tuning of your child’s medication until Quillivant XR is available again.

Is your child due for a refill of his Quillivant XR? It’s probably time to look at your alternatives until the shortage is fixed.

What to Know About the Quillivant XR Shortage

Quillivant XR is a long acting form of methylphenidate that is available in a suspension form, so is easy for kids with ADHD to take if they can’t swallow pills, at least it is when there isn’t a shortage.

More About the Quillivant XR Shortage