Medication schedule

[Anonymous]

5th grade DS is currently on 10mg Focalin ER.

We give it ~7:45am just before the school day begins and presumably it should cover him for most of the school day. Unfortunately, his most challenging class is Math, which happens at 2pm. Often he comes home frustrated and irritable, overwhelmed by the prospect of homework, but maybe this is the med wearing off? We also sometimes give a short acting Focalin booster dose ~3:45 on days that he has a sports practice.

I’m thinking of switching to the following daily regimen:
7:45am - Short acting dose
12pm (lunch/recess) - Long acting dose to cover afternoon/evening

Has anyone else structured it this way and how has it worked out? Is a pain to have to go to the nurse to get the dose? How has it affected appetite for lunch/dinner?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

I always tried to avoid dosing at school because it's not only a pain to go to the nurse. But it's also a pain for parents to get the medication to school each month. Also, I didn't want to commit to evening medications every day due to the sleep interruption.