About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Proper Use
Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more or less of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered.
If you or your child think this medicine is not working properly after you have taken it for several weeks, do not increase the dose. Instead, check with your doctor.
This medicine should come with a Medication Guide. It is very important that you read and understand this information. Be sure to ask your doctor about anything you do not understand.
Swallow the capsule whole. Do not crush, break, chew, or open it. You may take this medicine with or without food.
Avoid touching a broken or opened capsule. Wash your hands that touched an opened capsule with water immediately. If this medicine comes in contact with your eyes or your child's eyes, rinse it with water and call your doctor right away.
Dosing
The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
- For oral dosage form (capsules):
- For attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):
- Adults, teenagers, and children 6 years of age and older and weighing over 70 kilograms (kg)—At first, 40 milligrams (mg) once a day, increased after a minimum of 3 days to a total daily dose of 80 mg taken as a single daily dose in the morning or divided in small doses in the morning and late afternoon (or early evening). Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 100 mg.
- Teenagers and children 6 years of age and older and weighing up to 70 kilograms (kg)—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The starting dose is 0.5 milligram (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight once a day, and increased after a minimum of 3 days to a total daily dose of 1.2 mg per kg taken as a single daily dose in the morning or divided in small doses in the morning and late afternoon (or early evening). Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.
- Children younger than 6 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
- For attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Storage
Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.
Find Mayo Clinic on