A guide for patients

A Good Start Leads to a Good DayMedikinet®XL is taken in the morning with or after breakfast.

Methylphenidate hydrochloride modified-release hard capsules

Medikinet is a registered trademark of Medice GmbH Marketed in the UK by Flynn Pharma Ltd. Hertlands House, Primett Road, Old Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 3EE Date of Preparation November 2013 MXL/LVP/13/0435

The Importance of Food

The beneficial effects of Medikinet XL will wear off more quickly if the medicine is not administered with food or directly after food. As the first meal in the day, breakfast is the most important. Skipping breakfast can harm a child’s growth and development. For a child with ADHD, skipping food may make the problems even worse.

Why?

To prolong the retention time of the medicine in the stomach, some medicines require that they are taken with or after food. In the case of Medikinet XL, administration of the drug with food delays the movement of the medicine between the acidic environment of the stomach and the alkali environment of the small intestine. This is important as the medicine is specially formulated to ensure that the location controls where the medicine dissolves and is absorbed.

Difficulties Swallowing?

Medikinet XL capsules may be taken intact or opened and the contents sprinkled onto an appropriate liquid or semi-solid foodstuff.

Sprinkling the contents of the capsule on a suitable foodstuff or ‘vehicle’ can be a useful option for patients who have difficulty in swallowing intact capsules but it is important, for a product such as Medikinet XL, that the patient takes the dose without chewing the ‘vehicle’!

Administering the drug with food has been specifically studied with apple sauce but the principle can be extended to other foodstuffs, providing that the food is liquid or semi-solid and does not require chewing, and is of a certain pH (a measure of acidity).

*Should be finely chopped or mashed so as to avoid the need for chewing.

Foodstuffs which have a higher acidity have a lower pH. Taking your medicine with a food which has a low pH helps ensure the drug is absorbed correctly and the effects do not wear off too quickly.

Approximate pH Value of Some Common Acidic Foods

Acidic Foods Include Approximate pH

Apple Sauce 3.3 – 3.6

Bananas* 4.5 – 5.2

Blackberries* 3.9 – 4.5

Cranberry Juice 2.3 – 2.5

Strawberry Jam 3.0 – 3.4

Tomato Ketchup 3.9

Maple Syrup 4.6 – 5.5

Tomato Juice 4.1 – 4.6

Orange Juice 3.6 – 4.3

Orange Marmalade 3

Honey 3.9

Yoghurt below 4.6

What is Medikinet®XL?Medikinet XL is a medicine for the treatment of ADHD. It is used as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for children with ADHD over 6 years of age. Treatment should always be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders.