Short acting is better than Slow Release. Brand name is superior to generic. If that works, then see if the generic will work as well. Peaks at 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Lasts about 3.5-4.5 hours.
Some kids have withdrawals from coming off of the dose.
The best remedy for this that we ve found is a 12 oz. Mountain Dew at about the 3.0 hour mark. The caffeine deflects or flattens out the angle of withdrawal. We have seen hundreds of kids benefit greatly from Ritalin. But the doctors and the parents must be observant and conservative.