Final answer:
Educate the child and parents that long-acting methylphenidate should be taken every day in the morning, not three times a day. Highlight that it may decrease appetite rather than increase it, and it typically increases alertness instead of causing drowsiness.
Step-by-step explanation:
When teaching a child with ADHD and their parents about the prescription of long-acting methylphenidate, it is essential to instruct them on the correct dosage and frequency of the medication. Long-acting formulations, such as Concerta, are designed to be taken once daily. The correct guidance would include taking the drug every day in the morning when the child wakes up, which aligns with the medication's pharmacokinetic profile to provide symptom control throughout the day. Additionally, it is important to communicate the common side effects of methylphenidate, which may include decreased appetite, trouble sleeping, and increased focus and alertness.
Since the efficacy of the long-acting formulation negates the need for multiple daily doses, the suggestion to give the drug 'three times a day' would be incorrect for this type of medication. Methylphenidate is a stimulant and typically does not cause drowsiness, making 'this drug may cause drowsiness' an incorrect statement for the parents and child to heed. Instead, as a stimulant, it's more likely to increase alertness. It is also more likely to decrease rather than increase appetite, so advising 'some increase in appetite may occur' would be misleading with respect to this particular medication.