Well, to begin with, your daughter's doctor is the most knowledgeable about which medication is best suited to your daughter's needs. There are finer points of the meds than cannot be elaborated here.

That said...

Methylphenidate, Ritalin, Ritalin SR, Concerta and Metadate are all the same medication. The difference is in the delivery system and the difference, I might add, is huge.

Adderall contains "mixed salts" of amphetamines. It comes as plain Adderall and as Adderall XR (a long-acting version).

Dexedrine is composed solely of one of the amphetamines in Adderall - dextroamphetamine sulfate. It also comes in a longer-acting form: dexedrine spansules.

It is generally thought that the methylphenidates are a bit weaker, Adderall stronger, and Dexedrine the strongest. As a result, they are generally tried in that order.

Results (and side effects) vary from patient to patient and a physician, based on the specific situation, may elect to try one over the other.

There is another stimulant available called Cylert. It has been associated with irreversible liver damage and is, therefore, seldom used and almost never used as a first choice.

Hope this helps...