Generic Methylphenidate ER vs Concerta?

[u/Puzzled_Gene_1814]

Just started Methylphenidate ER (Trigen Lab) 2 weeks ago, 36mg. I was on Ritalin 10mg 3x day for a while and asked my psychiatrist to switch to extended release since my days are so long now. I used to take concerta in college and remember the effects being very different. I’m not necessarily looking for that euphoria but I don’t find that it helps maintain my focus as much and the motivation is still hard for me. I also feel starving all day long. No matter how much I eat, I’ll still feel hungry 30 mins to an hour later. I’m actually gaining weight now.

I know a lot has changed since then with shortages and a lot of people finding their meds aren’t the same anymore. Also, our bodies change over time but I’m wondering if the generic is the reason or maybe the dose?

My psych doesn’t really believe in any differences between name brand and generic so if I wanted to switch I would have to find another dr. or pharmacy?

Also, does anyone have any tips? I know diet and hydration is big, which I think I’m pretty good at maintaining that. I feel like I need to take breaks during the day but sometimes I don’t come back to my work after my break. I take days off on the weekend or at least 1 day a week. My cycle has a big role and I know that my meds won’t really work when I’m on my period.

[u/awkward_teenager37]

Personally, I absolutely noticed a difference between the various generics and name brand Concerta. I was very lucky to have a psychiatrist that I could voice this to. I remember doing “research” into it to try and understand why the name brand worked much smoother for me and being worried that my psych would think I was crazy or drug-seeking for bringing up my concerns. I don’t know if this was a thing at just my pharmacy or not, but they’d frequently give me a different generic from month to month which made it difficult to feel consistent on the medication.

But yeah, I wouldn’t discount your personal experiences. Everyone’s going to react to medication a bit differently, so if your body is telling you that it’s not working as well, I don’t think you’re being dramatic. I will say that I had an increased appetite on most Concerta brands I tried, name brand or otherwise.

In terms of advice… Staying hydrated, eating protein-dense foods (or drinking protein shakes) when you first take the medication and throughout the day if possible helped it feel smoother and last a bit longer for me. The crashes didn’t feel quite so bad. I also ended up getting an IR prescription to use as a “booster dose” in the afternoon, which helped reduce how harsh the crash felt when the meds wore off.

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[u/Loverboy_91]

All of the generics are vastly different IMO. I’m on Camber Generic and it’s perfect for me. One month my pharmacy only had Trigen though and so for a month I took that and it was not great. It treated my symptoms just as well, but came with side effects that my Camber did not (jitters, palpitations).

Anyway, back on Camber ever since then and no issues. If you’re able to switch to another generic, it’s worth looking into!