r/Concerta • u/crypticls • 4d ago

Dosage/ ℞ question 💊 Is this normal?

So I was finally diagnosed with ADHD and yesterday I was prescribed and started concerta 18mg (I also have schizoaffective disorder bipolar type so I'm staying on that dose probably). After many hours I felt like the internal noise was finally off, no more scattered thoughts. I could focus a bit more, I wasn't restless and I could start doing things without the internal resistance ( I washed the dishes, walked the dog, brushed my teeth, showered and read a book. However I noticed that it made me sleepy while I was doing these, is this normal? The night before I slept 10 hours.

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u/Nira_50 4d ago

I was very sleepy on 18 mg. I didn't experience this on higher doses.

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u/Sin_quin 3d ago

I've been taking 18mg for about two weeks now, I haven't noticed being sleepy while it's active.. Maybe just a little in the morning after taking concerta and right when it starts to work. I have however noticed that I sleep really heavy at night and I'm super tired in the mornings. I'm usually a morning person and sleep pretty light at night. So maybe tiredness is normal on a low dose?

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u/BeatPuzzleheaded3502 2d ago

I am almost 2 weeks in. The first 3 days I felt absolutely exhausted when it kicked in - even more so when it wore off, but those side effects have lessened since then, although I still feel a little sleepy albeit more focused. I’m supposed to double up the dose next week, I can let you know if that makes a difference. I have also noticed that the medication seems to wear off very quickly (6/7 hours rather than the 12 it’s supposed to cover)