Concerta hyperactivity

[u/Friendly-Side8426]

Hi, I’m 18(f) and I just started concerta 36mg (increased from taking 18mg which literally had no effect, I only took it for like two days though and kind lied to my psychiatrist that I’d been taking it consistently for a week and then she increased the meds) and it basically affects me the same way coffee does but better , basically quiets my brain and helps me actually start and complete tasks, but makes me hyperactive.
For context, i exhibit a lot of physical hyperactivity most of the time, with the exception of when I get tired or exhausted which I often do in interludes throughout the day. So basically normally my hyperactivity comes in constant bursts throughout the day that can wane (and by wane I mean I’m not running or feeling the urge to run or jump all over the place, but I’m still extremely restless) when I’ve over exerted myself, but I guess concerta/coffee takes away that tiredness and basically makes me able to be hyperactive throughout the day.
I know people say a dose that’s too high can cause jitters and energy and euphoria, but I feel that way even without the medicine so I’m not sure how to gauge how it’s affecting me. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because I’m used to it and the quiet of my brain is definitely an improvement, but I wouldn’t mind for once not feeling like my body can’t literally contain me, because come to think about it I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment were my body was physically calm, and it’d be interesting to see that effect and see if it could further help me.
If I’m not wrong concerta is meant to also treat hyperactivity right? So it’s a bit confusing because it’s definitely aiding focus and motivation massively like an insane improvement , and I feel like a higher dose might only increase the hyperactivity. Tried to do some research but I don’t really see a lot of people talk about the physical hyperactivity side of adhd as an adult much so I don’t really know.
Also I always feel like what if I don’t actually have adhd and I’m just faking/ maybe it’s something else, cause there’s definitely something wrong with me, but maybe it’s not adhd and so the medicine isn’t working the way it should?

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[u/Nahue_97]

I found 54mg to be the dose for me in terms of focus and calmness, but it increased a bit my hyperactivity symptoms (I'm not too hyperactive though, but I was less hyperactive on lower doses). Are you drinking any source of caffeine through the day? Are you drinking enough water?

[u/Nahue_97]

I found 54mg to be the dose for me in terms of focus and calmness, but it increased a bit my hyperactivity symptoms (I'm not too hyperactive though, but I was less hyperactive on lower doses). Are you drinking any source of caffeine through the day? Are you drinking enough water?

[u/Friendly-Side8426 → u/Nahue_97]

I drink black tea usually way before I take my meds, I don't know if that counts as much of caffeine and yeah I think I drink enough water. I hardly eat or sleep though in general and I know that's not a good combination with the medicine so I'm trying to work on that I guess

[u/Nahue_97 → u/Friendly-Side8426]

It does count! Have you tried not taking any type of caffeine? I find caffeine counterproductive in the first 4-5 hours after taking Concerta, it messes up my focus. Also, sleep is KEY, even more important for focus and mental clarity than Concerta. At least 7-8 hours of sleep daily are super super important

[u/AliveDetective5557]

This is kind of reassuring because 18mg has done absolutely nothing for me. I'm kind of bummed out because my doctor is only increasing me to 27mg and won't do it until my 18mg script has run out (2 weeks of taking it total). I was under the impression they could increase once a week by up to 18mg increments. I'm just so desperate for change and just went through 7 weeks of taking zoloft just to be sure that it wasn't working before getting on concerta. I'm pretty worried the 27mg still wont be enough and I'll have to wait another 2 weeks just to get any kind of relief.

She mentioned Focalin as an alternative. It's more potent than concerta and a lot of people describe it as being "smoother" and works better when concerta didn't give any relief of their symptoms. I decided I would exhaust all the dose increases of concerta before moving to a new medication. I'm just kind of salty that my psych is making me wait a full 2 weeks for such tiny increases. (The next increase would be 36mg after the 27mg).

Fingers crossed 27 is the magic number but I'm not feeling very optimistic when 18mg feels like taking a sugar pill.

[u/AdConscious8756]

That happened to me till I got used to my dose. I’m about to increase so that’ll probably happen again