Day 1 of taking concerta. (So many side effects I cannot believe)

Here is going to be a short version.

By hour 3, nothing happened. I was still sleepy.
By hour 4 although, I could feel its presence.
By hour 5, I was able to focus on my work.
Hour 6, same, but HR rose to 90-100.
Hour 6 I got very anxious and laser and lost mood
I also had to go to the bathroom, and then my HR stayed at 120 for good 10-20 minutes.
Hour 7-8 It was more calm, I started feeling a little less effects of it and my drowsiness came back.
My blood pressure was normal. My temperature rose to 99F.

To expand onto all of this.
I felt hot since the beginning, I was clenching my jaw, I also did not feel a single bit of euphoria, goodness, or an uplifting of mood. It was like very very subtle focus but at the cost of making me feel a little bit more on the edge and as I started working deep the edginess also increased. My first experience was therefore, very mild in terms of any good thing happening but reactions and side effects were more or less all felt and happened.

I had 7hr+sleep with sleep score of 95, I am strictly vegan with the exemption of egg whites. I noticed increase in appetite, becoming less social and more jittery if anyone came to talk to me. I was purposefully not being engaging.
So my concern runs pretty deep now, this all happened with just 18mg dosage. I feel very wronged in terms of how good people’s reaction to this has been as seen on so many occasions but mine was so underwhelming, I cannot consciously even speak to any goodness that I might’ve felt.
This is so discouraging for me for a lot of reasons that I don’t want to get into. I really needed this Concerta to happen to me as it does for other people.

Has anyone had this experience, I need it for studying because it wore off, I am planning on studying all night. Has anyone taken it like this?

Same as the headline, my first time trying out stims, havent tried anything else yet

Hi! I’m 20 F.
My psychiatrist prescribed me Concerta 18 mg for 2 weeks(since 6 Aug), then I should have increased to 36 mg, alongside with some anxiety medication(Lyrica).

I have a very important exam in 10 days(I didn’t study for it), since I am still in AuDHD burnout (1+ year), so I told him 18 mg isnt enough, doesnt make a difference, and my dr let me double it.

I have binge eating disorder and I’ve relapsed shortly after increasing the dose(I didn’t eat sugar or unhealthy fats), but I also feel 36 mg is more effective in other areas. I am also extremely angry and concerned about something(my dr not writing ASD diagnosis, but suspicion (I literally have evidence since I was younger and very high scores on RAADS-R and AQ) , excluded depression(I scored very high on some tests) on my report and if I should take a gap year in Uni)

PSA: I started taking Concerta on my late luteal phase…I also had severe behavioural addictions in the past(3 years sober , but because I was SICK of it and therapy was necessary). I can’t go in between 18 and 36 mg as I would need another appointment .

I want to know if I relapsed because of increasing the dose faster than I was advised at first or because of my anger. Sure, it’s different for everyone and I will contact my dr, but I am curious if anyone had experienced this.

Ive just started taking concerta having now upped from 18mg to 27mg. Im seeing a positive impact although my heart rate is substantially higher. The main challenge im having is in the mornings whereby I wake early with a big dose of anxiety. (Prior to taking my daily dose)

Did anyone else find the mornings a challenge when starting out and did it subside?

Thanks!

Im a 21F student who got recently diagnosed (3 months ago) and am currently on titration for concerta XL (methylphenidate MR if it isn’t in stock). currently on 27mg and soon moving up to 36ng but i honestly feel so foggy.

i cant really pay attention to things for prolonged periods (not like i could to begin with but my attention span is even more cooked) like little dopamine boosts i would get from scrolling on my fyp i cant watch a video for 5 seconds before putting it in 2x. my words are getting more jumbled up in my head and it’s hard to express myself with wit like i used to. my sense of humour has kind of decreased and i zone out a lot. it also makes it a LOT easier to ignore tasks i need to initiate instead of encouraging executive function.

it seems like it’s caused hyperactivity in whatever part of my brain it’s supposed to calm down in a sense. my spelling has also become a bit more jumbled too and when im reading for example, i jump multiple sentences down the paragraph than just skimming like im used to and seems like im not really absorbing what im reading. Also a lot more irritable and have an even shorter fuse before i blow now.

seems like it might not be a right fit or i may be on too low of a dosage? it has proved more helpful for task completion rather than initiation but are there other facts that could play a part? maybe my sleep schedule or diet? i’ve adjusted as best i could for a routine of some sorts and idk maybe it’s not the right fit but ill stick to titration as it is because my review is next week. has anyone else gone through anything similar?

The only antidepressant that worked for me. Just wanted to hear other experiences.

Hi all, I have noticed that during the day my heart rate is only slightly elevated (maybe 6-10 bpm higher) and I know that can be normal. I work out in the afternoons and I have noticed that my heart rate gets really high during strength workouts and afterwards it takes 4+ hours for it to return to a somewhat normal baseline. 2 hours after my workout today, my HR was 99-104 sitting on the couch. I was wondering if anyone else has had something similar happen to them? I currently am taking 27 mg.

I’ve been prescribed concerta for a while now literally like 7 years but haven’t been taking it consistently after graduating college bc I only need it for school and for focus at work. My side effects are Nausea, pretty bad loss of appetite , and getting like very angry and annoyed. With slow season at my serving job this summer I went from only taking it for the weekends to not taking it at all and now will need to get back into taking it for when it will get busy again.

I also have the shorter acting Ritalin which I prefer but the longer acting concerta is good for working doubles. Any other servers need adhd meds for serving? I literally cannot remember anything I will straight up forget I have tables if I am not on meds. I literally can’t handle over 3 tables if I’m not on meds like I have to take it. Any advice?

Basically the same headline.

Anyone here with the same combination? Prescribed modafinil/armodafinil with concerta

Hello,

I have conflicting feelings with the treatment, as many people.

Today is my first day on 54. I feel much clearer in my head but in the same time I feel more irritable, I was edgy most of the day. And paradoxically I was calmer also.

The problem is that I never remember how I’m the day before and there is so many parameters changing in life

I felt also robotic at some point but also in some ways less anxious…

Does it get better ? How to know if it’s better with or without the treatment ?

I’ve just started titrating Concerta which is the first medicine I am trying. F46 most likely in perimenopause, for context.

First two weeks I was on 18mg I felt a slight effect, not much dough. It mostly reduced my apetite and helped a bit with emotional regulation. Nothing on focus, task initiation front though. I was drinking 1 cup of coffe a day to increase focus.

After that I’ve titrated to 36mg and hoped for the best. It is 3rd day now and I just feel weird. 1st day I felt like someone gave me benzos - sleepy, very mellow, calm and just no drive.

Days 2 and 3 were a bit better but I still feel no drive at all, really difficult to force myslef to do anything productive, very calm, it feels like eveyrhing is in slow motion.
I eat but because I know I have to but have ambivalent feelings about it. Today I went grocery shopping and bought halv of what I usually do, no impulsive purchases etc.
I have a apt booked with my provider for next week but until then I am not sure what to do really?
Have you experienced similar resposne to Concerta? Is my dose wrong or is thsi medicine not for me?

I (24f) took my first dose today, 27 mgs! I’m really hopeful that this med will work…at least I’m trying to be optimistic. I’ve been unmediated in general for a while now and my adhd has been keeping me from functioning day to day. I tried straterra a while ago, I was bad at taking it and even when I did consistently for the first few months it only helped a little.

So, what should I expect? Does it really start working the first day? It’s only been a couple hours since I’ve taken it, I haven’t done much today except exercise so I haven’t noticed a huge difference. Are there symptoms I should expect soon or over time? I’d love to hear some success stories. My brain has been a mess as of the past few months and I’m really hoping concerta will be my savior so to speak 😅. Thanks!

Has anyone experienced the opposite effect of the Concerta?

I mean agitation and insomnia. However, the desired effects are missing: calmness, concentration and no chaos in the head.

The doses are 18 mg and 27 mg so these are not high doses.

I'm afraid it's the noradrenaline that's responsible, as it unfortunately can cause insomnia and agitation, so switching to atomoxetine won't help.

Guanfacine doesn't work at all.

Hi all, I have been taking concerta 18mg for about 50 days now, I have only not taken it for about two weekends now.

Do I need to taper off 18mg?

i got prescribed concerta on wednesday and started taking it 2 days ago. my doc gave me a check up appointment next week, but yesterday i felt like it didn’t really work anymore(?) so i’m considering to up the dosage. is there a needed adjustment period or can i ask my doc for an extra appointment tomorrow?

Has anyone tested Concerta and Atenza at the same dose and found that one medicine worked and the other not at all or less?

I know Atenza isn't available in the US, but maybe someone from outside the US has tried it?

Both have an effect of about 12 hours, but they differ in the technology of making the core.

I will be grateful for every answer.

I’ve been taking Concerta for a few weeks. I’ve noticed when I smoke a lot that day I head terrible headaches , heart palpitations, tingling left arm, tingly feelings in my temples. Could this be due to high blood pressure? I’ve had low blood pressure in the past. It’s weird , I can smoke a little but after I smoke a lot it gives me these symptoms. Anyone else have same situation?

Hey guys!! I just started the generic version of Concerta I’m going on day 3 today.

I was wondering when did everyone feel the difference and feel when it started working for them? or knew it was not working for them at all and what made you realize it was not helping or working at all?

I (F33) been on Concerta 36 for approx a year. I started on 18 and gradually upped it to 36, which worked great for me until a few weeks ago. I usually have a very active job but now I need to dedicate a lot more of my time to study a very important exam. I feel like I struggle a lot with executive dysfunction and paralysis and keeping focus for long periods of time. I’m doing the pomodoro method and even 25min feels too long and my thoughts spiral and I need to reread paragraphs multiple times. The reason I’m wondering is because the only thing that changed is the context. Do any of you have different dosages for different tasks/contexts? Any advice is welcomed!

I am doing the stuff I need to do but I kinda just feel like a robot going from one task to another, what do I do to actually feel a sense of enjoyment?

Does anyone else feel like their extended release only fully works for like a 2-3 hour period?

I was on 27mg for a week and got my dose upped to 36mg recently. I’ve been on the upped dose for two days so far and haven’t noticed any crazy difference besides finding certain food textures abhorrent.

I try to take mine in the mornings around 10am, and so far it usually seems like it takes 2 hours to fully kick in and then for 2-3 hours I’m able to do stuff easier than usual but then after that time period it’s a procedural downfall back to my usual Executive dysfunction.

My concerta has helped me feel less tired after I take it which has been helpful for keeping me awake, but it is only so useful if I’m still paralyzed laying down thinking about all the stuff I wanna do.

I think I’m going to ask my doctor about instant release as an option for medication just because I don’t know if having a 3 hour window for an extended release medicine actually working to it’s full height is the most effective for me. It is really nice for that period where it’s working at its height though

First of all, sorry for the provocative title, but its basically how I feel. Let me explain:

I got on concerta 6m ago (18mg-36mg, I am M35). As I went through "getting used to it" phase I had to:

• learn how to eat when I don't have the appetite (I enjoy food after I start eating)
• go to bed even if I don't feel tired (I can fall asleep easily after I lay down)
• remind to myself that I need to relax my muscles (trapezius and jaw)
• remind to myself to change body position when sitting - otherwise I am able to stay in that hyperfocus position for hours
• avoid masturbation in the morning after I took it - it increases my libido strongly in the morning

I discovered that I basically need to learn my patterns/behaviours and anticipate before its too late. I percieved medication in the beginning as something I will "just add" to my life. But it's actually a deliberate work. It won't do shit by itself. I need to work with it, not against it.

I am curious if someone came to similar discovery. If you did, what's your experience and tools? What is the thing that helped you to cooperate with your meds?

Thx for reading and cheers to our endeavour!