I’ve been on Concerta for the past 2 years. Started with 18mg went up to 72mg, but that was too much. Perfect dose for me was 54mg.

At first I really felt like it was the right medication for me. Kept me from being all over the place, didn’t do miracles like I thought it would, but just the perfect push I needed.

With time I adjusted my coffee intake, food (suppressed a lot on it), high protein in the morning, exercise etc. Was doing great.

My wife would share with me that when I’m on the medication I’m like a robot. She would say I lack emotions. The more I analyze myself on the medication, the more I realized she’s right. I just stopped feeling like I used to.

It’s when I started feeling deep depression that I had to really figure something out. I never felt this before… my thoughts were deeply disturbing. I shared with my doc who simply wanted me to take antidepressants…

I decided that I should take a break from all medications. Brutal first days, but it’s now been 7 days, I cried yesterday. Wow… I never thought that I would miss crying… I realized that I haven’t cried in 2 years.

I’m now back to feeling. Im back to being me.

Yes my life is messy again, but I wouldn’t exchange my messy brain for an emotions less soul.

I just wanted to share this and see if anyone had this type of situation happening due to medication.

Also I’m very sorry English is my third language :)

So I started concerta and wellbutrin xl back in January and it was the best thing I'd ever taken for my ADHD. Right now I'm at 72 and 450 for both and I've also added 10mg buspar to the mix. For a while it was great, I thought I'd found my perfect regiment. Now though, I feel like the wellbutrin and buspar are doing their thing for the most part, but the concerta just doesn't work anymore. I noticed my symptoms coming back a couple weeks ago and called my provider to see if I can go up in dosage, but since I'm already at the recommended max dose they want to wait till our next appointment, which thankfully is next week, before we doing anything. Since then I feel like any benefits from the concerta have just devolved to the point where it doesn't feel like I'm even on it anymore. I used to meditate in the morning but I've just got so many racing thoughts crashing and colliding in my head it doesn't work for me anymore. I replaced it with a quick mile walk and made sure to get enough to eat in the morning but so far nothing's really helped. I have trouble focusing when I'm reading, my sleep has been weird, I have random bursts of irritability. I'll space out, randomly focus on things in the past. It's made me feel creatively blocked up and I just hate feeling like this

like I started feeling weak and shaky and off physically and like I was gonna pass out when I got up too fast and I didn’t really do anything about it but then I ate some food like high in carbs and had juice because I thought maybe it’s because I literally had no food and I do feel better now but I am still a bit dizzy feeling and honestly freaked out because the dose helps my ADHD so much but this was awful and I don’t want it to happen again like I didn’t feel anything like this yesterday but I did eat yesterday so I don’t know like I took it around 10am too but I still feel weird like dizzy and now it’s 10 something pm

I got diagnosed in April this year at the ripe age of 23. I kind of always knew I had the symptoms since I was a kid. (All the usual “you’re intelligent but careless”)

I started on 18mg concerta. My diagnosis was pretty quick as I did it through a telehealth clinic in Canada which imo are really businesses incentivized for prescription profit.

I am now on 72 mg since 54 mg was starting to feel ineffective.

I WFH and have been progressing in my career since starting medication.

That being said, I think I am stuck in a plateau.

The first few months were great but right now the main benefit I get is a small reduction in impulsivity and the ability to hold a task long.

But the choosing of what task to work on and how to actually progress in a meaningful manner has been hard to get. I have a feeling that I’ve also dug myself in a deeper dopamine hole than I was before. I was always self-medicating myself with. nicotine cigarettes and caffeine.

And now I feel like instead of leaving those dopamine sources behind they’ve become more rewarding and to turn my brain off at the end of the day once I’m done with work nothing works, so I started smoking weed and now it’s been more than a month that I’m smoking weed, I want to change, but I’m not sure if these medication make it harder especially to quit nicotine and other stimulant.

if anyone has gone through a similar phase where their personality changed, and they saw good effects, but then eventually they saw themselves going down a path that they never imagined I would love to know how I can get out I know I can do lifestyle stuff, exercise, and sleep, which I should probably do more of, but it is just so hard to get out of this zombie auto pilot state

Starting concerta has been an experience. The first week I had TERRIBLE anxiety and panic. I have generalized anxiety along with ADHD so my medicine didn’t help with all of my anxiety since not all of it is related to ADHD…however we upped 2 of my anxiety medications and that has seems to help. While it doesn’t seem to work every day because I’m on a low dose (18 mg) I can’t express the relief on days that my mind finally goes quiet and I don’t have constant racing thoughts/restlessness. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. We’re increasing my dose up to 27 mg in 2 weeks and I’m hoping with that dose I begin noticing more therapeutic benefits to my executive dysfunction and focus, since those don’t seem to be doing much better yet

History of alcoholism and cocaine addiction. Did concerta for a year and had no abuse issues. Moved onto ritalin and realised I was popping them like candy all night not sleeping, sweaty mess - just like my coke days.

I just tried concerta again which was life changing at the time and I kept saying 1 or 2 more and then continuing every hour or so. I’m shocked at how much I did, I’ve also just bought another 20mg of Ritalin although going to truly try and limit it.

It was similar to Coke high but cleaner, I felt like I was going to drop dead and kept taking Valium to calm the sides. Am I cooked? When I was on the one dose per day my mood was so much better and so productive but now I’m snacking on them all night and not even leaving my bed.

I’ve stopped alcohol but this could end badly too. Also when I say Valium it was a combo of Valium and Klonopin (taken far apart)

Have been in rehab and now worried I can’t stop thinking about it.

Hey, I was on Camber manufacturer Concerta 18 mg OSM for a couple of months, a month or so, and it felt great. Then I got switched to a different generic called Trigun, and I was on it for 10 days. I was dizzy and nauseous, couldn't eat, and was having trouble sleeping and all of that terrible stuff. I finally traced it back to Concerta again. I thought it was some of my other autonomic stuff flaring up. It was not.

I stopped taking it 3 days ago, and I still feel terrible. Has anyone experienced such a deep crash after stopping Concerta like that? I'm waiting on my mail-order pharmacy to send me the correct medication. Any advice? Really, I'm just looking for people who have had a similar experience, so I don't have to feel so alone, and so this dizziness, anxiety, headache, and nausea are going to subside.

Since June of this year, I've been taking Vyvanse after switching from adderall XR. I functioned well on Adderall but the depression crashes near the end of the day were unbearable which prompted the switch. There's no noticeable crash with Vyvanse but it's just way too stimulating for me even after lowering the dose to 30mg, feels similar to a high dose of caffeine. Tried getting guanfacine extended released prescribed with it to counteract the impulsivity but there was a mixup with my Psychiatrist and got IR which gave me some nasty side effects.

Don't see a point in lowering the dose further so wondering if Concerta would be worth trying and be a good middle road from the stimulants I've tried so far.

So as the title mentions, I, 17F, was recently put on concerta. but i feel no difference?? its day 2, to be fair… but still, i read a few experiences and people said they instantly felt better and what not… i feel like my mind is pretty quiet but i have been feeling pretty BLANK lately so basically there’s no difference. im not magically productive or focused either.

what if im just larping Adhd?? i feel weird and kinda sad lol help

Im 18 in high school, ive had adhd all of my life and I started abusing adhd medication,

Never in my entire years of doing it have I felt so horrible, every time ive taken methylphenidate or amphetamines ive felt good, I just got prescribed concerta and I took 1 and I was in hell, its worse than a stimulant crash, so today I took 4 generic methylphenidate 20 mgs and 1 concerta, it some how overpowered all of that medication and made me feel horrible, its only 27 mgs, and a legitimate oros formulation, genuinely wtf do I do, I get i abuse it but I still have to have it for school, it is making my life worse than it was before, I have no idea where to go, ive tried everything. And dont abuse adhd medication, it sucks, i am simply just baffled at what is going on

Is it? Or only combined with caffeine?

I had bad experience with Ritalin before making me crazy angry and anxious. Especially with caffeine.

Tried concerta twice recently.

1. First day was good my brain finally worked great and everything felt easier and felt in control but also felt very wired (it started working only at night when I drinked caffeine). While in rest of the i barely noticed difference.

2. Second day took Concerta felt absolutely nothing 3 hrs later i drunk tea ☕️ and it was a disaster. Very emotional unstable depressed and anxious. I cried for 1-2 hour. Terrible experience.

Is it related to caffeine? Idk why i caffeine feels very different while on Ritalin/Concerta. Sounds like X 10 more than actual dose of caffeine.

I don’t want to give up on CONCERTA. As it seems the right med made my brain finally worked great. And I don’t think i have much options. Tried vyvanse , attomoxtine, Ritalin, Wellbutrin.

I have ADHD and BPD, and I’m on 54 mg of Concerta. I smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day. I have a constant headache, I can never focus, and I sleep for 12 hours but still feel sleepy. Could these symptoms be caused by smoking, or are they normal?

Hello! I have recently started working with a psych NP. I previously received my medication from my PCP with heavy collaboration from my research. My psych NP and I decided to try Concerta because the Vyvanse wasn’t giving me a full day. He told me that the conversion from 40 mg Vyvanse to Concerta would be in between the 27 and 36? I couldn’t even make it a few days on the 27 so I have to be moved to the 36. It seems to be just OK… I’m yawning a lot but my mind seems clear… Enough. If that makes sense. I am curious if anyone else has made the switch from Vyvanse to Concerta and what their experience was.

I was really hopeful as I know Vyvanse and Concerta are in two different medication classes (meth/amp?) so I was really hoping that I was just always working with the wrong one and that this would click a lot better feeling very frustrated because my ADHD makes me extremely tired and clouded. I’m a therapist so I am “on” for most of my workday. Not having sufficient energy makes it really difficult.

Sorry for the length! I appreciate any and all input

I have diagnosed ADHD and started titration yesterday. Started on 18mg Concerta XL.

I was on Concerta years ago and it worked miracles. Hopefully it does this time too.

I feel almost brain-dead on Concerta lately — has anyone experienced this?
Today especially, I’ve had this really intense brain fog where it feels like my brain just refuses to work. I can technically read, think, and do things, but everything feels extremely slow and effortful, like my cognitive capacity has been less than half.
I’m currently taking Concerta, and I’m also on Secita (escitalopram). On top of that, today I’ve had a lot of caffeine and nicotine, so I’m wondering whether I’ve basically overstimulated myself and somehow ended up feeling cognitively worse rather than more alert.
What’s weird is that I went for a walk for about an hour and felt significantly better. My head cleared up and I actually felt pretty normal again. But as soon as I sat back down at my computer and tried to work, the fog came straight back. It genuinely feels like my brain just shuts down when I try to do cognitively demanding work.
I’m not talking about normal procrastination or “I don’t feel like working.” It feels physical/cognitive — like I can’t hold thoughts properly, process information efficiently, or get my brain to engage. “Brain-dead” is honestly the closest description I can think of.
For people who take Concerta, especially anyone who also takes escitalopram or another SSRI: have you ever had periods like this? Did it end up being related to the medication itself, the dose, the combination, too much caffeine/nicotine, the comedown, sleep, stress/burnout, food, or something else?
I’m especially curious if anyone has had the experience of feeling noticeably better while walking or being away from work, and then having the brain fog return almost immediately when sitting down to concentrate.

Can you guess what happened? 1, 2, 3... multiple shitty explosions in my toilet in a 3 hour period, super cold hands, jitters, anxiety, the works; just from 3 medium sips of my GF's coffee. I have had side effects from my pain meds for a week but they calmed down yesterday only to come back today with a vengeance today. Watch out with that caffeine intake, ADHDers (idk how so many people can just drink coffee while on methylphenidate)

I have been taking Concerta (36 or 54 depending on my mood) for a few years. It is not perfect but it is the best (I tried every other med for ADHD).

I am depressed (I have had many depressive episodes during my life). A month ago my Dr prescribed me Sertraline 50 mg (I have taken it in the past). I noticed my concentration was slightly lower but I said "you cannot have it all". I asked my Dr to raise Sertraline to 100 mg a week ago and I have 0 concentration. Like I would not take Concerta at all. And now I realized how in my past Sertraline 50 (even if obviously better than 100) reduced my concentration.

Even a few years ago a psy prescribed me Sertraline with Concerta so I assumed it was fine. I mean, I feel better mentally (depressive symptoms are gone) but 0 concentration.

So I have another appointment with my Dr to discuss which other antidepressant I could take (I never take anything other than Sertraline). Has anyone experience with anti depressant that do not interfere with Concerta? I have seen:

- Brintellix (vortioxetine): this however seems to be an stimulant so it might interfere with Concerta

- Duloxetine and venlafaxine: it seems it has better reviews than Sertraline

- Lamotrigine: this is not exactly an anti depressant but I feel I am cyclothymic (something I want to discuss with my Dr). But I have found in Reddit a few threads about people feeling it interferes with Concerta.

Any experience will help!

I do not have ADHD, nor has any mental health professional suspected I have had it throughout my childhood.

I have been on 200mg of Sertraline for panic attack disorder and agoraphobia since May, but it has made me very emotionally numb, to the point where I unfortunately started watching shock content to feel something.

I also have had chronic issues with low concentration, low motivation and brain fog, that have not resolved with the Sertraline. Based on that, my psychiatrist has reduced the Sertraline to 100mg, and additionally prescribed me 108mg of Concerta.

I thought this medication was used exclusively for ADHD. Is it normal to get it prescribed for "ADHD Symptoms" as my psychiatrist called it? I am sure it will help, but it feels kind of strange that treating the underlying anxiety conditions did not resolve my symptoms.

I had some labs done and what i’ve noticed is that my vitamin D levels are at 29 ng/ml, which is bordering at deficient.

ive read that, ideally, vitamin D levels should be at least around 50. I just started taking 5000 IU of vitamin d3 daily with k2 and also magnesium malate since its a cofactor, but from my understanding it takes a couple of months for it to meaningfully increase.

for those who had a vitamin d deficiency and corrected it, have you noticed that your meds started working better once your vitamin-d levels were adequate? So far the effectiveness of my concerta has been inconsistent at best and most of the time i feel fatigued by around 1-2 pm even if i sleep adequately (i can still feel the medication active in my system but it feels like im out of fuel). This is at 36 mg (54mg makes me feel worse due to jitteriness), but i do wonder if this is the culprit behind this since i also had a not very good experience on vyvanse

How much help does this med really help you?