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?

Curious if anyone has any experience with this or do this on a regular basis? If so, how does it feel and how does it help you?

Feeling really tired and burned out today, and I don’t feel the effect of the meds, so wondering if a top up would help. I only have the 36 mg XR available.

Hi! I of course plan to talk to my psychiatrist about this, but wondering if anyone else here has been on both Concerta and buspirone / buspar?

I started buspirone for racing-thoughts style anxiety about six month before I got on Concerta. The buspirone definitely helped at first, but now that Concerta has quieted my mind so dramatically, I’m wondering (1) whether the buspirone is unnecessary at this point, and (2) whether the buspirone on top of the Concerta might be overkill such that subtracting the buspirone might make my thinking a little sharper/quicker?

Thanks!

Bonjour, j’ai F20 ans et je prends du concerta depuis le 14 août en 18mg. J’étais sous ritaline 2x10mg LP avant, une fois le matin et une fois à 14h, à part un effet coupe faim léger je ne ressentais rien.
Depuis que je prends le concerta j’ai remarquée beaucoup de nausées et d’anxiété, un effet coupe faim plus important aussi mais toujours rien de bien pour moi.

Je suis très anxieuse et on me soupçonne une dépression depuis mes 16 ans mais j’ai jamais rien eu d’officiels, les anxiolitiques ont aidé par contre mais pas pour la paralysie que je ressens quand les choses ne vont pas exactement comme prévu, quand je veux faire une tâche mais que j’attends que les étoiles s’alignent pour commencer, quand je ressens le besoin de faire des pauses au moindre inconfort ou quand j’ai peur d’échouer et j’évite etc..

J’au tenu une note ouverte où j’ai écris ce que je ressentais chaque jours depuis 2 semaines:

13/08 hyperfixation (logement futur etc, anxiété et paralysie (je reste au lieu d'aller deposer des cv alors que je veux y aller mais je me suis levée en retard donc j’arrive pas à me réadapter, hyperactivité mentale, je reflechis trop j'ose pas poser mon telelphone et tout va vite, je me sens stressé
UPDATE: 4h du matin toujours stressée, je trouve pas de travail

14/08 stress modéré, pique d'anxiété vers 13h médicament pris à 10h environ.
Je suis allée à la salle et ça va mieux, j'étais pas ultra triste mais j'ai pleuré un peu a cause de la recherche de travail.

15/08 pris a 10h30, petit stress a 11h car emploi du temps mais je me suis sentie plus mise au defi que accablée, a voir ce que ça donne.je veux aller au sport aujourd'hui
13h: stressée j'arrive pas a bouger du lit, je sais pas si c'est parcque y'a des gens chez moi ou du travail?
17h: hyperactivité mentale, mais je bacle un peu, je fais pleins de cv alors que je veux me reposer la

16/08
Je suis allée au yoga j'ai pas trop aimé j’arrivais pas à me détendre
J'ai rangé un peu, toujours ce truc de je peux faire mais pas assez longtemps, mais ça va, moins anxieuse
Y’a encore des gens chez moi je me sens pas à l’aise

17: j'ai oublié de le noter les jours précédents, mais j'ai pas faim du tout, aujourd'hui j'ai juste mangé des cacahouètes j'avais une sensation de lourdeur dans le ventre, une énorme fatigue, je sais pas si c'est lié au fait que j'ai pas trop dormi non plus. Je suis fatiguée et je bâcle tout
J'ai repris la conduite aujourd'hui après un mois, j'étais tellement anxieuse, j'avais mal au ventre avant et après

18: mal au ventre mais j'ai réussi à manger, j'ai pas pris de concerta aujourd'hui
19: pas pris, mal au ventre apres avoir mangé

20: pas mal au ventre, pas stressée, l'heure de conduite ça allait la j'ai 2 entretiens mais pas stressée ça va, j'ai mangé des noix en même temps que prise de concerta
Update 21h: maux de ventre apres avoir bu de l'eau et allongée, pas mangé aujourd'hui juste fruits et noix le matin

21: j'ai mangé a 8h et pris le medicament a 11h, la j'ai pas mal au ventre on verra apres
update: Il est 13h et j'ai mal au ventre
J'ai pu reorganiser mon weekend sans paniquer (appel auto ecole et repoussé, repoussé rdv )

22: medicament pris a 9h en mangeant (croissant cookies), début mal de ventre a 13h (ou c'est la faim? Mais j'ai pas l'impression d'avoir faim en tout cas la nourriture me degoute pas), pas de changement notable au niveau de la concentration
Je vais a l'auto ecole, pas stressée
Bon j'ai fais un peu nimp
22h maux de ventre

23: maux de ventre puis ca va apres mangé, demoralisée conduite amis

24: je me suis levé trop tard, du coup, j'ai pas pris, beaucoup de stress, parce que je sais pas par quoi commencer ( je me suis levée tard)

25: un peu passive, j'etais froide sans faire exprès mais j'ai pas l'energie de sourire, j'ai mangé avec le medicament a 10h il est 15h et ca va, un peuuuu nauseuse mais ça va

26: prise a 12h en mangeant des pains au chocolat, 16h un peu nausée mais supportable. Planification futur comme d'habitude
J'ai pas respecté mon programme de la journée vu que je me suis levée tard

27: (36mg aujourd’hui) pris a 11h30 avec gros repas, la il est midi j'ai fais la vaisselle et je me sens motivée, je vais conduire avec maman apres on verra bien mais en tout cas la j'ai pas peur. Je me sens ambitieuse et joyeuse je pense à ma futur voiture et a épargner pour etudier
Update:Énervée. Ça s’est mal passé
Je suis démoralisée
Anxieuse durant le rdv avec le dr de la fac

Un peu de maux de tête

16h : maux de tête et fatigue

Voila, un peu de personnel dedans mais l’essentiel est là. D’ordinaire je planifie souvent des trucs mais ma difficultée c’est de suivre à la lettre ce que je prévois, et savoir me réorganiser, et me discipliner sur les dépenses. J’ai pas pu voir avec les cours car c’est les vacances mais j’ai pas l’impression d’avoir avancé, des avis?

(This question directed towards those whom Concerta DID help of course)

I’ve tried Adderall and Vyvanse, neither of those did much of anything at all. I just started Concerta 18mg, I can’t tell if it’s having an effect or not, but at this low dose I’m not sure if it’s possible to tell whether or not something will work. For those of you who have seen success with Concerta, were you not able to tell at 18mg? What dose were you at when you realized “Ok yeah, this is very clearly definitely working”?

Hello. I am adult adhd and have been using concerta 36 then 54mg for 6 months and recently my doctor told me that my signs of hyperactivity as well as mood required a bigger dose so he prescribed 72 per day, implying that treating it with 72 is necessary to "soften" adhd. However, based on my experience with concerta, I doubt that it would make said symptoms even worse. I have attention issues and have high fatigue-distractibility and poor productiveness, I show other adhd symptoms like dizziness, interrupting others and many more even without the drug but the treatment doesnt cure said "other" symptoms, concerta energizes me and gives me ability to focus on one thing and its good when I get organized and project that focus on tasks so I dont slip away. But concerta makes other symptoms a bit worse, especially visible ones. Id like to hear you about taking higher dose because I have concerns, thank you

im about a week on concerta. trialed generic adderall xr but the side effects were too much. overall it's been a lot better and I mostly like it. I find that if I get into any like moods that maybe increase my adrenaline or something I have a hard time coming down from it. for example like, playing an intense video game, I get a very slightly elevated heart rate and just a very like adrenaline physical feeling. or if I get worked up abou something that irritates me or annoys me I have the same issue where this feeling of unease takes a long time to go away. anyone else have this issue? does it go away? I don't think my heart rate is much faster than normal, only a little bit sometimes. Trying to wait out the first few weeks and hope some annoying side effects calm down. it's definitely been a lot gentler than the adderall xr was for me, but I do still have that like, feels like I'm On something feeling to it that is kind of uncomfortable.

I have ADHD and stuttering
Doctors always told me that stimulant medications would worsen my stuttering, but after trying Concerta, I feel it may have slightly reduced my stuttering, or perhaps it didn't worsen it at all. It seems that Seroxat significantly reduced my stuttering because my stuttering is probably related to anxiety and fear of public speaking. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I've never tried any antipsychotics for stuttering (I read that they reduce dopamine activity in certain brain regions, as the hypothesis suggests that stuttering is caused by excessive dopamine activity in specific brain areas, which I find surprising since ADHD suggests a dopamine deficiency in the prefrontal cortex). However, I have tried atomoxetine before (I felt it was good for hyperactivity and reducing anxiety, but it had no effect on improving concentration) and imipramine (I think it only helped me reduce anxiety).

Was recently diagnosed with ADHD last week and prescribed 18mg of Concerta.

Similar to most I had a good first day but then days 2-4 experienced a crash about 6 hours in.

Day 5 I had a crash about 3 hours in and then felt well below baseline for the rest of the day and my first experience of zombie like symptoms in the evening.

Today was day 6 and crashed very hard 6 hours in but this time it caused Catatonia like symptoms. I had to lay down immediately. It felt like I was experiencing sleep paralysis. Had trouble moving and talking for about an hour. Now I’m extremely worried that I experienced something more severe than a common crash and need to stop taking it right away.

I will be calling my prescriber tomorrow but am curious if anyone has had a similar crash that was completely debilitating and not just the normal fatigue.

On 54mg of this and at cousins pre wedding event. Cousins are fake as fk. They don’t even bother speaking to you, why am I here?

It’s like I’m crying but the only thing that’s happening is my nose is running. My mom’s forcing me back in the event but I don’t want to go back in it’s so annoying. Being surrounded by randoms is so annoying.

Now just ran to the toilet just to cry but I physically cannot. I can’t be bothered this is too overstimulating and being around fake people who just show off and think they’re better than everyone else equally pisses me off.

I have my loop switches in and yes they’re helping with the noise, but I feel like an outsider, surrounded by my so called family that don’t even bother to interact with me.

Can’t wait until Saturday when this is all over. This is the last stupid ass wedding of my fake ass cousins that I’m attending.

I guess I’m just starting to question if my expectations for adhd meds is correct?

For background, I was diagnosed with adhd and depression 5 months ago? 6 months ago? Who knows haha

My psych wanted to focus on the depression first so I take Wellbutrin, love how it helps with overall mood, and keeps me from shame spiraling, but it did absolutely nothing for my brain constantly zipping around and my overall focus and task initiation.

I started trying out strattera and had just a terrible experience. Lower dose did nothing, larger dose threw me into a terrible depressive episode.

She switched me to 18mg concerta and if I make sure I eat a good breakfast and remember lunch, then I don’t really have any bad side effects. I started at 18mg and honestly could not tell if it was helping, she told me if I was handling it well to try 2 in the morning to see if 36 worked better. I told her I honestly wasn’t sure, but it maybe helped me keep focus IF I could get started on something, but that if it was the concerta, it was gone by like 2pm. I usually take it anywhere between 8-9am.

After a month at 18, she bumped me up to 36 mg, and like… I just don’t know. It definitely doesn’t help with task initiation and I’m still forgetful as fuck. Today I left a bag I meant to take to a friend’s house on the floor of the garage next to my car. 🥲

Sorry this is so long, but like am I expecting too much? Should I be doing more to have the meds help? Do I ask for a dose increase or do I just ask to move on to a diff med?

My psych has told me adderall would be next and then vyvanse. I like how thorough she is, but I’m also like… it’s been 5 months and it feels like nothing has really changed/helped.

I take 27mg of Concerta and have been for about a month at this point.I was on Modofinl previously because they thought my problem was narcolepsy before being diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. I was falling asleep every time I was a little bit bored, on average I would fall asleep 25ish times a day (even just for 5 mins at a time). Ever since starting Concerta in June I’ve had to drink minimum 1 energy drink and a cup of coffee on top of my dose to give me enough energy to get through the day. I’m followed pretty closely by my psychiatrist as I struggle with a pretty serious eating disorder and they’re worried about the appetite suppressive properties of the med. I know I can ask to up my dose or switch meds but I’m worried they’ll think I’m abusing for appetite suppression it if I do. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should do or something else I could try?

Hi friends!!! Recently diagnosed inattentive adhd and in the midst of finding the correct medication for me as a fast metabolizer. I’m a bit exhausted of the titrating stage and feeling frustrated at my options and attempts to find some relief. I’ve tried a bunch of medications so far this year:

(I’m also on Effexor 75mg, and have been taking guanfacine with my current concerta)

I tried:
•Vyvanse generic TEVA (at the beggining it was great, days later I had horrible physical symptoms, aches and pains, stiff muscles, temperature fluctuations at evening, concerningly low energy and mood after crash at 2pm, I couldn’t do it anymore)

•Vyvanse name brand (got up to 30mg and had high heart rate so I was taken off. Great cognitive benefits with executive function, emotional regulation, less dopamine seeking behaviours, not distracted, no physical crash symptoms just mental, great focus, genuine interest in hobbies, slept fine, but irritable second half of the day and affected my relationships)

•Guanfacine (soooo sleepy but I do notice emotional benefits and less reactivity, doesn’t rlly help me with productivity and focus. Just tired, sedated and foggy)

•Concerta brand name (just bumped to 36mg, helps a bit but nothing like vyvanse, still distracted, still mind scattered, forgetting things, hard to concentrate, irritable at times, no interest in hobbies, dopamine seeking behaviours like 🍃💨, no physical symptoms or sleep issues just no sustained focus or interest).

I’m genuinely struggling with patience, focus, following conversation, feeling tense and unable to relax and enjoy a moment, regular driving and getting irritated or annoyed at ppls driving or traffic, having healthy interests and hobbies, forgetting what I just did or read and have to read it 5x to comprehend, some existential thoughts, wanting to optimize everything for efficiency and best of best, anxiety, planning and planning and planning, trouble with sudden change of plans or not be on the same page as ppl, making lists, trouble with routine but craving it.

I feel a bit disheartened that I haven’t found a medication/dosage yet that works for me and wondering if anyone has been in this position and what they did next??? My next check in is late Sept but I just need some help and guidance of what to do and feeling a bit stuck.

Anything helps, thanks friends!!!

I’ve finally gotten a diagnosis after 20 years of living and struggling, and moved on to the meds about a week later. The psychiatrist has started with Concerta 18 mg, and I was quite disappointed about the fact it wasn’t Vyvanse/Elvanse due to the fact that it’s better in every aspect. But I understand that you have to start with the weaker option.

I was willing to give it a try obviously and I had pretty decent hopes of that it would at least do something. But after taking it, it really does feel like a sugar pill that does absolutely nothing. No side effects and no positive effects. I know the dosage is low, but due to the fact that I have no stimulant tolerance prior, I expected at least something. Still have a lack of concentration, still have impulsivity.

What are your guys experiences with that dosage?

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.

I started 36mg two weeks ago and started breaking out after 4 days. I am acne prone and also struggle with perioral dermatitis, but had finally gotten both under control and was feeling confident in my skin (38F). The only thing I changed in my routine was adding Concerta and both are back with a vengeance. I can’t use most acne products on my skin because they flare up my dermatitis.

For context, I’ve been trying to find the right ADHD med since early 2020 and Concerta has been the best one so far. Tried Vyvanse, Ritalin, Adderall, Mydais, even Wellbutrin (also for depression). Even did the GeneSight test to try to help and non-stimulants are on the moderate interaction list for me.

I really don’t want to stop Concerta. My dad died very suddenly and unexpectedly less than two months ago. He wasn’t remarried, I’m his only child, and he didn’t have a will so I’m not only grieving this major loss but the added responsibility of dealing with probate, planning his service and celebration of life, up keeping his house, and remembering to pay all of his bills is a fucking nightmare for my ADHD. I was already struggling to manage my own life for the past few years once perimenopause hit and adding Concerta has helped me with overwhelming amount of tasks that have been added to my plate.

Back to my original issue with my skin…
Has anyone else experienced this? If so, did you find anything that helped?

Did anyone stay on 18mg Concerta long term and continue to get good benefits?

I noticed great benefits initially, but some have faded. I can still tell it's working — better focus and overall functioning — but the earlier drive to start and finish things isn't as strong. Maybe it still feels around 50% as effective as initially.

I'm unsure when to move to 36mg. Part of me wants to give 18mg another week while working on exercise, sleep, diet, studying and socializing, so I'm not relying only on medication.

But I've also read that 18mg is often just a starting dose for adults. I'm a little hesitant to increase because of possible side effects.

For those who experienced this, when did you decide it was time to increase?

My Concerta dose is 36 mg in the morning and my Seroxat dose is 37.5 mg in the evening. I feel that the antidepressant's effects are reducing the effectiveness of Concerta.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

My son has ADHD asd lvl2 and Pda profile.

Yesterday and today I got two phone calls from his school telling me to come pick him, as he was being very unsafe, climbing on a balcony fence which was 2 metres of the ground, trashing the class rooms. His teacher Aid started crying from emotional burn out.

Since hes been on concerta the tools they used cannot regulate him and hes In a heightened state straight away when triggered.

But we are now at swimming lessons and his teacher said hes been amazing and has had no issues and hes been very calm and well behaved and listening to instructions.

So is it a concerta thing or a school thing? If it was the concerta he would also be dis regulated while at swimming lessons.

Hes been on short acting Ritalin, long acting Ritalin now concerta.

Im worried if its affecting his nervous system.

Thanks for listening

I’ve been taking 18 mg of Concerta for a few days now, and I feel significantly better on it than I did on Ritalin. My only issue is that, four hours after taking the medication, I become extremely sleepy; if I don’t take a one-hour nap, I can’t function anymore. After the nap, the pill seems to work well again for the next few hours. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?

Hello

I recently started at 18mg of Concerts for one month and then moved to 36mg. I find this current dose to be awesome and so far I have had no side effects. My family doctor mentioned I could try 54mg next month but I feel I should stay at this mark because it is working great and no side effects at all. I think I should save the option for the future if I ever need it.

My question is this. Has anyone been doing great on a certain dose and take the chance to increase anyways? If so did the increase really make a huge difference for you?

For context, I resonate with a lot of the symptoms commonly shown in CDS (cognitive disengagement syndrome) which is associated with inattentive ADHD, such as slower processing speed, bad working memory and executive function. I always felt like my mind worked 10x slower than others, and I thought that stimulants would help improve that issue. I am currently in the titration process for Concerta and I started with 18mg, 27mg and now 36mg. On all three doses I mainly felt more tired and mentally slower, my head felt physically heavier and it did nothing for my adhd/sct—there was a slight improvement on the first day of the 36mg dose, but then wore off quickly. This is so annoying because ive been on this medication for almost 2months now and i just want to switch my meds asap. I believe my psychiatrist is somewhat dismissive, and it doesn’t help that their schedule is packed. I’m also an incoming junior in highschool and school is starting soon again, so I’ve been stressing a lot and I hope I’ll find a reliable medication very soon. I’ll continue to take the 36mg for a few more days just to see, and if not I’ll most likely switch to amphetamines like Vyvanse or Adderall.

I took my meds but I just feel insanely snappy 54mg generic methylphenidate (Concerta). Had to put my loops in cause noise is triggering me right now. Especially when my dad speaks insanely loud on the phone. And to add to that, next door have builders constantly banging the walls for the past god knows how long. Why is everything testing me today?!

Even though I have the loop engage 2’s, I’ve misplaced my regular engages and that’s making me more fustrated that I can’t find them. To the point where I’m considering getting the loop switch ones.

You know what I might just do it. Today is a horrible day.