Concerta XL helps me alot as I am nearly an adult :D

Out of all of the medications that my son has been on, Concerta has been the most effective.  Focalin and Vyvanse have made him angry and caused a reaction when he came down off of the medication.  Concerta has been smooth sailing up until now.

Other than appetite issues with my son.. Concerta has been a Godsend for both my son and my husband. As a teenager, my son doesn’t get up until later in the day on the weekends so he takes a shorter acting ritalin on those days so weekends don’t go to “he(( in a handbasket”

Concerta has been helpful for me and I also take a short acting ritalin in the AM to get a jump start and in replace of concerta on weekends when I do not have alot that needs to be accomplished.

my son is taking concerat (lowest dose). his performance at school has improved and he’s only been taking it for a month now. he’s calmer and more responsive and cooperative to my instructions and directives.

My son just started taking 18mg of concerta.  It hasn’t been a full week yet but certain things have changed a little.  Like i think he’s been wearing his glasses in school for the first time!  He’s still shows signs of ODD but is able to do more of his chores around the house (even tho grumpy).  He’s 13 and used to be in the gifted and talented program.  Last coupla years he’s done worse and worse in school.  He is no longer in the gifted and talented program and we are hoping for straight C’s just so he’ll graduate 7th grade.  I wonder what can we reasonably expect on Concerta?  Will our son ever be able to get even close to his potential?  Will he ever consider studying or doing homework????

To TiredMom, don’t give up hope.  Maybe the Concerta will help.  Your son is entitled to instruction which meets his educational needs and if he is 2e, then he should get instruction which is designed to challenge him (the gifted part) and supports to help him reach that potential (the ADD part).  My son is also gifted and recently diagnosed with ADD (inattentive type).  He started Concerta over a month ago and we have noticed a big difference in his ability to focus on math, which was the only thing giving him a problem at school.  At home, we notice much less arguing.  Best of luck!

My son was on Concerta for two years, ages 10 - 12. It helped him a lot during that time. He was calmer and more focused and did better in school. Unfortunately after two years he developed tics and had to stop the Concerta. The tics went away after he stopped taking it.

Hello, my son started on Metadate but the time coverage was not satisfactory. Then, he switched to Strattera for better time coverage but it increased his aggravation. Now, he is on Concerta which has similar time coverage as Strattera w/o the increased aggravation; though, he augmented his treatment w/ Abilify to help w/ impulse control and mood swings. He is currently in middle school.

I am an dad with ADHD.  I am currently taking 27 mgs of Concerta and 150 mgs. of Effexor XR (anxiety issues).  I have been on these meds for over one year and they are helping me greatly.

My son who is five years old has been diagnosed with ADHD.  He was placed on 18 mgs. of Concerta about one month ago.  On the positive side the Concerta has really helped my son’s focusing at school, coloring/writing, and following of directions.  However, his food intake has decreased and he has become more emotionally labile.  Generally in the evenings, he will become irritable, weepy and/or aggressive with my wife and I.  He also will not fall asleep until 12:00 PM.

I remember having what I called the “evening” blues when I first started taking Concerta.  However they seemed to diminish after a couple of months. 

I am wondering if any other parents have observed what I described in their children?  If so, what was the eventual outcome?

I am thinking that Concerta may not be the appropriate medication for my son.  I am thinking that Adderal may be worth trying.  Any thoughts?

My son started Concerta when he was 5 and he is now 7.  The Concerta does wonders for him but it has taken 2 years for him to realize what it does. A month ago he asked to go off of it because he was tired of not eating with friends and getting irritable when forced to switch activities.  I agreed and let him try life with out it—after a few weeks he asked to go back on—his father ( who has always been against the medication because he does not understand it) said no it was a crutch so another week of disaster went by and my son came home crying real tears and telling his father it was his fault he was having such a hard time. He said “I want the medication back I want to have an easier time at school-I want to be the person I was.  I see what it does and I now know that I need it.  I will do my best to remind myself to eat high calorie snack so I get the calories and I will drink more fluids and eat better in the am and morning but I can not go to school with out—not for now anyways:.  So he is back on the medication and a much happier child.  If your child is on medication talk to them if he can’t get the words out have him draw pictures to express it.  Then talk to the doctor there are many things you can do.

My 11 YO son is on Concerta. Tried 2 others which had more problems. He likes Concerta and feels it helps him. He is on 18 so lowest dose. However his dad & I have noticed he is getting facial tics in morning and nite as it wears off. I’m afraid he will have to stop. Any ideas?

Concerta 27mg is the first ADD med I’ve taken.  (I’m a mature adult, and have received no treatment for my inattentive-type ADD until now).  For the first four days I was astonished at how much more focused I felt.  But after that, its effect was much less noticeable.  I’m going to suggest to my physician that we bump it up a notch, because its effect is really subtle now, and my wife doesn’t see much improvement in my behavior. 

I feel that its effect ends too early in the day for my liking:  I’d like to feel more focused in the evening when I’m interacting with family (wife is working and kids are at school during the day). 

On one day when I took meds later than usual, they persisted past bedtime.  I felt too stimulated to sleep, but did notice that the tossing and turning and racing thoughts that usually keep me awake, or that wake me after a few hours’ sleep, were much less of a problem.

I am a dad with ADD. I am taking Concerta 36mg since one month ago. It helps me enormously to focus at work, to reduce impulsive behaviors, to reduce sudden anger attack. It works well in the morning and since I take Concerta early in the morning (5:00AM) by 2:00PM I can feel the effect wearing off and by 5:00PM is completely gone. Concerta does not seem to me reducing OC symptoms (is it supposed to?) that in my case are not heavy anyway. I am experiencing almost every night the so called “evening blues” something that I never had.
Overall I am happy enough with Concerta. I do believe that it is matter of adjusting the dose and maybe adding Abilify to help with impulse control and mood swing.

@ E’s Mom—I too have noticed tics on my son—usually only when he first takes it after not taking ( he does not take it on weekends so usually Monday Mornings) and when he has not had enough food or drink.  If I see him doing this I remind him he needs calories and to get something to eat and drink.  Which he does not want to do( lack of appetite), Once he gets fluids and a high calorie snack in him it goes away. Oh and because he does not really want to eat I try to find high calories in small amounts for him.

This is in response to David_1’s post, but hopefully it will helps others.
My 12 year old son has been on Concerta ER for at least 3 years. We have tried many other medications, and this one works the best for him.
My first suggestion is to keep a close eye on his diet. I have found the Feingold Diet to be extremely beneficial for him. It was not a cure, but makes a huge difference in his behavior. High doses of Omega-3’s, especially EPA is beneficial for the brain as well.
Second, if you have not tried other medications such as Adderrall, it may be worth trying. It’s really the only way to know which one works. Some have fewer side effects than others.
Thirdly, we have had major issues with weight loss using the Concerta and have recently stumbled upon some golden knowledge. Periactin, which is an antihistamine, is an appetite stimulant. He has been using it for about 6 months with the Concerta and it has worked wonders. He has not had any side effects from it and is much happier to be hungry. His doctor prescribed 4mg/2x’s a day, but I only give him one in the morning, and works well. It takes a week or two to get their appetite going.
I am not fond of giving my child a pill at all. I have done a ton of research, and continue to research to find the best, healthiest options for my child. We have tried many natural alternatives with no success. This is what works for now. His quality of life is much better, so I am able to sleep at night, knowing I am truly helping him in the best way I can.
Each child is different, so I encourage you to try everything you can. Best of luck to you!

One more note regarding insomnia. I have found that it goes away after some time, but my doctor recommended Melatonin, which is a chemical that your body produces to make you feel sleepy. Therefore, it is natural and non-habit forming.
You can find it at your local drug or health food store.

Thanks BB2001 - Sleepng and eating is my biggest complaint for my almost 10 yr old son and the doctors do not seem to listen to me. Weight wise he was in the 80th percentile and this last year about 37th - his GP said he’s not concerned unless he gets to the 5th percentile. Well I refuse to let that happen. The phyc. suggested Benadryl awhile back so was giving it to him every night which helped some but then one visit she (the MD) said I shouldn’t do that every night so we stopped.  The Phtc MD wants us to start Stratera And stay on 18mg of concerta until it takes affect.

My 11 yr old son has been taking Concerta since he was 5 years old.  He initially was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 4.  We did test out a few different medications initially and none of them worked as well as Concerta.  He is up to a 56 mg dose now and we are just noticing a sleep problem.  I am going to try Melatonin to see if it makes any difference.  I have also noticed that he is one of the shortest kids in his grade.  I am concerned about his growth rate but know that he can not possibly go unmedicated.  We recently tried a “medication holiday” for two days and lets just say we won’t be doing that again anytime soon.

My 9-year old son takes melatonin every night to help him fall asleep (2 or 3 mg).  The doctor recommended it and it’s worked wonders.  He’s taking 36mg Concerta, which really helps him, but without the melatonin, he’d be up until midnight - up and busy in his bedroom, not just lying in bed awake.  He takes the melatonin 1-2 hours before he needs to be asleep.

Are there any adult ADD’rs that have been taking the “Brand” Concerta, switched to the generic version that is now being dispensed? If so, do you have any comments on its’ effectiveness or differences to you from the branded pill? After a brief chat with the prescriber today, I am prompted to ask for any input that may be out there. Hope to hear from the group members on this topic.

I take the Concerta (brand) now.  I wanted to try new generic version, but my insurance makes me pay the same amount for the generic.  So I have no financial incentive to change.  Anyone else having the same experience?

My 12 year old son has been taking the generic version for the last two months. I personally think it is not quite as effective as the brand name. It also seems to wear off faster. I will be curious to hear comments from others.
Since it is summertime, I’m not as concerned, but when school starts I will definitely be asking our doctor to request brand name only. It only saves me about $30, which adds up, but not worth the difference I have noticed.

My 13 yo son has been taking Concerta for 2 years now.  It has helped tremendously.  I am concerned about his weight since he is in the 5% for his age/height.  I’m asking his dr to research the Periactin as a possible appetite stimulant.  I would appreciate any comments from others that have tried this.  Do you take it at night (since it can cause drowsiness) or during the day to increase appetite?

My 13 yo son has been taking Concerta for 2 years now.  It has helped tremendously.  I am concerned about his weight since he is in the 5% for his age/height.  I’m asking his dr to research the Periactin as a possible appetite stimulant.  I would appreciate any comments from others that have tried this.  Do you take it at night (since it can cause drowsiness) or during the day to increase appetite?

The doctor prescribed Periactin, 4mg, 2xday as an appetite stimulant. It took a couple weeks to get his appetite going and now I only give it to him in the morning, with no drowsiness reported.
It may have caused a little bit of drowsiness at first, but not enough for him to complain. Of course, everyone reacts differently to medications, so summertime would be a great time to start it in hopes that the drowsiness would subside by the time school begins again.
Good luck, and be sure to share your success with us.

My son has been on Concerta for three years with brief breaks to try Strattera and Intuniv. Concerta works better than either of these medications for my son. Concerta helps him to focus in class and the two times he tried other medications, his grades dropped significantly!

The downsides to Concerta are the appetite suppression and stomach cramps. The stomach cramps lasted only a few days when he would restart the medication. As far as his appetite, we try to fill him up with proten first thing in the morning before he takes his pill, then in the evening when it wears off he eats a snack and dinner.

The only other problem is that it usually wears off by the time we all get home and get to work on homework. But I’d rather have him lose his concentration at home where we have the patience and time to dedicate to him rather than at school.

I tried it as an adult even though it is a stimulant and I am bipolar.  Some days it worked great!  Other days it made me manic - enough so to get me fired from a job for the first and only time in my life!  Stimulants are not recommended for bipolar mood disorder folks, and I’ve since learned I was lucky it didn’t launch me into a serious mania.  If we use it at all, we need a teeny tiny dose.  (I strongly advise against Strattera for bipolar folks as well - see that forum if curious.)

My daugter is 10 and has been taking Concerta.  For the last two years every school years seems like we have to up her medication. I use to only give it to her during the week because she hates to take it.  However people tell me that I should give it to her over the weekend.  What do I do about her not wanting to take vs me knowing that if she stays on it for seven days she probably a lot better off?  any advice or insite.

We are a house full of Concerta users.  Our now 12 yr old son has been on it for 3 years, myself for 2 and my husband was just changed.  To “cant get up”, we’ve been on generic since this past May.  With brand Concerta, I could tell the peaks and troughs and because of my work schedule, I needed 10 mg of methylphenidate the last 6 hrs of my shift.  With the generic I don’t notice the dosing and I haven’t needed the additional med.  My husband was on Vyvanse and has commented he doesn’t seem to be as easily distracted on Concerta.

I am a 54 y.o. female who was diagnosed with ADHD 18 months ago.  I have taken Concerta since receiving the diagnosis. I noticed immediately positive changes in my behavior.  My appetite was under control for the first time in my adult life.  I had cravings for “junk” food nearly every single day before the concerta.  I have also been able to get through every day without needing to nap.  Before medication, I could not continue through my days without napping in the early afternoon.  I believe I worked so hard to concentrate through the mornings, that I simply wore myself out.  During the first several months after diagnosis, I went through many trials of supplementary medicines to alleviate my mood disorders which accompanied my ADHD.  It was necessary to discontinue all of those meds due to side effects.  During the past year I have been taking 72 mg of Concerta with no other medications.  I take 36mg early in the morning, and the additional 36mg around 11a.m.  I was unable to handle the total 72mg taken at one time, and it was not pleasant by 5p.m. when everything appeared to “leave” me.  Now, the 36mg I take at 11 seems to carry me through the day and into the evening.  I am searching for additional help with my time management and mood issues, but, have not found success with additional meds…strattera, buspar, and a few others.  Is there anyone out there who has had success with any supplements to their concerta intake to help with depression, anxiety, mood fluctuations?  During the 20+ years prior to my diagnosis, I unsuccessfully spent many years on prozac, zoloft, celexa, lexapro, wellbutrin, and effexor.  Thank you in advance for your ideas.

My son started on 36 mg of Concerta (name brand) at the last 2 months of the school year when he was 9..he was about to fail 3rd grade so after trying counseling and punishing and changing his diet I finally gave in,  It worked immediately and he didn’t fail.  The 1st few weeks he lost 8 lbs and stayed up til midnight.  But gradually he started going to bed earlier and earlier to a time I can deal with..sometime between 10 and 10:30…usually closer to 10..which was when he went before meds.  In the summer I tried to take him off meds.  He started having some impulse control probems at his summer program so I requested a lower dose and the dr. put him on 27 mg..which worked for impulse control and when he doesn’t need as much focus.  WHen he went to Scout camp and church camp I increased his dose back to 36 mg…for the focus.  He now continues to take 27 mg on the wkend and when he is out of school.  On the occasional day we don’t go anywhere I let him have a med free day.  Have learned to feed him before school and let him eat as let as he wants at night and he loves the protein drink…Boost.  He lost 4 additonal lbs at church camp..even though I sent peanut butter and Boost for him to drink @ night.  He quickly put it back on when he got home..but still hasn’t regained the original 8lbs lost.  He takes TKD in the evening and is doing very well with that since the last couple of months…so I am thinking he is doing well even after the meds are out of his system.  He had tics off and on before meds..they initially got worse…but then improved.  Before Christmas this year I was called a couple of times because of eye twitching bothering him..so I took him to the Dr and he was given another med (which I can’t even remember the name of now)  He only took it a few days before Christmas break and the twitching stopped (even though it was supposed to take at least a week to work).  I believe he believed it would work sooner so he stopped it himself.  If he twitches now I try not to say anything and have asked the teachers to do the same..it usually stops on its on.  I only gave him the anti tick medicine about 3-4 days..before Christmas break and he hasn’t needed any since coming back from Christmas break.  I hate giving him meds so glad when he didn’t need it.  But I am thankful for what the Concerta has done.  When generic became available I swithched to it mainly for the cost…I didn’t notice any chnge ..but have heard others have…probably gonna post about that in a different thread.