I am mostly inattentive/nonhyper ADD.

Today i had a terrifying experience and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I have been taking concerta now for about a month with the usual side effects for me, lack of appitite, trouble sleeping, dulled personality.

Today i took my dosage, 2 18 mg pills at about 7:00 am. Things progressed well during the day untill my last class 7:00 pm. At this time i think my concerta had worn of so i had alot of problems concentrating and couldnt follow what the professor was talking about. I was worrying about it all the way home and couldnt get it out of my head. I went to sleep at about 11:30 and woke up at 2:30. I tried to get back asleep but couldnt. My mind seemed to be locked in a state of ineffectivly anylizing things which wouldnt allow me to sleep, i was also a bit sweaty. I thought i might as well make the best of it and try to go over what we went over in class. I became increasingly frustrated and paniky because i couldnt understand how to do the assignment the professor assigned.

Then things got really bad. My heart rate was really fast and weak i had trouble breathing, i got really sweaty, my hands were trembling, i though i was going to go crazy. The mental aspect of this was the worst!

Being that I am a healty 22 year old and know the signs of a heart attack i didnt go to emerg. Being that i am also a bit of a computer nerd I just put my symptoms into google and it came up with Panic Attack. Which fit what i was going through perfectally, the website instructions helped me deal with what i was going through.

I HAVE NEVER HAD A PANIC ATTACK BEFORE. I would have remembered something like that :). I have felt anxious before but NOT like this. My questions for you are these.

1) Should i stop taking concerta?
2) Is this a side effect from taking concerta?
3) Has anyone else had these problems after using concerta?
4) If this is a normal side effect how do i stop myself from having another Panic Attack.

Im not sure if this should also be noted but i didnt really have alot to eat today either.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Since the Concerta seems to have worn off by the time you had the attack, it seems a bit premature to stop the meds because of the attack.

Luckily for me, I have LESS of these now because a lot of my panic attacks were due to delayed processing and being overwhelmed/shut down, and the Concerta helps me process stuff so there is less unprocessed stress and anxiety going on. This may be different for you though.

Is there anything that has changed in your life recently, or anything that you are worried about? Sometimes worrying about the effect medication will have can even cause panic attacks!

I agree - I don't think the Concerta was the cause of your panic attack - and it does sound like one. Since the drug would have been pretty much gone from your system by 7pm when your class started, your awareness of your lack of focus probably percipitated the attack(?)
You should talk to your doctor with regards to this, of course, as there are treatments for anxiety and methods that may be helpful in preventing another occurance.

Since the Concerta seems to have worn off by the time you had the attack, it seems a bit premature to stop the meds because of the attack.

Is there anything that has changed in your life recently, or anything that you are worried about? Sometimes worrying about the effect medication will have can even cause panic attacks!
:D hehe, well i suppose a major change would be going back to school and pushing myself to do well and not fall behind.

If you couldnt tell I was still in panic mode when I wrote that post. The lack of sleep didn't help either. I think my mind just became overloaded, this was probably exaservated by the fact that the Concerta had worn off. Also the fact that i was pretty sleep deprived.

I find that that once concerta wears off for the next 2-3 hours my mind is even more disorganized than it was before I took the medication. After the 2 -3 hours my mind goes back to its Baseline disorganization.

I think what you have said makes alot of sence. I certianly hope that this isnt a recurring thing. My mother (of all people) came up with an interesting hypothesis. I dealt with stress when untreated by utilizing my add. If i had some stress in my life it was easy to get rid of it just by shifting my focus to something else.

An ability i think probably everyone here has. Subsequently i was never really stressed out about anything. In fact stuff that would normally really stress people out didnt really phase me all that much. Through the power of APITHY and ignoring the problem.

I never was able to deal with stress "normally". While im on concerta i think i deal with stresss in a different way. Or at least am trying to. But have never really had the practice.

Anyway, its just a hypothesis and im going to the psychyatrist for a follow up visit anyway on friday just to track down its possible cause. Thanks for your input. I am still taking concerta and will at least continue doing so untill I am told otherwise.

If you have problems like this when the meds wear off, ask for a smal dose of Ritalin to counter the effect. Some docs also prescribe low doses of antidepressants to counter the rebound and anxiety if this is a problem.

your awareness of your lack of focus probably percipitated the attack
That makes a lot of sense. I have mild reactive hypoglycaemia and and when I get the fuzzy/dizzy thing after eating something I shouldn't have, it often triggers a panic attack because the sudden loss of focus freaks me out.

I had the same expierence with Adderall, although I also had one on Strattera (calmed myself out of it) and I currently fight them even now as we speak. My chest is tight, anxious etc.

I thought that Adderall (okay maybe I still think) caused me to have have a other wise non-exsistant panic disorder.

I am taking Buspirone for anxiety now.

Sorry you had to go throught that, it's a terrible expierence, I hope you don't get them anymore.

Take care

Just an update.

First thing, I really appriciate all the advice. It helped alot. I continued to take the Concerta as perscribed. It seems like it was a combination of many things that triggered it. I was a bit anxious the next 2-3 days afterwards but then returned to normal. I havent had one since then.

Phew...

Kainenable,
I started on ritalin 2 weeks ago and I also recently had a similar experience. I have had a couple panic attacks before and I now recognize it as that. I am in a similar position in that i am inattentive type, 24 years old and in college. Being diagnosed and seeing what a difference that add medication can make is a very dramatic experience and can have some strong psychological effects. Also stimulant medication can increase levels of anxiety. I am glad to hear that you feel normal again, I now feel more optimistic continuing with my medication.

FYI - Never asssume you know what heart attacks signs look/feel like. Had a guy a few years ago come through emergency via paramedics. His only complaint to the paramedic was severe toothache in the back of his mouth. The EKG told a different story. Full blown MI.