Well I have a kind of complex question/statement. I was diagnosed with ADD around 5 years ago. I started to take concerta and loved it. Everyone was telling me how much i've changed and i was making all A's and B's with no studying. For some reason and I cant remember why i stopped taking it. A year later i tried adderall and hated it. So now im in college and have taught myself ways to study where i can somewhat remember the info. I recently took a sleep study because i feel somewhat tired during the day and awake a night. My doc suggested that i take adderall or concerta and i mentioned NOTHING about ADD. This to me is weird because I have always heard everyone say that it keeps them up. So my questions are:
1. Why would a sleep doctor want to prescribe me concerta or adderall.
2. If i do get back on concerta should i just get my perscription from my regular doc?
3. Can ADD be related to weight gain/ depression/ anxiety?

My 15 yr old is on 54 mg of Concerta and says he is having the best sleeps he has had in a long time. As long as he takes it by 11am he has a rested and full sleep.
ADD is definately related to weight again, depression, and anxiety.
I was told the weight gain is from being low in the dopimine chemical. From what I understand this is the chemical that lets you know when you are satisified, not just with food but with anything. But in regards to food, if you have untreated ADHD and never feel satisfied you tend to overeat. It got so bad with my son that we had to put a lock on our pantry door.
I think everything that is involved with ADHD can lead to depression and anxiety if it is not handled properly.
When you have a person who constantly has trouble socially, does not do well in school, doesn't finish what they start and so on... it is bound to have an effect on them and in my opinion thats where the depression and anxiety come in.
Hope this helps :)

funny that the doc thought a stimulant would help you sleep ... has it? ... I've heard that for some people it does help them sleep. it slows down the racing mind, which is a major cause of insomnia ...
My hunch is that because you are tired during the day the doc may be thinking that you need to be alert and awake and active during the day and maybe you'll then get into a sleep routine at night ... it's hard to sleep at night if you are sleepy during the day .... did you ask the doc about this?
.... yes, most people seem to have sleep issues (sometime temporarily until their body adjusts) with stimulants, but I've seen people on this board saying stimulants improve their sleep ....depends on the individual .....

yeah im taking concerta now and its so true ... sleep better but i take it no later then noon ...
however the problem is that the effect tends to decrease around 8 pm cos i have it seesm a high metabolism ... im thinkin of strattera now ...
good luck :)

Well my first day on concerta was today. I took it around 8 a.m. and i just feel so much better and alert. I'm on i think the 32 mg. Im not sure something in the 30's. I feel like it may be slacking off a big and its only 12:19. I have to go for a checkin in a month so i migh suggest an increase in mg.

Well at about 4:30 ish i started to come down pretty hard. Does this mean that i need a bigger mg perscritpion.

i sleep MUCH better when on ADD meds. I tried Adderall 1st but hated the tinnitus I got. On Concerta 18mg didn't do anything, 36mg worked for about 2 weeks before it stopped working...but these are in the "kids" range and on Monday I'll ask to go to 54mg.

The way I knew my meds stopped working because my insomnia came back! go figure. It's like I get to work all day and then feel brain dead at night enough to go to sleep...and at least the little hamster in there stops moving!

When I first started concerta, I enjoyed it's consistency (36mg). But it seems the effect periods is a little wider for me and thus I ended up sleeping less. Thus I switched back to ritalin.

After a year or so, I took back concerta. The sleep issue is no longer there as my system is pretty much used to the meds. In fact, there are few occasions where I fell asleep for about and hour straight after taking it.

As for your questions
1. The only possibility, is that concerta keeps you awake and alert, thus you'll really be tired at night. Best to ask your doc for his reasons.
2. Doesn't make a difference if you ask me.
3. Yes, it can be related the other way round too.

I actually sleep a lot better since I take Concerta 36 mg. I take a 10 mg Ritalin booster at 3 PM to extend the effect when I am at home. Still no problem sleeping, as long as I don't take any caffeine after 3 pm.