Iam on 54mg of Concerta and have been for about 5 months now i take it during the week for school and not on weekends but if i have a week off of school i find it hard to go a week without my meds. I feel tired all the time and like i can't get anything done or even feel like getting anything done. Concerta works great for me I have very few side effects such as dry mouth and thats pretty much it. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm not sure if its bad for me to take them everyday or not. But i find that I am much better on this medication then off. I almost can't wait to start summer classes so i can begin my medication again and I actually enjoy school while on medication...weird...anyone else feel that way?

One more question does concerta have any long term effects?? is it not good for me to be takin this for a long time?

yes of corse..
.....your body adjusts to the meds, and everytime you stop.
you are sorta rewiring your brain...ideally you should take them as directed. everyday.
but, you won't have a buzz on school days.
.....you just feel normal all the time.

the buzz is your body thanking you for not making it work so hard to readjust itself.

Its normal to feel withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing a psychoactive drug that is used frequently. Drink coffee everyday and you can have killer headaches, fatigue, etc upon discontinuation. With stimulants the old adage applies "you will feel as down off the meds as you do up on them".

Longterm safety is a difficult question to answer absolutely. Theres no evidence of shorten lifespan or any serious degenerative medical problems
in typically ADHD med use. Side effects that effect quality of life are common
but they tend to be noticed from day one and reduce over time. Dry mouth for
example can lead to tooth lost/gum disease. Its important to brush after meals and not to drink sugary acidic drinks all day either.

I feel worse than useless off meds, I lose all direction in my mind and I might as well just run on a metaphorical treadmill all day... which leads to a depression that goes beyond thoughts of suicide to simple catatonia... I'm never going to just stop taking them like that again... jessssus.

I'm right there with you, county123. I feel absolutely stupid and useless to society if I do not take my daily dose of Concerta. However, I've recently developed a tolerance to it and it doesn't work like it used to. I've tried medication holidays, particularly when I don't work for two straight days; I have to explain this. I told my job that I would like to have two straight days off so that all I can do is sleep and take a break off of my meds. I've had mediocre results so far with this, but it does help some.

And as for the side effects....I really can't think of any for me besides occasional episodes of rapid heart beat. But this can happen with any stimulant. From my experience, the release mechanism in Concerta appears to be somewhat smoother than that of Adderall XR. With Concerta, I barely notice any peaks and valleys. But with Adderall XR, I clearly noticed that I'd peak and then get a little bit depressed as the medication started to descend.

Hang in there and keep us posted.

Seems like a lot of you depend on your meds...

For me, I do not notice much on/off meds (both Concerta and Adderall).

Without my medicine, most importantly my pain meds for chronic pain from ten operations on my arm and also I would feel very very depressed without these medications. Not to mention the Prozac I take for depression. The Adderall XR also works great with the Prozac. I feel "normal" for the very first time in my life. As far as "you people" "seem" like you depend on your meds. YES I AM!!! Pain meds as well as everything that helps with my depression. Make no mistake dependant and addicted have very different meanings. If I did not notice any difference there is No way I would go through what you have to gothrough to get these meds. And I would NEVER take anything that I "didn't notice much on/off my medication.

I'm also dependent on my meds. But I don't feel worst or depressed immediately off med. However, I'll definetly lose a certain amt of confidence.

Like you I'm also concern about the long term effects of this drug. Yet I'd rather have a enjoyable short life than a miserable long one. I cancel of my worries by exercising regularly and eating healthy food.

Hope this helps

I've been on concerta for 3 months more than you have and I've felt like that; the first day off I feel too week, but then I regain my normal self and realize that he meds do actually, and are great at that. I've realized what I'm good at naturally (we, adhders are good and lot of things, plus your personal traits) and think that meds help me use my potential, so I don't feel useless without meds.