I am currently on 25mg of adderall xr. I don't like the side effects of sweatiness, trouble sleeping, faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, etc. I was just wondering if anyone has made the switch from adderall to concerta? How did it work out?

How long you been on adderall? It took 3 full weeks before my body adjusted and I could really determine the effects Adderall XR would have on me.

tone -

it took you three weeks to get a positive response from adderall coming from concerta?

No, it took me three weeks to get through the side effects of Adderall XR. The XR was the first stim I was prescribed. Subsequently I've been taking Concerta ... The funny thing is that taking the Concerta has given me a new appreciation for the Adderall. I think I was expecting some type of magic and I missed the good that the Adderall was doing for me ....

tone-

So I take it that you have mixed feelings when it comes to concerta ? May I ask why you prefer one over the other , and what dosages were you on while taking adderall and what dosage are you taking of concerta.

hey hollywood,

I am still deciding whether Adderall XR or Concerta is best for me.

I was on 30mg of Adderall XR, and I found that I was spending hours and hours on the internet and I had trouble tearing myself off of it. I guess this was too much hyperfocus ... Plus, I started sucking on nicotine like a fiend. I quit smoking cigars a year ago, and I'm on nicotine replacement and on the Adderall, my craving for nicotine seemed to soar.

But at 20mg or even 10mg, the Adderall XR seemed pretty nice ... I only "noticed" a little bit, but when I thought about it, I was concentrating better and feeling more relaxed and "in the moment." And on the 10mg or 20mg of XR, I could step back and see the big picture ... I could get myself off the internet .....

Concerta is similar in many ways to XR for me ... My doc prescribed 54 mg a day, but at 54, I'm definitely in excessive hyper-focus. I want to do little things, tedious things and I lose sight of the big picture and what I really want to accomplish during the day. Also the 54 of Concerta definitely led to some insomnia.

I find the 18 and the 36 of Concerta to work better and they seem to create less nicotine craving ... and less insomnia.

But I'm still sorting this out ... and I have to say, sorting this out is way more tricky than I ever realized. For example, the Concerta and the Adderall XR were leading to too much hyperfocus right? ... Well, I'm wondering if that hyperfocus will be OK once I'm further into a major project of some sort ... The problem is if I'm procrastinating, those dosages do not help. But I will have to see what happens when I take a higher dosage once I've gotten "into" a project.

So if I go with the higher dosage, I may need to use my old-fashioned willpower and planning to make sure I step back and see the big picture ...

The Concerta seems to create less nicotine craving ... it also seems to last longer ... it also affects my urine much more ... I find myself waking up in the middle of the night urinating a storm while on Concerta ... it's like my bladder is on slow reaction or something .... and then gets sensitive at night ... that was not the case with adderall ....

But ... to add one more qualifier, I know side effects can lessen. My body is pretty good in reducing side effects, so I don't know that the urinating thing on Concerta will last. It may pass ....

That's a lot, I know. Hope it helps. I'll update as time goes on ...

tone-

That was actually a good post. Good stuff. I understand what your saying about seeing the big picture relative to dose amount. For example , when I take my medication in order to still see the bigger picture I require less medication , ir supplements in combination with the extended release are really the best remedy when fine tuning better focusing capabilities that require more in depth detail in certain tasks..... Concerta works well for me and when I have the patience to find my dose so does adderall.... If, while transitioning to adderall from concerta I have to really start out on lower dosages , because if I take too much I feel super tired and sluggish.... I guess that means it's slowed me down too much-