Although concerta helps me with a lot, I am having the following problems whilst on the drug:

1) I'm unsociable and don't ever feel like going out with friends

2) I'm always serious

3) I don't laugh or find things funny. If I do find something funny it's like "Oh, that's funny" but I don't laugh like I do when I'm not on concerta. I might grin that's all

4) I feel "down" and zombie like

5) I am withdrawn and prefer to be by myself

6) I am anxious and sharp around people

7) People want to be around me less


Please help. Is this a common thing with concerta or even stimulants in general?

Are there stimulants that dont have this effect?

Am I just one of the unlucky ones?

Would an antidepressant help?

Or is this just what I have to sarifice to have better focus?

:(

Any thoughts appreciated thanks

Using an antidepressant to fight the side effects of a stimulant would be a definite no-no.

What you're feeling, seems to be actually a lot more common than I first learned.

Many of the posts on this sub-section of the forum seems to have the same concerns.

As do I.

I was put on Concerta 27mg about 2 weeks ago: I have a list of over 22 side effects that occur in any sort of combination.

The lists includes everything you noted and much more.


There's other options, other compounds that have worked miracles where Concerta has made nightmares. And vice-versa.

Sadly my only basis for this is drawn from other's experience. I still am waiting on my appointment next week to request a change of medication.

Almost any experienced member of this site will tell you the same thing: Every person is different. One drug will hurt some while it helps others. That it's a matter of trial and error before finding the right treatment.

I've completely stopped taking my Concerta recently and I feel infinitely better. The person I become and the feelings I feel are not at all worth the "focus" I get.

Looks like you've been on it for a while, judging from your posts?

You've been taking it for a while and just dealing with these feelings all this time?

Maybe it's not as extreme for you, I dunno.
I mean, I have god-awful tunnel vision, absolute loss of personality and nightmarish depression throughout the day.. Along with many other side-effects... I literally can't take it anymore, I almost lost my mind as it is.

You might do a lot better on an amphetamine based compound vs methylphenidate. 5 out of the 7 people that I've talked to about Concerta have switched over to an amphetamine based stimulant and have had very positive results.

Only problem is: while both compounds are in the schedule 2 controlled substance category here, Amphetamines are much more notorious for abuse. So it may be harder to get prescribed. Or in some bad cases, won't get prescribed period, because of it's infamy.

I really think you should simply put in a call to your doctor and bring up the possibility of trying out other options. (Assuming you haven't tried other meds already.)

Anyways best of luck to you, I hope you can find a more viable treatment.

I agree that everybody will have different results with same drug, so its worth trying but having said that, concerta was the worst besides straterra which is one I wish I had NEVER tried, but on the other hand it was necessary (apparently) for me to endure before I finally am prescribed what will work which I assume we're getting around to eventually.

Some people will tell you to stick on a drug for the recommended period of time in order to see its actual results but there are some boundaries you should set and stick to them.

I'm not going to go through 2 weeks of hell to prove that some dr is right ... or wrong ... about a medication.

If it doesn't feel right from the beginning then the psych factor alone will be enough to ruin it for me so might as well stop wasting time and money and move forward. If nothing else works then I suppose I might consider coming back to it .. or its an option anyway.

How long have you been on the Concerta? What dose? Those are the first questions ... the second question I have: is it possible you actually don't wanna spend time with your friends and the med is just connecting you to that deeper feeling? ...

Can you isolate the thoughts that go through your mind when you are on concerta and feel anti-social?

Although concerta helps me with a lot, I am having the following problems whilst on the drug:

1) I'm unsociable and don't ever feel like going out with friends

2) I'm always serious

3) I don't laugh or find things funny. If I do find something funny it's like "Oh, that's funny" but I don't laugh like I do when I'm not on concerta. I might grin that's all

4) I feel "down" and zombie like

5) I am withdrawn and prefer to be by myself

6) I am anxious and sharp around people

7) People want to be around me less

You can quit taking Concerta if you like. However, I think you'll adjust. I remember my first few times on it did the same... I just hung around and felt "satisfied."

The thing with Concerta is that it blocks the reuptake of dopamine. Therefore, your brain gets more dopamine than it was going to get... and since dopamine is the "reward" neurotransmitter, you get a slight reward feeling just by taking the drug... so why would your brain care to seek more pleasure from friends, jokes, etc?

But I think you'll get used to it and feel normal again.. just more focused. Concerta sometimes makes me feel lazy and unsociable... but most of the time I am still hyperactive and allover the place.. just slightly more focused.

Originally Posted by lazy_crazy http://www.addforums.com/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=635142#post635142)
Although concerta helps me with a lot, I am having the following problems whilst on the drug:

1) I'm unsociable and don't ever feel like going out with friends

2) I'm always serious

3) I don't laugh or find things funny. If I do find something funny it's like "Oh, that's funny" but I don't laugh like I do when I'm not on concerta. I might grin that's all

4) I feel "down" and zombie like

5) I am withdrawn and prefer to be by myself

6) I am anxious and sharp around people

7) People want to be around me less

I'm more unsociable, at times, but at least generally I'm less antisocial, and at least I interupt or dominant that little bit less. It's weird because around close friends I feel less robotic than I do with others whilst on it, and sometimes I feel really akward socially- but then again i think before when I was feeling akward I had a tendancy to divert my mind from it and not deal with it.
Anxiety is a fairly normal side effect, avoid caffeine definately (or at least limit it). The other day I noticed after drinking some coffe(in fact yesterday and thursday) on it I would become irritable, and anxious, and not be able to sleep. On thursday it was the worst as other factors led to a sh it mood where I felt trapped everywhere I went, but I guess it mostly was because i was tired as well.
When I first started taking concerta I didn't feel lazy at all, and I would need much less encouragement, and it was like my mind was finally switched on, but now I find I can still get lazy. Also too high a dose would make me just sit there feeling odd.

I've been on 36mg for three weeks now and the effects were positive albeit mild. Today I got amped to 72mg. I feel rather stoned. I feel...isolated from the world around me, whereas on 36mg I was so much a part of it.

I don't know if I'll stay on 72. Maybe 54 is a better option.

A step up straight to 72mg from 36mg is alot. Well I'd say. I've found 54mg to actually be the best balance between positive effect and also the tell tale signs that you're blatantly on something. It reallys alot on will power get good effects from medication. There was this programme on BBC4 about surgecal procedures, in particular transplants, and this guy had a hand transplant (the first ever), it messed up because he didn't take his meds and didn't have the right psychological out look, whereas the second guy who got a hand transplant responded much better, as he took the medication and had a really positive attitude, so his hand didn;t end up *****, or feel as unusal and he got 60% of it's functioning back, and could expect to get 80% back as he had the right out look. This I found inspiring.

I felt the same way on Concerta for like the first three weeks. I was on 36mg and now i'm on 72mg. I felt like I didn't want to leave the house and I just wanted to sit around. I still get like this sometimes now, but I'm asking my doc to try to swtich me to Adderall anyway, because Concerta hasn't helped my concentration or thoughts at all.

This is exactly what happens to me . So i now take prozac , for my depression , and my concerta. It balances it out . But whenever I feel too depressed I go off the concerta and just take focalin