Today is my second day on Concerta. My psychiatrist prescribed me the 54mg dosage. I took my first dose yesterday, and it was like a miracle drug. It took me from my normal, sluggish, relaxed self and energized me as if I was superhuman. From about 9am until 5pm I was bouncing around my seat (in a good, welcome way), doing work(atleast 4x more than normal), socializing with my coworkers (I'm normally an invisible introvert), talking to friends via text message (something I NEVER do), doing homework, and even having time to browse the internet.

In the past, switching between work assignments, homework, and being offtask would all involve a 15-30min "zone out" period where I had to clear my head and convince myself to start focusing and motivate myself to do work. Yesterday, I was instantly switching back and forth all morning between work assignments and school work without any problem. And when I got off task, all it took was for me to say "Ok, I'm offtask, I need to get back to work", and I was able to jump right back into accomplishing things.

Halfway through the day I remembered I had to make a phone call to the apartment maintenance to get my sink fixed. From the time that I remembered I had to do it, til the time I had made the phone call and got it taken care of was only like 2 minutes. Before I would have to prepare myself for atleast 20 minutes in order to work up the motivation and energy to dial the phone.

Even after it seemed to wear off after leaving work, I still ended up having a 2 hour long conversation with a friend who came over later. For me, that's a miracle. Normally I can't talk for more than 5-10 minutes before I start to disengage myself from the conversation and zone out, or end the conversation early.

Not only was my girlfriend amazed at how the medicine was effecting me, my coworkers noticed a difference too just by how social I was. Normally my conversation are short and too the point, usually keeping a very simple and narrow scope. But yesterday, I had several 20 minute conversations revolving around problems with certain insurance policies that required me to dig a little further into the small details. Normally I would have done the minimum amount to solve the problem in order to get out of the conversation quicker. Yesterday I took great length to completely figure out the problem, something I'd never do before.

Now, all of this sounds great....until today.

Today, I can hardly feel the medicine kicking in. Yesterday, I could feel the bursts of the medication released every 30-60min. I would slow down for a bit, and then all of a sudden I'd start bobbing my head or humming a toon in my head and get energetic and motivated. Today, I feel like my normal sluggish self, only with the ability to focus better than normal. I'm still doing a little more work than normal (not as much as yesterday though). I'm just not as energetic as I was yesterday and I don't feel the overwhelming need to be social that I did yesterday.

Is this how it's supposed to be? Was my first day just a result of the shock of starting the meds?

Yesterday I felt so much better. I thought to myself, "is this what normal people feel like?" If I had felt like this for the last 22 years, I would have accomplished so much more! I felt like I had spent my life in a daze up until this point. Always zoning out into my own thoughts and not paying attention to whats going on around me. It seemed as if the Concerta was simply motivation packed into a bottle...

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Yesterday was great, but today I feel so let down. It's like I had a winning lottery ticket only to find out that it was a fake...

Well, apparently I spoke to soon.

Around roughly 2:30pm the meds seemed to kick in full fource, almost as powerful as they did yesterday.

I normally drink a gallon of water between 8 and 5pm, but this morning I barely drank any water before lunch. In the hour or so before the meds kicked in a probably drank half a gallon. Does drinking water help the concerta take effect?

Well, apparently I spoke to soon.

Around roughly 2:30pm the meds seemed to kick in full fource, almost as powerful as they did yesterday.

I normally drink a gallon of water between 8 and 5pm, but this morning I barely drank any water before lunch. In the hour or so before the meds kicked in a probably drank half a gallon. Does drinking water help the concerta take effect?

Yes, the release mechanism for Concerta needs water to function properly. You don't digest the capsule, but it is water permeable and there is additional non-digestible material in the capsule that expands and steadily pushes the MPD throughout the day.

jmchamp hit the nail on the head. Concerta's OROS mechanism requires water to operate the push-mechanism. Except for the initial 22% dose release. That is the coated outer layer of the capsule which provides the immediate dose. After that it depends on water in your stomach/GI tract to keep dosing.

J

Aside from the water explanation, which make perfect sense, I found out that not everyday is the same... like every living people. When I started 6 months ago, I too notice big changes at first, then some days where I felt nothing at all. With time, the effect of the meds is not something I notice anymore. Not that it doesn't work. It's more like walking, where you don't need to think about every step you make.

Well, I figure I should give an update.

All of the good effects from the Concerta pretty much wore off after the first week. Unfortuneatly the appetite supression has not.

I went off of it for 3 days over the weekend and the only difference I noticed was that reading was a tad bit harder.

Not sure what I should do now. Ask for an increase to 72mg?

What about Ritalin? I need something to help me with work 5 days a week 9-5, and class a few days a week from 6-8. Also for studying and homework. So with the Concerta I take it EVERY day in the AM hours. Usually around 10.

If I had non extended release tablets, I would only need to take something for about 4 hours at work (the rest I can get by ok without) and then again when I have class or need to do homework.

Has anyone else ever switched from Concerta to Ritalin?

Same thing happened to me. For about 2-3 days the meds seemed to be working great, then after that, nothing but bad side effects. The bad side effects were there in the begining, they just didn't seem to be as bad. I also brushed them off because I thought it might have been a side effect of another med I was taking.

Has anyone else ever switched from Concerta to Ritalin?

I can't honestly answer your question because I have only taken Concerta, but from what I understand they are the same drug (Methylphenidate), it's just that Concerta is in XR form.

What did you do when the Concerta stopped working?

I never switch completely to Ritalin, but for 2 months, I used it as a booster in the afternoon when the effect of Concerta was gone. I didn't like it, too much rebound effect. Today I take a higher dose of Concerta, 54 mg, that last through most of the day. I have no side effects.

I take 54MG at 8am and 18MG at midday. That is an attempt to stop taking a 10mg at 1 and 4..

It seems to work.

I DO have to remember to drink LOTS of water and avoid hi-carb meals. The crashing of the carb comedown was abysmal. I found eating protein and drinking water was almost as effective (for me) as the supplemental dosing.

I am taking 54MG at 8am and experimenting with an 18mg concerta dose at between 11 and 1.

Water and protein helped a lot. When I quit the high carb breakfast, my 10 am 'crash' stopped magically. And I drink water all day.

I drink a gallon a day and don't eat too many carbs. Also I get about 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight.

Though I do eat subway for lunch everyday, foot long on wheat bread. I do notice a bit of a crash after lunch.

Recent ADHD practice guidelines published by CADDRA (http://caddra.ca/) - the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance, suggest that teens and adults with ADHD may require up to 108 mg of Concerta daily.

- Christine

If you've just started on Concerta, then your body is still adjusting to it. And the drug may react differently in 3 weeks than it does today.

By the way, a gallon of water sounds like way too much. You know there is new and strong research now that has overturned the past folk wisdom that said we needed to get eight glasses of water a day. That's not true.

In the history of the NY Marathon, there had been no deaths from dehydration, but several deaths from people drinking too much water, which apparently reduces the salt content in our body to unhealthy levels.


Drink moderately ... no need for constant water.

1 gallon of water a day is definitely not too much. It's a good amount. I work out alot. My body needs it. It's an added bonus that the concerta uses it to disperse itself.

I drink so much water because I don't drink things like pop and energy drinks. Just water and a glass or two of milk.

I just started Concerta 2 weeks ago myself. I went to the doctor because I've always thought I had some sort of ADD, but I also thought it could just be me being lazy. The doctor said I had ADHD and said it seemed as though I have probably been struggling it for quite some time, causing me TREMENDOUS stress through my years of college (I graduate in a week!). The doc put me on 27 mgs and after 2 days of using it, I saw no change at all...so he told me to take 2 rather than 1 (57mgs). I notice a difference, just not as much as I expected. I'm also noticing so many of the side effects that come with it. I'm always thirsty for water...which I guess is a good thing since I normally drink Diet Coke constantly. I'm also never hungry, I'm pretty much having to force myself to eat a little each day. Also, not such a bad thing since I normally eat more than I should...but not very healthy either. Everytime I even get around food I start to feel sick and start gagging...does this happen to anyone else? I'm very concerned too about my stress level...I'm trying to pull this semester out and pass everything to get my degree in finance...which the meds are supposed to help me concentrate on doing so, but they also cause my anxiety to go up to where I'm freaking out more than usual. Any suggestions on this?

I've been keeping track of my experience on Concerta so I can tell my Dr when I see him. My best guess is it's not working the way it's supposed to.

For what it's worth, here's my notes.

first week on Concerta 18mg
I don't notice much, I notice light sensativity in my eyes, my friends tell me I'm calmer and my son says I' pay attention more. I feel like there are moments when the fog lifts and then it rolls in again just as quickly. A bit disorrienting. No decrease in appetite. Headaches, tense muscles in shoulder and back. no increase or decrease in motivation or energy. I feel actually more tired.
Week 2 concerta 36 mg

Eyes light sensative for about 4 days, Dry feeling in eyes after that. Muscluslar tension remains but no headaches. Fog lifted, but motivation decreases. Tired, maybe so calm I'm too calm. No noticeable social anxiety. Forgetfulness not affected. Make toast.. forget I'm making toast until the toaster pops, but I heard the toaster so, that's good. Made a cup of chicken bouillon found it an hour later exactly where I'd made it. High level of distraction. Towards the ten hour mark, increase in muscular tension, feels like I'm clenching my jaw but I'm not. Frustration, I wanted this to really work and have me getting up and staying on task and planning and following thru. It's not happening. Decrease in appetite half way thru the week, I feel full when I'm full which feels like a totally new experience. Not as impulsive with food choices.

I'm feeling a lot of what you listed. The jaw clenching...I thought it could possibly be due to not eating like I normally do...being as my mouth is shut most of the day, ya know? I'm not as forgetful as I was...and my forgetfulness was getting BAD...like it could put me in danger. I went to Walmart...went in, got what I needed...and was trying to figure out which door to go out of to be closest to my car (its a super walmart) and I had no recollection what so ever of parking...I didn't even know which direction down the isle I had parked (since the lanes are one-way). It really freaked me out because I wandered around the parking lot for over 5 minutes like a lost puppy. If it was dark...or somewhere else I wasn't as familiar with...that could've been extremely dangerous...I also forget about when I'm cooking...to the point of setting popcorn on fire in the microwave once...oops. I'm happy for the decrease in appetite because, in specific the more unhealthy stuff I would normally want are what grosses me out the most to even think about. I'm going to try making specific notes like you have so I can present both the negative and positive that I am experiencing from it and hopefully he can suggest where to go from here.