I've been on Concerta this time around about 3 weeks I think. I lose track of time.

Anyway, I recently got the dose increased to 36mg, where I intended to stay. I have been at this dose before but it's been a couple of years. I think I've been on 36mg about a week now.

The problem is that instead of being my usual lazy self, I am hyperproductive. I am finding projects & stuff to do EVERYWHERE and am falling into bed exhausted at night. I'm not having pressured speech or elation or anything like that- just absolutely driven to keep doing stuff all day long. I never rest and feel unable to.

Is this something that goes away with time? I am wondering now if this is too high a dose for me. Being productive is great, but it's killing me.

Thanks for any input.

Are you complaining… :rolleyes: after not being able to motivate myself to hardly do anything I think id be happy with that… :confused:

Are you complaining… :rolleyes: after not being able to motivate myself to hardly do anything I think id be happy with that… :confused:

It's coming off like a speed effect. I roll out of bed, start in with my projects (whatever they may be for that day), and continue to work my *** off until I fall into bed at 12 midnight, exhausted. I run around all day and have a very hard time stopping even to eat; it's getting to be extremely unpleasant. Sort of like a hamster on a wheel. But yeah- I never thought I'd complain about having motivation until it happened.

I wish that happened to me on 36 mg of Concerta... I can barely tell when I'm taking it. Maybe you need to play with the dosage more? What were you on before you moved up to 36 mg?

I wish that happened to me on 36 mg of Concerta... I can barely tell when I'm taking it. Maybe you need to play with the dosage more? What were you on before you moved up to 36 mg?

I was on 18mg for a week. Unfortunately the prescriber I have right now I don't think does very many ADHD meds, and so I am not sure how she'll do if I want to tweak things. I've only taken Strattera and Concerta. Strattera did nothing; Concerta seems to have a different effect every time I take it (I've been off and on several times over three years for a number of reasons).

Carol,

I had the feeling you had when I went from 300mg of wellbutrin xl to 450 mg of wellbutrin xl. I was ridiculously productive and energized. It lasted for 6 weeks. Now I'm still better with the 450 mg than with the 300mg, but I am no longer in that endlessly productive mode.

1.) It's likely that your body will adjust and the effect will decline over a few weeks (not disappear but decline some)

2.) or you can lower the dosage ... there is a 27mg pill of concerta. You can try that if you want (or ask your doctor)

3.) You can celebrate--this means probably that you are one of those folks who may have dramatically positive effects with the meds ....

4.) Even if #3 is the case, understand that your brain has years of wiring before Concerta and those old circuits can easily override and overwhelm the concerta ....do not underestimate that old wiring ... the concerta may have overwhelmed it for the moment, but your old patterns are figuring out how to reassert themselves. Trust me!


5.) So don't take this productivity for granted as if the rest of your life will easily be this way. It won't, I'm sorry to say. And work on good habits of rest, exercise, etc. In other words, continue to work on yourself as if you were not on the meds, and you will strengthen the healthy brain circuits, which means the med will be able to have a positive effect in the long run.

By the way, I am now on concerta 27mg in addition to 450 wellbutrin xl and I still haven't reached that energy and productiveness I felt for the first 6 weeks or so of the wellbutrin 450 .... Those days really spoiled me. I saw how my life could be. Oh, well, it's still good, but I've now got to use willpower and habits and persistence to get the energy I had for those six amazing weeks!

good luck.

Carol,

I had the feeling you had when I went from 300mg of wellbutrin xl to 450 mg of wellbutrin xl. I was ridiculously productive and energized. It lasted for 6 weeks. Now I'm still better with the 450 mg than with the 300mg, but I am no longer in that endlessly productive mode.

1.) It's likely that your body will adjust and the effect will decline over a few weeks (not disappear but decline some)

2.) or you can lower the dosage ... there is a 27mg pill of concerta. You can try that if you want (or ask your doctor)

3.) You can celebrate--this means probably that you are one of those folks who may have dramatically positive effects with the meds ....

4.) Even if #3 is the case, understand that your brain has years of wiring before Concerta and those old circuits can easily override and overwhelm the concerta ....do not underestimate that old wiring ... the concerta may have overwhelmed it for the moment, but your old patterns are figuring out how to reassert themselves. Trust me!


5.) So don't take this productivity for granted as if the rest of your life will easily be this way. It won't, I'm sorry to say. And work on good habits of rest, exercise, etc. In other words, continue to work on yourself as if you were not on the meds, and you will strengthen the healthy brain circuits, which means the med will be able to have a positive effect in the long run.

By the way, I am now on concerta 27mg in addition to 450 wellbutrin xl and I still haven't reached that energy and productiveness I felt for the first 6 weeks or so of the wellbutrin 450 .... Those days really spoiled me. I saw how my life could be. Oh, well, it's still good, but I've now got to use willpower and habits and persistence to get the energy I had for those six amazing weeks!

good luck.

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I had a feeling that I should stay at this dose and that I may get more used to it. I've decided to just forget about it until I see the nurse in about a week; hopefully by then things will be more clear.

Carol,

I'll share with you a funny thought about my experience. When I was in the endlessly productive total energy mode, I think I got into trouble because I started trying to do so much ... and I think organization is a relative term as in ... though my brain was clearly more organized and focused, I took on more and more tasks and at some point, I overwhelmed my brain.

Sort of like the rich person who thinks that they can't go broke, even though they're casually buying houses, and vacation homes and all. Yes, you can be rich and still go broke. So you can have a great effect and energy from a med and still take on too much that overwhelms you, thus bringing back the old disorganization.

Carol,

I'll share with you a funny thought about my experience. When I was in the endlessly productive total energy mode, I think I got into trouble because I started trying to do so much ... and I think organization is a relative term as in ... though my brain was clearly more organized and focused, I took on more and more tasks and at some point, I overwhelmed my brain.

Sort of like the rich person who thinks that they can't go broke, even though they're casually buying houses, and vacation homes and all. Yes, you can be rich and still go broke. So you can have a great effect and energy from a med and still take on too much that overwhelms you, thus bringing back the old disorganization.

Exactly my problem right now! I am motivated but the place is a mess, with multiple projects going. Also, I have one thing I'm working on that I'm hyperfocused on and the rest of the stuff is getting forgotten about. It's like instead of bouncing from project to project like normal, I have this weird tunnel vision and focus in on this one thing at times and forget to eat even.

FYI- I got used to it. Now I'm moody though. Sigh.