So here is the deal. I want to go on adderall. I was given concerta at the lowest dose and I took it but it did nothing. I took it for a little while and decided to up my own dose to 2 pills in the morning. I know you will probably say that wasn't a good idea...but being the lowest dose didn't work for me, that is exactly what the doctor would have done anyway. I upped it and I still felt nothing. I am going to call him on Monday and try to get on something else. I am probably going to have to tell him concerta made me sick instead of telling him the truth, that it did nothing to me. Because if I say it did nothing he will up my dose and I obviously cannot tell him I already did and it didn't work (he is kind of mean and scary and I don't want to upset him). So hopefully if I tell him it made me ill, he will put me on adderall.. Is adderall the strongest of the adhd meds? Because I am telling you, I need something strong I have such a high tolerance for pills for some reason.

My other question is, he is a neurologist and I was wondering if they are allowed to give out placebos? I swear I felt nothing that I am convinced it is a placebo but I don't see why that would happen..maybe I am paranoid that I will make a fool of myself telling him it made me 'sick' it is was a sugar pill. lol. I want adderall bottom line. I felt inside from day one that adderall seemed like the pill for me because it is known for being pretty strong. I have never heard of someone like me who can randomly take a strong dose of concerta and feel nothing. :mad:

How do you know you need adderall? Have you taken it before? I was on 20mg x3 daily and I felt like crap!
The side effects for me were intolerable.
Good luck with your quest

How do you know you need adderall? Have you taken it before? I was on 20mg x3 daily and I felt like crap!
The side effects for me were intolerable.
Good luck with your quest

At this point, I don't know anything. But adderall was always the drug I heard about as being the strongest. I obviously have a very high tolerance for medication. I have been on several antidepressants, I felt absolutely nothing on any of them...some of which were on the highest dose. I took concerta at 36mg and felt nothing. I am either a super human freak who isn't effected by drugs, or I need something more powerful.

what are you trying feel:confused:

I am trying to have an attention span...... :eyebrow:

Im sorry I was trying to be helpful sharing my neg side effect on adderall :foot:

To answer your question about the placebo:

Well..first, your doctor doesn't dispense the meds, your pharmacist does. So if you saw the prescription (and I'm assuming it said Concerta?) why would you be worried about this?

Anyway, it's ok.. I get paranoid about things too. But I actually know for 100% sure the answer to this question (because I'm a pharmacy technician):

It is a violation of a very important act (and federal law) abbreviated as HIPAA: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Along with a lot of crap about digital prescriptions and maintaining patient confidentiality, it clearly mandates that patients be fully disclosed to their entire treatment plan, and they are also allowed to partake in any discussion about their treatment plan.

Besides that, it's some kind of fraud/endangerment to tell a patient you'll be prescribing them something, and instead they get something else: a sugar pill may not be too big of a deal to you, but it could be to a diabetic, for example.

It's not rare that people won't feel anything on Ritalin/Concerta-methylphenidate is less potent than amphetamine.. so I'd say you still have hope of Adderall working.

Many, maaaany adults have bad reactions to Concerta and Ritalin; however, it is quite effective in children. In children, Ritalin or Concerta are what is called the DOC--drug of choice--and as such, they are usually the first prescribed. Since there isn't a whole lot of reserach/data on adult ADHD, adults are getting prescribed the same DOC as children (even though amphetamines have proven to be more effective (or effective at all) in a lot of cases).

Unless your doctor has a pretty good knowledge of adult ADHD, Ritalin or Concerta are usually prescribed first, as I said. If he's already prescribed you Concerta, I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to change you to another stimulant.

Unfortunately the dilemma you're in is quite..well, moral-bound. It's never good to lie to or withhold information from a physician, but if you tell him that you've taken more than prescribed, and he was a complete *****hole, he could dismiss you as drug-seeking behavior...which is horrible as you're usually flagged by your insurance and such :(. I'm really not sure what to tell you.. but I feel bad for the situation you're cornered in. I hate that it's so delicate to get treatment for ADHD; feels like you have to lie to everyone to fix an actual medical problem.

To answer your question about the placebo:

Well..first, your doctor doesn't dispense the meds, your pharmacist does. So if you saw the prescription (and I'm assuming it said Concerta?) why would you be worried about this?

Anyway, it's ok.. I get paranoid about things too. But I actually know for 100% sure the answer to this question (because I'm a pharmacy technician):

It is a violation of a very important act (and federal law) abbreviated as HIPAA: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Along with a lot of crap about digital prescriptions and maintaining patient confidentiality, it clearly mandates that patients be fully disclosed to their entire treatment plan, and they are also allowed to partake in any discussion about their treatment plan.

Besides that, it's some kind of fraud/endangerment to tell a patient you'll be prescribing them something, and instead they get something else: a sugar pill may not be too big of a deal to you, but it could be to a diabetic, for example.

It's not rare that people won't feel anything on Ritalin/Concerta-methylphenidate is less potent than amphetamine.. so I'd say you still have hope of Adderall working.

Many, maaaany adults have bad reactions to Concerta and Ritalin; however, it is quite effective in children. In children, Ritalin or Concerta are what is called the DOC--drug of choice--and as such, they are usually the first prescribed. Since there isn't a whole lot of reserach/data on adult ADHD, adults are getting prescribed the same DOC as children (even though amphetamines have proven to be more effective (or effective at all) in a lot of cases).

Unless your doctor has a pretty good knowledge of adult ADHD, Ritalin or Concerta are usually prescribed first, as I said. If he's already prescribed you Concerta, I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to change you to another stimulant.

Unfortunately the dilemma you're in is quite..well, moral-bound. It's never good to lie to or withhold information from a physician, but if you tell him that you've taken more than prescribed, and he was a complete *****hole, he could dismiss you as drug-seeking behavior...which is horrible as you're usually flagged by your insurance and such :(. I'm really not sure what to tell you.. but I feel bad for the situation you're cornered in. I hate that it's so delicate to get treatment for ADHD; feels like you have to lie to everyone to fix an actual medical problem.


Thank you very much for this response. You really know your stuff.lol I especially agree with the last thing you wrote. It seems as though I have to find ways to fib on things in order to get the medication I need. I feel like if I am too forward they will assume I am some junkie and send me away, when in fact I have never done drugs in my life and I have a real problem with adhd. Thanks again for the response. I will just have to tell him to put me on something else. No point in pretending it is working for me.

Thank you very much for this response. You really know your stuff.lol I especially agree with the last thing you wrote. It seems as though I have to find ways to fib on things in order to get the medication I need. I feel like if I am too forward they will assume I am some junkie and send me away, when in fact I have never done drugs in my life and I have a real problem with adhd. Thanks again for the response. I will just have to tell him to put me on something else. No point in pretending it is working for me.

No problem.. and yeah, I know.. I used to be really worried about my doctor thinking I'm some kind of drug addict. The longer you undergo treatment with the same doctor, the more they begin to trust you, though.

For me, the trust from my doctor came when my insurance wouldn't cover my meds and I had to spent like $300 for a month's supply. She always seemed much more easy going after that (I'd assume she realized that I couldn't be re-distributing them if I bought them for $300 hahaha).

Many, maaaany adults have bad reactions to Concerta and RitalinPlease share the source of this information.

Please share the source of this information.
Gladly.

Adverse reactions, in clinical studies, are documented when greater than or equal to 1% of the population of the study reports a certain side effect. The percentage of that adverse reaction is compared to the adverse reaction in patients who were given placebos instead of the drug. With that said:

The compilation of adverse reactions when tested on children and adolescents totaled to 8 different symptoms.
(the first percantage is the percantage of prevalance of the symptom in patients who DID take Methylphenidate, and the second percentage is that of the placebo.)

Upper abdominal pain: 5.9%, 3.8%
Vomiting: 2.8%, 1.6%
Pyrexia: 2.2%, 0.9%
Nasopharyngitis: 2.8%, 2.2%
Dizziness: 1.9%, 0%
Insomnia: 2.8%, 0.3%
Cough: 1.9%, 0.3%
Pharyngolaryngeal pain: 1.2%, 0.9%

The compilation of symptoms in adults, however, totaled to 37, with many of them being quite prevalent..as follows:
Tachycardia: 4.8%, 0%
Palpitations: 3.1%, 0.9%
Vertigo: 1.7%, 0%
Vision blurred: 1.7%, 0.5%
Dry Mouth: 14.0%, 3.8%
Nausea: 12.8%, 3.3%
Dyspepsia: 2.2%, 0.9%
Vomiting: 1.7%, 0.5%
Constipation: 1.4%, 0.9%
Irritability: 5.8%, 1.4%
Upper repiratory tract infection: 2.2%, 0.9%
weight decreased: 6.5%, 3.3%
decreased appetite: 25.3%, 6.6%
anorexia: 1.7%, 0%
muscle tightness: 1.9%, 0%
headache: 22.2%, 15.6%
dizziness: 6.7%, 5.2%
tremor: 2.7%, 0.5%
paresthesia: 1.2%, 0%
sedation: 1.2%, 0%
tension headache: 1.2%, 0.5%
insomnia: 12.3%, 6.1%
anxiety: 8.2%, 2.4%
initial insomnia: 4.3%, 2.8%
depressed mood: 3.9%, 1.4%
nervousness: 3.1%, 0.5%
restlessness: 3.1%, 0%
agitation: 2.2%, 0.5%
aggression: 1.7%, 0.5%
bruxism: 1.7%, 0.5%
depression: 1.7%, 0.9%
libido decreased: 1.7%, 0.5%
affect lability: 1.4%, 0.9%
confusional state: 1.2%, 0.5%
tension: 1.2%, 0.5%
pharyngolaryngeal pain: 1.7%, 1.4%
hyperhidrosis: 5.1%, 0.9%

The data proposes that Concerta has more side effects in adults. With a ratio of 8 documented side effects in children, and 37 in adults, Adderall is often chosen as a first line drug for ADHD in adults.

In adderall, for example, the ratio is 5 symptoms for the kids, 12 symptoms for the adults.

Sorry, Nicolai, I meant the actual source of the study. Were there 20 or 2000 adults in the study; was it for 30 days or 3 years; what were the ages of the adults, etc.?

Sorry, Nicolai, I meant the actual source of the study. Were there 20 or 2000 adults in the study; was it for 30 days or 3 years; what were the ages of the adults, etc.?
Sorry.. was at the end of my 24 hour shift this morning, wasn't really focusing. The study I am citing is the official study determining whether or not the long acting form of Methylphenidate--Concerta--could be considered therapeutic in ADHD.

Here are the poplations of each:

Children: 2216
Adolescents: 502
Adults: 1015

The study had all the standard investigational drug measures..double blind, placebo controlled, yadda yadda.

Page 1927 of the 2009 edition of the Physicians Desk Reference if you're interested.

Here are the poplations of each:

Children: 2216
Adolescents: 502
Adults: 1015

The study had all the standard investigational drug measures..double blind, placebo controlled, yadda yadda.

Page 1927 of the 2009 edition of the Physicians Desk Reference if you're interested.Thank you! You wouldn't happen to know where there is free online access to the PDR?

Thank you! You wouldn't happen to know where there is free online access to the PDR?


I don't think there is a free online source, unless you work in healthcare.. and they actually verify it. I have the hard copy.

I don't think there is a free online source, unless you work in healthcare.. and they actually verify it. I have the hard copy.
Show off! :p

Show off! :p
Actually the pharmacist I work with bought it for me.. probably so I stop asking her a thousand questions. It didn't work :-p