Hi there.

Apologies if you have heard this before somewhere but i hope this post can help others in the same situation, and hope you don't nod off to sleep during it!! :)

Just thought I would share my experience with the Concerta Xl (slow release ). I have been on the lowest dose 18 mg for 9 days now, and I am having a 2 week medication holiday!

Spoken to my specilaist-says if moods not gone by Tuesday, need to stay on 18mg for 2 weeks more, that's a month on 18mg, seems so low and annoying that I get side effects this bad. Anyone know how long until things are ''normal''?

Well, some really weird stuff has been happening, only for the past two days I have been having horrible mood swings and depression. I have depression and anxiety as co-morbities

Anyway, and am always sensitive to anti-depressants in the first few weeks, am I worried about nothing? :-/ I snap at my family, don't won't too see my friends,making excuses not to go out, I used to at least make an effort to socilaise, what's wrong with me? please tell me these do go away!:(

I really am turning into an introvert, social withdrawal. I could chat away to most people. I feel sad, I want ME back, but I know I need to keep toughing this out- if my ADHD is to be managed better ::) I am turning into a ROBOT!!:(

My personality has changed and I am more 'quiet', I don't spontaneously chatter away like I use to. I know that 18mg is low but I am also taking Zoloft (sertraline) 50mg, for a year now. could the drugs be interacting, is it my imagination,

My motivation is still the same, I still have to work hard to push myself to do stuff.
It seems that Concerta is overiding my Zoloft SSSR and the SSSR has no role to play in helping my moodiness and depression.

I am hoping someone has some suggestions or has been in the same boat as me, my specialist charges a fortune for writing emails to him for advice, and my relationship seems a more business type one than a kind caring patient/ Doctor relationship, he is thinking $ while I'm thinking :confused:

Anyway, it's not all doom and gloom, the pros: [I am not so on edge, I have an internal calmness, my mind is clearer and when not depressed sure something is having effect. My racing thoughts have lessened
well, thanks for getting this far!:):rolleyes:
xx

I have had sort of a similar experience with Concerta. I took it about 8 months ago for the first time and started to get what seemed like either Anxiety or Depression or both. After a week on 18, I went up to 36 on Doctor's order and that's when it got REAL bad. I suddenly didn't want to see people. I only wanted to stay in my room. I thought I was totally freaking out and was even thinking I was having a 'nervous breakdown'. I stopped it altogether and slowly got better.

Fast forward to a month ago and my doctor decoided to try me on Ritalin 5 mg twice a day instead to 'test the waters' with a Methylphenidate again. It felt great. I could concentrate, focus and my chaotic energy was channeled. Kept taking Ritalin for 2 weeks and decided to give Concerta a try again because the up and down of a short acting Methylphenidate was too much. Ritalin only seemed to work for 2 hours followed by crazy irritability. I was doing so well though on Ritalin that i tried Concerta again. I have been taking 18mg, once a day for 7 days now and it is MUCH better. but, the first few days were not great. Felt the anxiety/depression coming again, but I was working from home so I decided to keep taking it for a few more days and it seems great now. 8 hours of calm, channeled energy and focus followed by a much smoother let down.

So, in short, the anxiety and depression subsided a lot after hanging on for a few more days, but it sounds like its been 2 weeks already for you. Obviously, everybody's reactions are different. I'm just curious what your reaction would be if you tried Ritalin (or generic) as a short acting solution.

I have noticed some personality changes too - a bit more quiet also. Nothing that would make me stop taking it though. Not sure that was too helpful. Good luck.

Thanks Stripey, that was a really helpful post, I feel better knowing that I am not alone in these horrid side effects. I will be staying on 18mg for a full month, until the moodiness/depression, anxiety subsides.

My main concern for writing in the first place was the alteration to my personality, I find it difficult to know how I am suppose to feel on Concerta, how do I know its working? I have combined adhd inattentive/slight hyperactivity. I also am not sociable like I used to be, I loved the old 'me' before starting Concerta, but I was inattentive and unproductive, I want to get things done rather than coast through life not achieving anything. I am worried my friends will think I'm weird, I haven't told some of my friends I have ADHD yet, as was only diagnosed 1 month ago, and need to get the condition controlled.

Thanks again

Hi - I've been on Concerta for two weeks after trying Adderrall X (my jaw got extremely tense) fewer side effects but I am very irritable when I wake up in the morning. Yesterday was Saturday I took the medication later than normal. The headache I woke up with (not unusual) turned into a migraine that knocked me out. I then started crying uncontrollably. I thought I might be experiencing some withdrawal. This morning (migraine gone) I took medication at the right time (actually, I increased my dosage to 54) and a couple of hours later I was crying uncontrollably and feeling like I am jumping out of my skin. I don't know what is going on and, to be honest, I'm a bit frightened. I plan to call my doctor. I've stopped crying but I feel unbelievably sad.

I have had chronic low-level depression with occasional bouts of the more serious kind since I was about 10 - probably even before. I understand that ADHD may have at least a part in this but I was hoping that treatment would help this. I can't believe how disappointed I feel - not only because this doesn't seem to be the case but also because I hoped that, for once in my life, treatment would be easy instead of which I seem to be encountering all the "infrequenly" report side -effects of both the drugs I have tried....but also noticed some positive ADHD-type benefits. It is kind of like handing a candy to a kid and then taking it away....only worse.

I'm crying again and better go.