Long story short:
Half- one spoon of COFFEE is the TRICK for having this medication work like a dream!

Hey guys im new to the forum and I did a little research on here before I went to the doctor. I am on an island, so all they have here is concerta. No aderall or Ritalin. I am on an accelerated medical school program out here in the carribean. The work load is enormous and I survived last semester (barely).

I always knew I had ADD. very fidgetty, never clean room, never organized. I tried very hard all these years and I could never keep my room clean or organized, always annoyed my mom. Frustrating to me, because I tried so hard. I am very brilliant but I always had an ADD. I couldnt function unless I am the center of attraction in the crowd. Fell asleep in class and distracted byy other people. Only way I could wake up is when I raised my hand and answered a question- felt realy excited about that and began shaking my legs intensely. People that sit next too me often aware me that Im shaking my legs and I m so not concious that I am doing it..


Anyways, so I took behavioral mediccine last semester and I absolutely loved the class. Realized I definitely have ADD and some hyperactivity.

Got my concerta 36 mg prescription yesterday. I read realy bad reviews here, so I was like HELL!! I am so screwed because there is no ritalin or aderaall on this island.

An hour after I took it, felt soooooo sedated,so tired, and wanted to go to bed ..as if I was drunk or something. I was like dammit, this forum was right, why did I waste my money on a months supply?

THEN, I was doing some more reasearch , thinking I was not doing it right.
COFFEE is the trick. It made concerta work, within minutes!! woke me up instantly and I got SO MUCH studying done yesterday and all of today, it was amazing.. It was amazing to find out the basic concepts I had NEVER understood, even though I was studying them since college, that finally clicked..

It shouldnt be a lot of coffee. just half a teaspoon, thats it!!! since concerta is a anti deprssion drug, it tends to make you a little bit groggy, (or just apparently coz you tend to calm down intensely..) just half a spoon of cooffee in the morning and evening, thats all youneed to get it working.

I have had no other side effects, I slept really well last night, for 4 hrs and woke up so fresh and I had vivid dreams, (got my REM sleep) which i needed for long term memory storage.

Oh, one side effect, for sure. I dont feel hungry anymore. I have to force myself to eat something, thinking that I ll get nauseous, so I down in an egg or something to get the basic nutrients for my brain aand I would take supplements like fish oil and vitamins.
I have tried aderall and ritalin before ( just 1-2 pills for exams and such , and I prefer this over them, because they made me just go crazy..(in the sense that somehow I would feel, omg..I got an immense impulsivity to have sex while on them, kinda wierd I know - oh and I am a female!).

anyways, just wanted to tell you guys that try adding just half a spoon of coffee and see what happens....too much of coffee again can be bad. But eveyones body is different, so experiment is great..

Let me know!!!

I hope it continues to work like this for me..

What Sort of Coffee? and How much caffeine did you serve

If this is your first time on stimulant medications then do understand that in the first week they give an amazing high when everything feels awesome. After that the high goes away and you come back to your normal self albeit a bit more focused.

Also, Concerta is an anti-depression drug? I thought it was a stimulant and therefore specifically for ADD/ADHD?

Generally Caffiene does NOT work well with stimulant medication so try not to take too much of it since it will make you agitated and hyperactive.

I've been on concerta for 7 years. I think ritalin works better when used in combination but concerta provides the baseline. If I workout in the mornings and take caffeine along with my concerta and ritalin , well I get alot more done. There is nothing more to it, I think it has more to do with exercise and raising my endorphins though.

I've been on Concerta a week, 36mg a day and i felt a bit dizzy for a few days, but now feel fine. Occasional dizzy spells but overall fine. I sleep and eat fine on it too - i think it suits me. Combining it with exercise, I'll give it more time ....:)

Just half a spoon or one spoon of starbucks or any coffee will do.. As soon as you start feeling sleeeeeepy and your eyes start getting heavy, drink your cup of coffee.. you dont wanna have more than one spoon of the powder coffee made because it will make u very anxious.. You wann stay sane..

DO NOT couple it with red bull...yesterday I did that and I was soo horney all day I was like what the hell, this is no good..I cant focus on studying lol..

today I had to study all day..
So 9 am in the morning, I took 72 g of concerta.. and waiting till I felt like I was sleepy while reading.. drank a cup of coffee and voila...like a charm concentration.
aftera few hours you ll feel the same way again ( because at the time your tablet is metabolizing, so it needs a kick and a little caffine gives you that kick. ) I have to be very careful with this stuff coz from preious experiences stimulants make me reallyyyyyyyyyyyyy horney, and sex is the last thing I am thinking about because I wanna pass my exams lol...

So yeah.. so people drink way too mcuh coffee thinking that it will do them good..wrong, it could give you a siezure. Ok so 72 grams was SO perfect for me today..Much more stable and good concentration throughout the day than 36.ANd its like 2 am and I m still wide awake ( I didnt sleep last night either lol)...SO like I was up all night yesterday and didnt feel tired one bit today, I didnt even realize that I didnt sleep a wink.. and I still dont..which I thought I wanted to get sleep today so I could study tommorow.

and yes it is a combination of stuff, and anti depressant is definitely its component.
backup from wikipedia

Phenylalanine (abbreviated as Phe or F)[1] is an α-amino acid with the formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2C6H5, which is found naturally in the breast milk of mammals and manufactured for food and drink products and are also sold as nutritional supplements for their reputed analgesic and antidepressant effects. Phenylalanine is structurally closely related to dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline) and tyrosine.
This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar because of the hydrophobic nature of the benzyl side chain. The codons for L-phenylalanine are UUU and UUC. It is a white, powdery solid. L-Phenylalanine (LPA) is an electrically-neutral amino acid, one of the twenty common amino acids used to biochemically form proteins, coded for by DNA.

So yeah.. so people drink way too mcuh coffee thinking that it will do them good..wrong, it could give you a siezure. Ok so 72 grams was SO perfect for me today..Much more stable and good concentration throughout the day than 36.ANd its like 2 am and I m still wide awake ( I didnt sleep last night either lol)...SO like I was up all night yesterday and didnt feel tired one bit today, I didnt even realize that I didnt sleep a wink.. and I still dont..which I thought I wanted to get sleep today so I could study tommorow.



You sound like you are chasing a high to me bud. Be careful. Ask a doctor and they will say that your dose is too high if you havnt slept in over 24 hours and are wide awake.

your body will adjust and your sleep patterns will go back to normal. Don't chase the high, thats a waste of time. You want calm control of your symptoms, your not superman.

nah , not for the high.. I have three huge exams on monday and the material is just never ending. it just keeps me up and studying..

the only thing is really frustrating is, ughhhhhhhhhh this stuff has increased my sex drive exponentially. I already have a really high sex drive.. and last thing I want right now is for sex to be lingering on back of my mind when I am studying...

I have to really find something for myself when I go back to US, that does not make me go crazy at unusual or constantly throught out the day..

I know aderall and concerta decrease sex drive in men, but it looks like they do the opposite in women..

your body will adjust and your sleep patterns will go back to normal. Don't chase the high, thats a waste of time. You want calm control of your symptoms, your not superman.

Apparently she is superwoman

lol, apparently.

wait it a second- I was under the impression Concerta was a stimulnat (pardon spelling!) am I wrong?

You know? I was on STrattera for a while and it made my sex drive go INSANE (I'm a female). Normally I'd want it...I dunno, once a week? Strattera made me basically a sex fiend. I wanted it every day and my poor boyfriend didn't know what to do with me. I honestly found it annoying, myself. Adderall did somethign similar...why does this seem to only happen in women? o_O

and I'm starting Concerta tomorrow. I really hope it doesn't have that same effect. I want to be focused on LIFE, not screwing.

Guess I'll see o_O

Isn't Concerta an extended release form of Methylphenidate?

And isn't Methylphenidate one of the psychostimulants?

Straterra was originally an anti-depressant, but is now used for ADHD...

I have never been on Concerta but I am on methylphenidate and have been since the summer of 2008. I can't help but love it and still get a real feeling of energy and a "high" I guess you can call it (although I don't like that word) about 20 minutes or so after I take it. I am a very friendly person when I take it and am social and happy but then eventually it wears off and then sometimes I am angry.

It sounds like Concerta is really working great for you. I wish my insurance would pay for it. Initially my psych wanted to put me on Provigil (for narcolepsy but used off label for helping me to stay awake) but the insurance company denied it. So that is when he gave me methylin (generic ritalin). It has helped me as far as my mood as it lifts my mood but sometimes I can be a real B**** and I am not a nice person to be around.

I also want to add that as you get accustomed to the medication and as it treats your symptoms of ADD it most likely will help you concentrate on your studies and will allow you to do what you have to do in order to lead a productive life. I am sure sex will not be the thing that you will be thinking about when you are in school or doing daily activities etc. Just give it time to work and make sure you get close follow up with your doctor. I have a positive feeling that you are going to do well on that medication. I am going to see if I can get something else as the methylin wears off SO quickly.

I like that you said you wake up refreshed and that is such a good thing. I am sure the med will only continue to benefit you in a positive way. I wish I had that feeling. Maybe it is my PTSD (victim of severe domestic violence summer of 2008) that keeps me from resting).

Keep up the great work. I wish you the best of luck and continued success on the medication and its effectiveness! Best of luck in your studies as well.

Have a great night.

Pam