Why is it not working?!?!?!?!

[zircon]

ok so i have been prescribed a weeks worth of concerta XL 18mgs

i tried it empty stomach i gotten a slight bit of euphoric effect but after about 1 hour it just dessapeared and then i was back to my old self, so what i did on the 5th day i took 2 18mgs and guess what?! NOTHING HAPPENED!

but im just puzzled, why isnt concerta doing it properly?

so i spoke with the psychologist and she said she will speak to my doctor about getting equasym imidiate release, is kinda scary thinking 36 mg of concerta just isnt doing nothing at all!

do you guys think this is normal?!

concerta releases about 22% of the methylphenidate imidiately, so thats about 3 mg, it just dosent sound quite enough to me, also taking 2 it releases 6mg and it still done nothing!

WTF is wrong with me?!

[Cenex22]

I think you need to calm down. I made a similar post and ended up learning three general rules from lurking these boards.

1) It takes a long time to get the dosage right. Don't take a different dose without first consulting your doctor. 18 and 36mg are relatively small doses.
2) Not everyone responds to the medications in the same way. Some will work for some people, while for others they may not. It also takes time to find the right medicine, which is why it is nice there are many out there.
3) Extended release medications are rarely as long-lasting as they claim to be. From what I've experienced (and it seems a lot of others on this board), Concerta's delivery system causes a lot of ups and downs after the IR dose has worn off (kind of like a light switch).

The key is patience. Which unfortunately is something we both seem to lack

[SquarePeg]

sorry don´t know what XL means. I have been 2 weeks on concerta 18mg, main change was that my anxiety has gone and that I don´t want to drink coffee, coke or alcohol.

Not much change in concentration or getting tasks done but as I feel calm I don´t care. No seriously my appointment was cancelled yesterday without notification and I through a major strop in the clinic. I imagine she would have upped my dose to 36.

My doc was to go low and slow and seeing as I have waited 47 years to get diagnosed I am willing to go along with it.

There isn´t much choice of meds in Spain and I think the same for the UK. I think it´s important to give meds a decent try before adjusting doses, adding different meds or switching, patience is key. (unless it´s having an adverse effect)

[Subtract81]

My experience is the same as yours zircon so far i have only taken it one day and i have literally noticed nothing. I am considering taking 2 or possibly 3 at one point just to find out if there is any effect at all as i am not convinced yet, i have not felt calmer or focusse, i was up late last night but no different to any other night. Im just going to try and keep an open mind for a few days and if there is still nothing i will contact the doctor who prescribed it. Be interesting to compare notes i wrote another thread concerning my symptoms you might wanna see if we are similar in that respect?

[Xenophanes]

Calm down dude, if you see previous threads you'd realize I've had similar experience as had many other people. It takes a little to find right dosage. I am not experiencing anything at my current 38mg dosage, going to change it on Monday. Hopefully it'll work out.

Here's a success story to keep you hopeful: 6 weeks in = http://www.addforums.com/forums/show...23#post1359223

just 1 week after the above, he found the right dosage= http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131566

[Lunacie]

Originally Posted by zircon

ok so i have been prescribed a weeks worth of concerta XL 18mgs

i tried it empty stomach i gotten a slight bit of euphoric effect but after about 1 hour it just dessapeared and then i was back to my old self, so what i did on the 5th day i took 2 18mgs and guess what?! NOTHING HAPPENED!

but im just puzzled, why isnt concerta doing it properly?

so i spoke with the psychologist and she said she will speak to my doctor about getting equasym imidiate release, is kinda scary thinking 36 mg of concerta just isnt doing nothing at all!

do you guys think this is normal?!

concerta releases about 22% of the methylphenidate imidiately, so thats about 3 mg, it just dosent sound quite enough to me, also taking 2 it releases 6mg and it still done nothing!

WTF is wrong with me?!

Originally Posted by Subtract81

My experience is the same as yours zircon so far i have only taken it one day and i have literally noticed nothing. I am considering taking 2 or possibly 3 at one point just to find out if there is any effect at all as i am not convinced yet, i have not felt calmer or focusse, i was up late last night but no different to any other night. Im just going to try and keep an open mind for a few days and if there is still nothing i will contact the doctor who prescribed it. Be interesting to compare notes i wrote another thread concerning my symptoms you might wanna see if we are similar in that respect?

Both of you . . . there is a reason doctors start at a low dose and
increase gradually. It's to minimize any side effects you may have.


The bigger the dose - the bigger any adverse reaction will be.
You don't want that, eh?


NEVER EVER take more of any medication than has been prescribed
without checking with the doctor. Reason for that listed above. ^


That slight euphoric feeling? That's not what you need the meds for.
What you want is to feel "normal", to be able to focus and get things
done instead of being so scattered.

[Flory]

concerta hums away in the background, any euphoric feeling will usually dissappear when you settle on a dose, lunacie has got it right...you start low for a reason....if i were to have taken 56 mg of methylphenidate (my dose on those drugs ritalin and concerta combi) i would have been f**ked up for quite a few days with side effects

also peg XL means Extended Release, ALL concerta is concerta XL

[Flory]

Originally Posted by Xenophanes

Calm down dude, if you see previous threads you'd realize I've had similar experience as had many other people. It takes a little to find right dosage. I am not experiencing anything at my current 38mg dosage, going to change it on Monday. Hopefully it'll work out.

Here's a success story to keep you hopeful: 6 weeks in = http://www.addforums.com/forums/show...23#post1359223

just 1 week after the above, he found the right dosage= http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131566

Good luck with DR H , i have to go see him on th 6 November :P....he'll possibly suggest IR'S to you : )

[Subtract81]

I doubled my dose today to check if the stuff was having any effect whatsoever, and i can pretty conclusively say yes it does! Was a strange experience i felt slightly on edge and extremely self conscious while getting some food in subway, the effects seem to wear off gradually, i seemed to be extremely talkative however.. i talked more today than i have any other day in recent memory, it almost seemed like more of a recreational drug than a medical drug, i think tomorrow i will go without and see how i feel...

[Flory]

subtract...you need to titrate properly or it wont reach its full potential...trust me on this one buddy....take it every day like they suggested...i dont mean to nag you, but if you start doubling then going 0 the next day it wont work properly....when are you due to bump up to 36mg

[Subtract81]

I didn't know if what i was taking was having any effect, personally i don't feel like i need drugs 100% of the time, when i spoke to my doctor i asked if i would become dependant, she said no i could stop and start when i liked, i am not doing anything that would seems illogical to me, if you could explain the risks i am taking by stopping and starting as the doctor who prescribed them seemed to differ in opinion, thanks.

[Flory]

My consultant has said that taking medicines every day at a regular dose is the best treatment for ADHD, titration is also very very important, if you have not used prescription stimulants before you can't expect to take 54mg on the first day or 36mg etc...like lunacie said above^ it takes time...

if you have a day off here then a double dose here, then a small dose there...you will never know what a correct dose is supposed to feel like or establish a regular routine...there are such things as drug holidays like...you take a fortnight off once a year..but you've only been on medicines for a few days, you will have no basis for comparison to decided whethe or not they are actually worthwhile taking....the euphoric feeling, the side effects etc will not get better if you keep mucking about with it in the first crucial few weeks of adjustment, you are seen by an nhs practitioner so you are very limited in terms of what else you can get...you need to give this med the best chance or there's not point in trying at all, if you've messed around with your meds/not taken them properly, no psychiatrist even a private one will try you on a different rx

let them do their job or not as the case may be, you need to give it a chance.

[Flory]

also once you are established, if there is no clinical need for you to take them 7 days a week you could have weekends off etc....for most a regular dose daily (some of us with boosters on busier days) is the best way to use medication

[Subtract81]

the dose was apparently too small, i took it 2 days in a row and literally nothing, i wasn't even sure they were doing anything whatsoever, not ticking over in the background, are you saying that i keep taking something that apparently does nothing at that dosage and somehow it starts becoming beneficial? I do not really understand the logic of taking something for a month that has no discernible effects...

At least i now know that the pills i have do something, whether that is beneficial for me in particular is another matter entirely

[Subtract81]

I felt frustrated the last 2 days and today i noticed i was extremely self conscious as i felt "different" in public also noticed sweaty palms and more talkative than usual, but also more emotional and not in a nice way. I am honestly not sure if this is the road i want to head down.