sleep troubles

[celticmoon47]

hi, i hope someone here can help me with this....

i started taking 54mg of Concerta back in May(? i think) and it was working fine. it helped me focus, i didn't have any problems, etc.

at the end of June i had to have emergency surgery (appendix), and then two weeks later, ANOTHER surgery because an infected internal wound developed at the site. during those hospital stays, i was of course on constant IV feeds--i recall Dilottid (sp?) for pain, Zosyn because the Dilottid made me hurl, and other things. when i was released the second time, i ended up having to take Levaquin and Flagyl pills for a week.

taking the Concerta during my initial recovery periods was hit and miss, esp the second time because i had difficulty keeping things down.

once i got home, i was able to regularly start taking it again--and that's when i started having problems sleeping. it was literally keeping me up all night. i would go to bed at the usual time and my eyes would not stay closed/my mind would be racing.

i tried melatonin--didn't help. i tried the brand name sleep aid Sleep MD (which has valerian root, melatonin hops flowers and something called GABA)--no effect.

my best friend is a pharmacy tech of 20 years and she mentioned that people's bodies will sometimes change how they react to things after major trauma like a surgery. she then suggested that maybe the dose was too strong and/or lasting too long and ask my doctor for a lower dose. he okayed it and dropped me to 36mg, but same problems. i spent almost a week getting no sleep because i thought if i kept taking it, eventually my body would get used to it and put me to sleep when needed.

recently he switched me to Methylin but gave me the ER version which is supposed to only last eight hours. but i still have the same problem trying to get to sleep i left a message asking if i could take the NON-ER version of Methylin--waiting to hear back.

same doctor has me on 100mg of Atarax for anxiety problems, which i take at night cuz it has a sedative ingredient. this was prescribed at the same time as the Methylin ER--when i got the Methylin and started taking it, the Atarax would make me drowsy for about ten minutes and then i would be wide awake again.

the issue is my parents think that my sleep problem is "all in my head" and that any non-ER version of the med will not work/i won't remember to take it even if i have notes everywhere, and if i get a job, no employer will let me stop work to take my medication.

in addition to best friend's research, i've had two doctors including MY doctor tell me that time-released meds can sometimes last longer than intended, so it's very frustrating and upsetting for them to be telling me that "because the paperwork says x hours, then it can't possibly last longer than that".

i'm only drinking caffeine free soda now, i don't drink coffee (have never liked it), and i'm afraid to even eat a tiny bit of chocolate if i take the med. therefore i don't see what else could be causing my insomnia but the extended release type of meds.

has this happened to anyone else?

[G252013]

Yes

I LOVE concerta, but it lasts far beyond the suggested 10 hours. I took it at 8AM yesterday and was up all night last night

[G252013]

It happens to me every time I take concerta. Although I have not tried taking it mega early (4-5am) which I hope is the trick

[Legend]

Weird, I metabolize Concerta quickly. Maybe it depends on your digestive system when it releases.

I'd consider switching to instant release ritalin.

[G252013]

Yeah, unfortunately IR just doesn't work well for me at the moment

[photek]

i take a small dose of amitriptyline and solian to help me go to sleep,

i can apparantly sleep through taking concerta even if i take it at night and wake up bright and shining the next day

[photek]

otherwise if metabolism is slow try milkthistle or a metabolic helper