Concerta - dosage

[candynlr]

I'm new to this. But I have a question.
My daughter is 6 years old - she had ADHD and ODD. She has been on Stratara.
Doctor changed her last week to Concerta 27mg. Gave it to her on Friday - bouncing off the wall all day - said she hated herself and could not settle down - scared me to death. Did not go to sleep until 11:00 it was bad. Stopped giving it to her until I could talk to the ped doctor on Monday. They said to keeping giving it to her and if on Tuesday she was still that away up her on Wed to two pills. I'm sorry to say I just couldn't until I researched this more. Is this normal to start out so high? Has anyone else been throught this?

Thank you

[jaimegerise]

Hmmmm, well, I can tell you my personal experience with concerta. I started off taking 18 mgs a couple of years ago. I immediately noticed a change because all of a sudden at work, I was superwoman! I am normally a rather hypoactive ADDer...but in the first week I was on the meds, there seemed to be nothing I couldn't do. I remember working my butt off that week at work.

Well, I am now on 36 mg, and it seems to have leveled off a bit. I have the energy and want to get things done, but not to the point of wearing myself out.

Hmmm, maybe doc is right....maybe at least give it a week...more than a day.

Just my 2 cents

[perlguy]

I am pretty new to this too, and so maybe I can provide some perspective as well.

I started out on Strattera. I gave it 5 or 6 weeks and noticed nothing.

I then got on Concerta and WOW! It was not like I was "high" or anything like that. But I was super motivated. I notice more energy when on Concerta, and I have no doubt that it can keep you totally awake if you take it too late.

I am prescribed 3 36mg Concerta per day. I take 2 when I get up, and 1 after lunch.

My son, who is 16, was started out on a 27mg Concerta per day and has been changed to a 36mg. He is still unsure about it, he thinks it makes him too hyper. One thing he does not realize is that it also tends to make him MUCH more considerate and a nicer person to be around.

Concerta may not be the best choice for your child. The "problem" with many of these medicines is that EVERYBODY reacts differently. Concerta MAY be the perfect choice for your child, but getting to the proper dose could take some time.

One thing that is nice with drugs like Concerta is that you can pretty much tell right away (or within a day or two) what the effect will be. With drugs like Strattera and Prozac, it can take weeks to notice anything.

I hope I helped a bit, I always tend to get rampbling....

Brent

[FlakeyGirl]

Adults know that medication sometimes causes side effects and that those usually go away. Or at least adults have the ability to figure it out. That paper they attach to your prescription at the pharmacy is there for a reason.

If you haven't already, please give your daughter as much information as possible regarding side effects of her medication. Let her know what to expect and perhaps decide together with your doctor how long you're willing to let any unpleasant side effects continue before discontinuing the medication. Kids can get really scared if they feel something weird happening to their body and they don't know why. All kids, especially AD/HD kids, and even more so, younger children, may have trouble expressing HOW they are feeling. They may not have the words to do it. They may not want to draw attention to an aspect of their behavior about which they are already sensitive. They may just accept additional discomfort as "par for the course."

Ask simple yes or no questions of your child to gather info about how she is feeling. "Susie, it seems like you have been very sad lately. I want to ask you a couple of questions about that because I love you and I want to help you feel better. I am not upset with you, and I will not become angry with you no matter what you say. Just think hard and answer me truthfully. Do you feel more angry than usual? In the morning? When you play with other kids? Have you felt like crying for no good reason?" You get the idea. If possible do this in the least distracting, most supportive environment possible, like when she is relaxed in her bed first thing in the morning, when she is well-rested and before she gets into mischief. Be sure to follow up with gentle praise; even the most "together" adults have difficulty analyzing thier own feelings.

In addition, please let her know WHY she is taking medication; to help slow down her super-fast, super-smart brain enough for other people to catch up and understand her, so she can stop herself and think for a second before to decides if she really wants to let out a "sassy" remark, so she can make and follow plans for her really great ideas. You can use <---- those ideas or not. I just put down my own reasons.

[candynlr]

Thank you for the reply. I had read the insert and called the pharmacy and they told me to stop until I talked to the Doctor on Monday. I guess I am just so scared - I have my doctors appointment this afternoon (with her doctor) I will go over the information with him.
Thank you again this is a cool site - looked and looked last night and could not find one to help - Thanks.

[gabriela]

Originally Posted by perlguy

I am prescribed 3 36mg Concerta per day. I take 2 when I get up, and 1 after lunch.

wait a minute - do you mean you take *pausing to count* 108 mg concerta per day?!

[jaimegerise]

Holy gazongas that's a lot!!! Hell, when I tried to take 54 mgs, it made me start having tics!

[perlguy]

Maybe i am special.

I haven't noticed any bad side effects or anything like that. Well, except for this giant fish growing out from my ear...

But yeah, I guess 108mg/day is what I get.

Brent

[FlakeyGirl]

My husband's doc is not finished adjusting his dosage; it looks like he'll be taking quite a bit also. He didn't notice anything different on 36, except for the drooling. Neither did I except for him not railing at my request he go back out for some milk and bread after returning home from a long work day. He's still fidgety as heck and he's still procrastinating quite a bit.

[gabriela]

i'm on 54 mg per day - in sweden that's the "official" maximum dosage.

if the doctor (psychiatrist) applies for a special permit, he/she may perscribe an additional 18 mg - making it a total of 72 mg per day.

[dixiepeep]

I only take 18 mgs a day and the doc acted like that was a lot.

[Tara]

Originally Posted by candynlr

I'm new to this. But I have a question.
My daughter is 6 years old - she had ADHD and ODD. She has been on Stratara.
Doctor changed her last week to Concerta 27mg. Gave it to her on Friday - bouncing off the wall all day - said she hated herself and could not settle down - scared me to death. Did not go to sleep until 11:00 it was bad. Stopped giving it to her until I could talk to the ped doctor on Monday. They said to keeping giving it to her and if on Tuesday she was still that away up her on Wed to two pills. I'm sorry to say I just couldn't until I researched this more. Is this normal to start out so high? Has anyone else been throught this?

Thank you

When I was on Concerta I wnet from 18mg to 36mg andthe 36 mg was too much for me and made me feel somewhat like your daughter. In my own case it meant that the 36mg per day was too much for me. Since I had started out on the 18mg and didn't have the same feeling as I did on the 36mg I could conclude that I was reacting to too high of a dose and not the medication itself.

[Gregster]

Typical dosages for Concerta (methyphenidate) are in the .5mg to 1.0 mg/kg/day range. Some may go higher than that, and some lower to get the best effect. For a 100lb child this range would be 22 mg to 45 mg. You didn't say how heavy your child is so I used 100lb as a baseline.

[neuroangel]

I just went back to taking 54 mg of Concerta myself. I was on 18 mg of concerta and 20 mg of adderall xr, then I was on 40 mg of adderall xr. Anyway, I've been back on 54 mg of concerta for two days now, and I've been aggitated. Maybe it's from quitting the adderall, because I didn't have this problem when I was taking the concerta alone a few weeks ago.

Cyndi

[Jeepboy]

I've been on 36mg of concerta for the last month. I was on Strattera for 4 weeks before that and it did not work well. I took ritalin when i was in my early 20s and I like concerta much more. For those that have had their dosage adjusted, what are signs of too little or too much?