Methylphenidate IR better than Concerta?

[JenSMP]

Today, my son and I both tried something new. We each have a prescription for Concerta and methylphenidate (short acting, NOT extended release). We both have worsened anxiety symptoms on the Concerta, and my son's dose is going to be reduced. In the meantime, all we have is the higher dose pill and the short acting methylphenidate that he can use as a booster in the mornings or afternoon.

So, today, instead of taking Concerta, he and I both took two separate doses of the methylphenidate. Neither of us experienced any anxiety, focus was good, and irritability/mood control was much better. Also, my son ate soooooo much better than normal. He hasn't gained weight in well over a year, although he is growing taller. My son began to get a little irritable when the first med was wearing off, so I fed him a big lunch, and then gave him the second dose. I was going to give him a third dose, but he never had the rebound effect, and he was eating like a horse. So, I'm going to skip the third dose altogether.

FYI: He normally takes 36mg Concerta, so today, he took 7.5mg methylphendiate (instant release) and then another 7.5mg about 4 hours later.

I normally take 36mg Concerta, so but I took 10mg this morning and 10mg 4-5 hours later. I don't get foggy like I do with the Concerta, and it was much smoother if you ask me. I didn't get irritable at all, and I never felt anxious.

I'm going to talk to his doctor and my doctor tomorrow about trying this as our treatment approach for a bit. I like having the control of how long it lasts too. With concerta, some days it seems to wear off quickly, and other days it lasts until night. And, I always have anxiety with it. I've even started taking Xanax at night b/c of the anxiety. I definitely don't need that today.

This is very interesting to me. I don't think I was attributing enough of the anxiety to Concerta; I knew Concerta could increase anxiety, but I had no idea it was to that degree.

Anyone else have better results with short acting methylphenidate than Concerta?

[ILADHD]

Well in your case, taking 10mg of IR gives you more of an initial hit than the 22% you get from a Concerta. (36mg X .22 = 7.92mg)

In your son's case, the IR is about the same. The appetite makes sense because 2 7.5mg a lot less drug than 36mg.

Whole thing really surprises me, effects really shouldn't be that dramatic.

[JenSMP]

Originally Posted by ILADHD

Well in your case, taking 10mg of IR gives you more of an initial hit than the 22% you get from a Concerta. (36mg X .22 = 7.92mg)

In your son's case, the IR is about the same. The appetite makes sense because 2 7.5mg a lot less drug than 36mg.

Whole thing really surprises me, effects really shouldn't be that dramatic.

I read this info before deciding on the dose:
18 mg Concerta = 4 mg Ritalin 3 times per day
27 mg Concerta = 6 mg Ritalin 3 times per day
36 mg Concerta = 8 mg Ritalin 3 times per day
54 mg Concerta = 12 mg Ritalin 3 times per day

This is from this site:
http://www.addadhdblog.com/concerta-...ht-dose/#66d55

I didn't follow the conversion chart exactly because I already know how we react to the short acting medication. We have 5mg tablets, so I improvised. 5mg never seems to be enough for my son or me. So, for us, I'm not sure exactly how accurate that conversion is in terms of effectiveness. It may be approximately the same amount of methylphenidate, however it's not an equal effectiveness level. At least that's my experience. Also, we both just took two doses rather than three.

It's just one day, so maybe it's a fluke. It just seemed much better. Concerta seems so much more intense to me. I'm not sure if my son notices a huge difference, but I certainly noticed that he had zero anxiety symptoms today. Same with me.

[miko]

I take the concerta from 6 days and after 3 days at 18 mg, increased to 36 - 18 mg I did not felt any effects, and at 36 I am more nervous. I wonder to ask for a fast-acting Ritalin.
I read a little and a lot of people who react badly to the concerta feels good on the fast-acting Ritalin.

[String]

I've taken Concerta for the last few months with a booster late in the afternoon (54mg Concerta + 10mg IR). I'm back to only IR (40 to 50mg per day).

I found that the 54mg Concerta was a lot like 3 x 10mg IR, but I liked the fact that I didn't have to think about taking medicine most of the day. I also thought there were less unpleasant peaks.

I think there are also benefits to IR over Concerta. Mostly, IR is much cheaper. I can fill a 3 month prescription for much less than I could with Concerta.

IR also gives you more control over your dose. You can forget to take it in the morning, or simply exercise or be busy in the morning, and still take your medication. Your doctor might also let you take different dosages at different times during your day. Some people even think there's a physiological benefit for the brain with having the peaks and valleys of taking IR over the fairly constant stream of medication from the Concerta pump.

I think the changes you felt were probably due to dosing differences. I sometimes feel anxiety and sometimes don't Sometimes the medication works better with concentration and other life skills than at other times. But there are so many variables (sleep, diet, emotions) that I would have a hard time blaming all these changes on the differences between IR and Concerta.

[JenSMP]

My son and I are both still having good success with the Ritalin IR (methylphenidate generic). Today was his first day at school while trying this, and it was the best day he's had since he started school last month. Hopefully it wasn't a fluke!

I also still feel a lot better with this medication. I feel more like myself, just more focused without the scattered, foggy mind. Concerta gave me energy, but I would still jump from one thing to the next and would go through periods of feeling foggy, sort of like when you take cold medicine. On the instant release, I get the benefit without feeling medicated.

At the beginning, when I first started Concerta, I liked it a lot too. In fact, it was only out of necessity that we took the Ritalin IR that one day. I'm glad because it seems to be a good fit. My son's doctor is sending us a Rx for Ritalin IR, so we'll see how it goes. I'm going to see my doc tomorrow to ask about the same.

[miko]

Originally Posted by String

I think there are also benefits to IR over Concerta. Mostly, IR is much cheaper. I can fill a 3 month prescription for much less than I could with Concerta.

IR also gives you more control over your dose.

It's true - in Poland 36 mg concerta costs 180 zlotych (almost 50 euro). Insurance cover that amount for kids/youth to 18 years (I have 26).

There is also medikinet - ritalin generic, which is a lot cheaper (I hope it will work in lower doses of 5 and 10 mg).