My son started Concerta 18mg yesterday. He had a great day at school. When he got home .....he said he felt calm but still himself. Then around 5:30pm he became impulsive and arguementative. Come down from the drug no doubt. Will this become betterand lessen over time? I know we are sooooo new to this drug.....we should know within a week whether we need to increase it.
Just wondering if this is the norm?
Thanks in advance.
From our experience with Concerta if the dose isn't lasting 10 hours then it can be increased. However, we found that when Concerta wears off the drop off was harsh and my son would struggle for 2-3 hours before going to bed at night then be unable to sleep because he was so wound up. In the end we decided to give him a short acting dose of Ritilin at 5pm just before his Concerta wears off. This way he stays much calmer during the drop off and can settle in to sleep much easier when the time comes.It may be a good idea to switch to a longer acting medication.