concerta vs. ritalin la/metadate cd | ADHD Information

i tried concerta, and the 36mg didn't seem like quite enough, but the 54mg seemed like a little too much.  today he put me on the long acting ritalin at 20mg. i forgot to as him how long it should last, and just read somewhere that it's supposed to last 8 hrs, and the concerta lasts 10-14.  with me, the concerta lasts about 9-10, and if i want to be the least bit productive in the evening for meetings, etc., i have to take the concerta at lunchtime which means i loose a whole morning of work, but i've been dealing.  if the ritalin lasts less time, that's going to be a problem.  has anyone tried the ritalin la? does anyone have any idea how 20mg of ritalin la would compare to either the 36mg or 54mg of concerta?  the drugstore was out, so i won't be able to get it until tues.  i don't know if he prescribed 2 a day, but i'm thinking it's only one. Hi,
My son has been on Ritalin LA for a couple years. It is easier to adjust how much medicine the individual needs by taking out some if it is too much; which we couldn't do with the concerta. i can't remember how long Concerta lasted for ds, but it definitely wasn't 10-14 hours. DS seems to metabolize methylphenidate (concerta and ritalin) faster than a lot of people. He takes two doses of Rit LA a day to be productive and get homework done. After seven hours he has difficulty focusing. So he takes a second dose about 6 1/2 hours after the first...or depending on what he's doing he'll take short acting ritalin. If he's on shortacting ritalin then he takes it every 3 1/4 hours apart. I cant remember how concerta and rit LA compare. thanks!  taking the ritalin la twice a day wouldn't be bad if i could overlap the doses.  i have a bad feeling, though, that he only prescribed 1/day for now because he never mentioned anything about taking it twice a day, and i don't go back for three months.  i'm a little bit frustrated because i was off meds for about 2 years (no insurance).  i've been back on concerta for a month, and just ran out yesterday.  now i can't get the ritalin until tuesday, and it probably won't last as long as the concerta which didn't last long enough.  i just had my yearly review at work and got to hear how poorly i did with planning/organizing and self management.... after i had tried so hard.  i hate messing with my medicine and not knowing what to expect when i really need to step it up at work.

oh, what dose was your son taking of the concerta, and what is he taking now of the ritalin?
thanks!
oh, and what dose was he on for the short acting ritalin?  sorry for all the questions, but i'd like to have some idea of how this will compare. medicine affects everyone in such an individual way, it would be best if you discuss how long it lasts with your doctor...and as I discovered each doctor has their own philosophy regarding the use of medicine. I can't remember what he took of concerta. I feel funny discussing dosage amounts but here goes. The mg. comparison for the short acting to the long acting is a bit confusing for me lately, and I can't remember how it was explained to me. Both pharmacist and doctor said it was not just a straight doubling. short acting dose is 16.25 and the LA is a tiny less than 2 @ 30mg; both with the same response just different duration.

I am sorry about your frustration at work after trying so hard. Hopefully the doctor can help you so that you get an even response throughout your work day.

He may have been on 36mg of concerta...which was a few years ago in seventh grade.
I use to take Concerta.  It wasn't for me.  I started Ritalin LA around 2 months ago.  It works very well...for me.  I take 50mg at 7am then another 10 mg at 10am to last longer in the day.  When I took it at 7am it seemed to wear off around 3pm-4pm.  Taking the second smaller dose at 10 seems to help.  I go back to the dr. in a couple weeks to see if we need to adjust.  I need the medicine to cover my work day from around 7:30am to around 6pm.  I may go from 10mg at 10am up to 20mg. We will see!I was getting tired around 4pm.  I think that is also just normal given the nature of my work day.  It's important for me to stay focused 'till around 6pm and my crunch time from 4:30-5pm.  I have to have all my work transmitted on my laptop for a 5 pm cutoff time.  Human nature being what it is I get a great deal of accounts calling me from 4-5 instead of earlier in the day.  The early part of the day is more account management with the end of the day doing the actual orders and solving problems.  After the 5pm cutoff time I have follow up to around 6pm.  I was getting beat at around 4 and didn't feel as on top of things untill 5-6 like I should.  The extra 10 has seemed to work but I don't "feel" the difference when I take the extra 10mg at 10am.  The difference is more in the afternoon in that I don't seem to get as tired so early.  By the time the ritalin is wearing off I'm either at the gym, planning dinner...meeting friends, whatever.  It's a total switch from work so I may just not notice it as much.  The Concerta I just didn't like.  It didn't kick in fast enough and overall I didn't seem to get the improvement I do with Ritalin LA.  The mornings are an important time for me to "tune in".  Instead of it taking me two hours to collect myself it is taking half an hour.Sparco,

I'm interested in the difference you experience between 50mg from 7am to 10am and the 60mg that you are on from let's say 10:30 until 3-4 o'clock. Because Ritalin LA has a gradual decline at the end of the doasage, as opposed to Ritalin's quick drop off, I wonder if that is why it is enough to carry you through. What are the differences in effectiveness that you experience throughout the day?

My ds is very sensitive to slight changes in methylphenidate and metabolizes it so quickly. The Ritalin patch may be released sometime this Spring, which may be a way to go with ds so that he can slap it on in the morning and not have to remember to take meds and manage medicine in relation to his activities. He really depends on medication for him to succeed and feel good about himself. He takes a 6:30 am class, has four advanced classes, extracurricular activities and tons of homework after school. He's treasurer for DECA (business club and student store)and manages more than ,000 every afternoon so his attention to detail is critical.

Sorry I went off topic a bit...I guess I just wish he only had to think about just one pill in the morning instead of throughout the day.

Say lilo, tell us how Ritalin LA works for you. Good luck!!

I haven't tried ritalin la, so I can't be of much help there, sorry......However,  a dose between 36mg and 54mg of the Concerta may be your best option (granted the drug was working well for you). You could ask your doc to prescribe you 27mg pill + 18mg pill per day which may help with the effects and duration. You may even find that the 45mg would last through the evening....or, if not, you could take one of the pills in the a.m. and then the other in the afternoon so that you have at least some help in the morning and in the evening.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I hope you are doing better. What you said about your job hit home with me. I started Ritalin today. I sure hope it helps. I cannot keep my mind on my work, jumping from this to that......

Good luck and I will continue to look at the posts.

~Paula

We've tried Ritalin for our 7 year old, but found he got very wild as he came off of it. 

We've since switched to Concerta (54mg) which avoids the "rollercoaster ride" issues, mind you, it lasts for 8-9 hours max for him.

FYI, we tried Straterra (sp?), but it had no effect on him, even after 6 weeks -- and even when combined with 36mg Concerta!  We weren't too thrilled about the lack of long-term track record with this med, so I'm glad it didn't help his particular situation.

Additionally, we supplement his Concerta with flax seed oil (2 tsp/day) and recently added L-Tyrosine (500mg, 3x/day), which is an amino acid,  readily available at health food stores.  We've seen incremental improvements with both of these additives (with no side effects).  All of this is under the supervision of our doctor.

Ritalin LA is also a long acting form of Ritalin.  They use the same "drug" just different time release systems.  The issue is which system works the best for you.  Ritalin LA is, from what I understand, the newest of these time release type drugs.  Concerta is similar.  I just didn't get enough of the drug at once.  It also avoids the "rollorcoaster ride" issues.I observed a smoother effect in my son once he switched from Concerta to Ritalin LA. It also seemed to have a more gradual decline as it wears out than Ritalin IR or concerta.

Sparco,
Thanks for describing your dosing and the effects. He is so sensitive to slight changes in the amount of Ritalin, it is hard to see something like that working for him to extend the effect. It's interesting how different everyone is! (He drank a few cokes tonight at a restaurant, got sleepy and ready for bed early. Didn't stay asleep though)