Just diagnosed ADD and taking concerta | ADHD Information

[QUOTE=doggidoc]

I don't want to influence your experience, because everyone reacts to meds differently, but I was started with that combo and it did not work out for me. My diagnosis is also very new (about a month now) and I am still finding the right medicine. I have tried Concerta (w/ Lexapro) and Adderall alone, I am going to ask my doc for something new on Monday.

There is another forum that divides it's topics by type of medicine. Here is the link for concerta http://www.addforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

Please let us know how the meds work for you.

GOOD LUCK

[/QUOTE] Hello to everyone who has written back to me about the concerta and lexapro. I have only taken it for two days and stopped because the doc did not want me to take it on the weekends. I feel a bit of improvement focus wise which helps so much at work. However I can't sleep at night. I too agree I am thirsty and pee alot. I am also talking with a therapist so I can honestly say that I am trying to do my part. I know I am new to the meds but will I ever feel that drive or ambition if you will to do the things that need to be done, ie; laundry, cleaning, etc? I am really struggling with the daily taskes at hand. I am truly thankfull for all of the people that responded to my plea. Is there anything I should bring up to my doc about my condition? And can someone please explain why this med chills people with adhd and stimulated people with add? Can anyone tell me who this works? Sorry for being so long winded. Thank you all for getting back to m. I am eager to hear your different view points.I am honestly new to this so please bare with me. Still trying to figure out how to respond to all of in encouraging feedback. I have ben taking the concerta for a couple of days and the doc told me not to take it on my days off which really stinks because I am trying to get used to it. However my focus in much better but I cant sleep and the lexapro does not seem to be doing much. Should I be something differet? Thanks so much for everyones help and support. BDVNJ

Hi,

I can give you my expierence but it's not to say that it well be yours. I take concerta at a much lower dose then you I only take 18 ml. but it does wonders the only negative side effect for me is weight loss i have lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks so keep that in mind. Otherwise they work wonders for me....if you expierence weight loss there are solutions in how you should eat and talk to your doctor.

Dawn

[QUOTE=babsnj]Hi All. I was just diagnosed with ADD and was given concerta with lexapro. I was so frustrated with myself for a very long time because I could never finish anything or even get the motivation to start things. I honestly thought I had just become extremely lazy which caused my depression. Tomorrow will be the first day that I start taking the concerta (36mg). Can anyone tell me what to expect or share their experiences just starting concerta? Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Hello ..I thought i would let you know im taking Lexapro for a few yrs now for bipolar i have also just started concerta its been three days, At first i had a hard time sleeping ...dont take it to late. But now things are fine..made me sleepy at first. during the day. I cant really say to much about concerta sence i just started iot also ..i did notice i was really down the first day..at the end of the day. i think because it wears off? not sure. but keep in touch let me know how your doing we cant help each other out.

[QUOTE=tl_c]I started Concerta about 6 weeks ago. Concerta (36mg) has made the
difference between night and day for me. I'm up and at 'em by 8:00a.m.
I'm able to read and comprehend even the toughest analytical theories I'm
learning for my grad coursework (I'm working of Lacan, Kant, Barthes,
Derrida right now! I can't believe it!). I can sit at the library for hours and
hours without being distracted. I'm finishing up my assignments without
my usual breakdown (i.e., "I can do this! I'm going to quit!!). I'm more
aware of what I'm doing so I don't misplace things as often. I sleep like a
log. I've been super motivated to do the things I've been wanting to do
forever...Since things are looking up, I'm more confident and feel
generally good about myself.

BUT, I continue to have to work on changing my behavior. I have to really
work to get myself to do what I'm supposed to be doing instead of
focusing on something else. I still have to keep lists of important dates
and to-dos (though I don't lose them as often) to prioritize everything. I
have to set time limits on my activities so that I don't overdo it and miss
meals or other important appointments.

I have had some mild side effects--I'm always thirsty and then I have to
pee a lot. I often have a slight headache, but not bad enough for it to
bother me too much. Whenever I'm hungry, I'm starving, so I have to
make sure I have a snack handy or I'll get hunger-nausea.

So far, Concerta has been great for me. I really don't think that I could
have made it through the semester thus far without it. I have two more
papers to finish, and then I'm off to start researching my thesis topic over
the summer!!!

My doc keeps implying that I'll need to watch my anxiety levels. I was on
Lexapro before the Concerta, but the Lexapro made me "emotionally
constipated". I could intellectualize my emotions, but I wasn't able to
physically experience them. That was awesome for a while, but then it
was like I no longer could fully experience positive emotions because I
didn't have the opposite to compare them to. I don't know if that makes
sense. Also, getting off the Lexapro sucked big time. I was dizzy and
nauseous for a few weeks. I decided I didn't want to take an anti-
anxiety/depression med because I feel like the progress I'm making with
the Concerta has resolved a lot of my depression and anxiety issues.

But, as we all know, the meds are different for all of us. But that's my
personal experience.

Good luck!![/QUOTE]

I am so glad to hear that concerta works for you, I also take lexapro and buspa both work great for bipolar for me, And with bipolar i was afraid to treat my adhd because i was afraid of manic! or depression, but this is my 4th day taking concerta and the first 2 days were hard. didnt feel like i was feeling right kinda tired and down in the dumps. but as we all know it takes time with meds and you have to give it a chance. I dont get hungrey at all so i have to remind myself to eat something.

so good to hear thanks

I was diagnosed with ADHD a little less than a year ago. I tried Ritalin first, and found that it wasn't good enough for my life style. I'm a college student and didn't want to be popping pills every 3-4 hours while in class/studying/trying to function like a normal human being. I had worked with my doctor to find the ideal dose of Ritalin, then tried the 6 hour stuff, didn't like that either, then tried a combination of Ritalin and Concerta. I now take 72 grams of Concerta in the morning, then if I need to stay up later, I take the Ritalin. The Ritalin doesn't work as well for me as the Concerta, but when I need to do a lot of homework or whatever, it works well enough. Concerta has been such a big help - this past year, my GPA was a full point higher than it was my unmedicated freshman and sophomore years, I find that I have less road rage, I get my stuff done, etc.

But, yes, Concerta does have its downsides. For me, they involved eating and sleep. For the first 8-9 months, I had a greatly decreased appetite while medicated (and I think part of that is while I was unmedicated, I would just eat as something to do...) I learned to take my medicine less than 30 minutes before breakfast, so I could eat that meal well, then eat a lot after it wore off. Fortunately, this has faded, but I still maintain a weight about 5 lbs less than I started, and my doctor says this is normal.

As for sleeping, I couldn't fall asleep while taking it either, but I wouldn't start getting ready for bed until after it had completely worn off. Then I would either delay getting ready for bed with normal ADD behavior or lie in bed with my mind racing, completely unable to fall asleep. I talked to my doctor, and he suggested that I start getting ready for bed while my dose is starting to wear off (and with time, you'll figure out when that is), then be in bed by the time it wears off. In the meantime, I read a book while lying in bed. That way, when the "awakeness" due to Concerta wears off, I'm already in bed, and I fall asleep easily. I don't know if it would work for you, but it's really helped me.

The difference with ADD/ADHD drugs from other drugs is that you have to experiment, observe, and schedule. I had to try different doses and medicines to figure out what worked best for me, I had to work around the limitations (and discover what they are), and follow a bit of a stricter/more regular schedule to optimize the medicine's effectiveness. It took me about 2 months to find the ideal meds and doses for me, with a bunch of doctor's visits during that time, but I am now more than happy with the results. Keep trying different things (after talking with your doctor) and see what works for you. It may take a little while, but in the end it will pay off. I hope you figure out what works best for you soon, and I hope this helps!

Did your doc give you a reason for not taking it on the weekend? I am curious, because a) it makes it hard to get over the initial side effects and b) full coverage is not too much to ask.

My pdoc thinks I should be able to focus on my life all the time, for the entire day and on the weekends- no matter what I am doing. I would have to say I agree with him. Bouncing between functional and scatterbrained is annoying to say the least. With meds, I have social skills, remember to run errands, set personal goals and reach them. Those things are just as, if not more important than work.

I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about it. Some doctors are reluctant to prescribe enough meds to give people full coverage. Taking meds for the sole purpose of meeting job expectations is bogus. It isn't unreasonable to want some of that quality thinking to be used for your own life.

i love geeking on concertaHi All. I was just diagnosed with ADD and was given concerta with lexapro. I was so frustrated with myself for a very long time because I could never finish anything or even get the motivation to start things. I honestly thought I had just become extremely lazy which caused my depression. Tomorrow will be the first day that I start taking the concerta (36mg). Can anyone tell me what to expect or share their experiences just starting concerta? Thanks.

There is another forum that divides it's topics by type of medicine. Here is the link for concerta http://www.addforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

Please let us know how the meds work for you.

GOOD LUCK

[QUOTE=doggidoc]
How long did it take for you to see the big difference?
[/QUOTE]
For me, 45 minutes.
Yeah, that quick. I have noticed some lasting effects that aren't great but the clarity is well worth the negative issues.I started Concerta about 6 weeks ago. Concerta (36mg) has made the
difference between night and day for me. I'm up and at 'em by 8:00a.m.
I'm able to read and comprehend even the toughest analytical theories I'm
learning for my grad coursework (I'm working of Lacan, Kant, Barthes,
Derrida right now! I can't believe it!). I can sit at the library for hours and
hours without being distracted. I'm finishing up my assignments without
my usual breakdown (i.e., "I can do this! I'm going to quit!!). I'm more
aware of what I'm doing so I don't misplace things as often. I sleep like a
log. I've been super motivated to do the things I've been wanting to do
forever...Since things are looking up, I'm more confident and feel
generally good about myself.

BUT, I continue to have to work on changing my behavior. I have to really
work to get myself to do what I'm supposed to be doing instead of
focusing on something else. I still have to keep lists of important dates
and to-dos (though I don't lose them as often) to prioritize everything. I
have to set time limits on my activities so that I don't overdo it and miss
meals or other important appointments.

I have had some mild side effects--I'm always thirsty and then I have to
pee a lot. I often have a slight headache, but not bad enough for it to
bother me too much. Whenever I'm hungry, I'm starving, so I have to
make sure I have a snack handy or I'll get hunger-nausea.

So far, Concerta has been great for me. I really don't think that I could
have made it through the semester thus far without it. I have two more
papers to finish, and then I'm off to start researching my thesis topic over
the summer!!!

My doc keeps implying that I'll need to watch my anxiety levels. I was on
Lexapro before the Concerta, but the Lexapro made me "emotionally
constipated". I could intellectualize my emotions, but I wasn't able to
physically experience them. That was awesome for a while, but then it
was like I no longer could fully experience positive emotions because I
didn't have the opposite to compare them to. I don't know if that makes
sense. Also, getting off the Lexapro sucked big time. I was dizzy and
nauseous for a few weeks. I decided I didn't want to take an anti-
anxiety/depression med because I feel like the progress I'm making with
the Concerta has resolved a lot of my depression and anxiety issues.

But, as we all know, the meds are different for all of us. But that's my
personal experience.

Good luck!!

[QUOTE=tl_c]I started Concerta about 6 weeks ago. Concerta (36mg) has made the difference between night and day for me.
[/QUOTE]

How long did it take for you to see the big difference?

Did you try other meds before sticking with Concerta? Which ones? For how much time did you try them? What made you and your doc decide it was time to try the next one?

I started with 18mg for a week, but didn't notice any change. We then
bumped it up to the 36mg. I think I saw the change no later than a
week. It was pretty fast for me. BUT, I have to reiterate that it didn't
change the behavior; it was all up to me to use my newfound focus on the
activities I was supposed to be doing. It took a couple more weeks to
figure that out. But, definitely, the attention and focus was pretty much
immediate. I have 3-hour seminars in the dark (I study art history) and
I'm actually conscious the whole time. Crazy, huh? The lexapro took
about 3 weeks for me to see a reduction in my anxiety. Before that, I was
sleepy all the time, but I was suspicious that I was confusing sleepy for
the absence of anxiety to activate me.

I'm pretty lucky. Concerta is my first ADHD med. I see my doc every 4-6
weeks. During the visits, I tell her all about my experiences and side
effects. We've talked about other med options, but this one seemed to be
the best fit for me because of my school schedule; the time-release is
pretty important. Oh, speaking of which, I don't think I really get 12
hours. I'd say more like 9 hours. After the 9 hours, it's like Cinderella at
midnight, back to the pumpkin and all that. So, back to what I was
writing, the option to switch is always available. Unlike the anti-
depressants, you don't have to weed yourself off of (most) ADHD meds,
so it's pretty easy to switch if you need to.

So, anyways. I hope you get lucky the first time around, too. Give it time
and definitely read up on strategies to change the old ADHD habits.

Good luck!!

I started on it 3 Feb 06 and that night I cleaned our kitchen table, chairs and entertainment center in 3 hours. It gave me a giant bolt of energy and focus. I started recalling information on assignments over a month old and am better able to focus and organize. I am in the Air Force and my carrear is in aircraft aviation. My co-workers, superiors and all others and friends have all noticed both my decline of 3-4 years in performance and the recent change in my up swing of my performance in all my areas of responsibility and have complimented me on my improvments. Not only that they are all aware of my situation and are very supportive of me. I hope you find this helpful, I encourage you to be open with it when you feel comforable with it. I just found out 8 June 06 of my AADHD and I am happy because now I have something tangable to grab hold of and can monitor it now.