I ended up loving Concerta for my son. The first time he took it, it didn't seem to work. However, after struggles with other meds we went back to concerta and loved it. 18mgs is a low dose and you may need to go up to 27 to see results.
You will see concerns regarding a childs growth rate. When you research it, it may say it may reduce final growth about 1 inch. However, there are many parents I've read about on boards that have had no trouble. I will tell you my son did not grow much the almost 3 years on different stims, between the ages of 7 and 10. When we stopped the Concerta last May he has shot up about 4 inches in the year. It could be related to his age tho, I"ll never know.
Finally a med switch! The doc started my son on Adderall xr 5 mg. I told him he was miserable, cried alot and aggressive. He upped it to 10 mg xr. I called 3 days later, told him the crying was worse. He switched him to regular adderall 5mg twice a day. Yesterday I called and told him I wanted him off, he cried for over an hour because his train wouldn't work. Definately not appropriate for a 7 yo. He finally said, I guess this med isn't working. NOOOO, really!! He also lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks on it. Which is alot since he started at 49 pounds.So, he put him on concerta 18mg. Anyone have success? I was shocked when I read the side effects and it said may have slow growth rate. Should I worry?
Donna
Everyone really is different and reacts differently to meds. My son took Concerta and did horrible on it, on 3 different dosages that we tried.
I take it though and love it. I have absolutely no side effects at all. I did develop a horrid rash yesterday, and am crossing my fingers that I'm not developing an allergy to it, but as far as I know, no side effects for me. I tried adderall at one point and just could not tolerate it. I have co-morbid anxiety and the adderall made me feel like I had an 8 hour panic attack. I was miserable. I only tried one pill and was done.
Oh and I also haven't lost any weight (dang!), but my son did lose 3 lbs in the first few weeks on it, and then leveled out. So I suppose that is different for each person as well.
Good luck :)
For us and Concerta the Jury is still out, my daughter is 6 and like the others lack of appetite is there. Concerta to me seems to work better some days and not at all other days. It has only been a month so sometimes it is hard for me to tell. I have learned recently it takes concerta an hour and a half to be effective. I also have noticed sometimes when it wears off she turns into a bear but not all the time thank goodness. As far as keeping the weight my daughter I give her the med after breakfast so I know she has food in her then aim dinner for when it wears off helps. My girl is 48 inches tall and weighs 48lbs and to me looks healthy so I am not as concerned at this time and yes I monitor her closely.Hello! My 10 yo daughter (w/ADHD) has been on Concerta (18mg) for a year...the first 2 weeks her stomach really bothered her and she wouldn't eat, we nearly took her off. Then magically the stomach nausea stopped and it's been great ever since, although she is not too hungry during the day, but makes up for it at night. It really improves her concentration/decision making and helps a lot at school. I also give it to her on weekends so she will read, focus for crafts and do homework, etc. I do give her week long breaks every so often (spring break/christmas break) so maybe she will get a chance to grow in height just in case it's slowing her down (she is very normal sized), but also so she can understand how different she feels without it. I'd be interested in others experiences w/Concerta...Thanks!He has now taken 4 doses, and the med works great. But, he says he has a stomach ache. I think he is probably hungry, since he does not eat any lunch at all. I even resorted to putting fruit roll ups in his lunchbox, just to get something in him, since he will eat those. I give it to him after breakfast at about 7:30, and he only seems to go to bed an hour later than his usual 8pm bedtime. He is usually asleep by 9 now. The first night, he never went to bed. So, I am hoping the stomach ache goes away like the no sleeping thing did. Argghhhh, I hate this trial thing, I just want it over!!!!My son takes concerta 18mg, and strattera 18mg, at the same time, and it works wonders! When they had him on high doses of Concerta, he would chew on his clothes, and still not pay attention in class, and would not focus. The first day taking the concerta, and strattera, he actaully passed a test. His self esteem has really gone up. He also is making friends. As far as sleeping, he takes Trazadone 50mg, to help him fall asleep.
Everyone really does react differently to meds. My son tried it and didn't do to well on it. We had a really hard time finding a dose with it that was optimal for him. It was either "not doing much", or obviously way to high.
I take it though and I love it. I have not had any side effects. I get an occasional upset stomach, but I think that is a "not eating" side effect, and not a medicine side effect. As long as I remind myself to eat regular meals then I don't have any stomach issues. It's been a great medication for me. I tried Adderall, one dose, and knew it would never work for me. I was anxious, irritated, felt like an 8 hour panic attack. I'm still working out the dosage on the Concerta, but I'm very happy with it.
The trial is not very fun, but it's really the only way to see what will work. Good luck!
I seemed to take about 1.5 weeks for the stomach ache to go away for my daughter...she was fine after that. Still not hungry for lunch and I must admit to giving her some junk too, just to get something in her stomach at lunchtime. We just give her a very large, late dinner that is very healthy because around 8pm she's really hungry and will eat anything. We load her up on vegetables, fruits, proteins then. Take care!We love Concerta after failing with Ritalin. Concerta is milder and gentler too. However, you do need to tune into the medicine, for exemple, we stop the concerta on wednesdays so my child can relieve from the side effects. we also learned to take the first thing in the morning after waking up so it won't affect appetite that much for dinner, etc. you have to be really willing to give it a try and error, like science reserach.Hi my son is 12, and has been on concerta for many years now, he has been on so many medicines since the age of five, and even taken off concerta to try something new. Nothing has worked except concerta, he takes a very high dose 72.mg, he has learned to eat and gain weight with this medicine, he is normally hungry at 8;45 at night weird since he takes the meds. very Early in the morning, but i allow him to eat whenever he wants to, he goes to sleep fine too. So hopefully this medicine will work for you. My son is also on this all the time no breaks, as he can't handle himself without medication " his words"
What about sleeping? do any of your kids have trouble sleeping that night if they take the medicine too late in the day? If mine takes hers after about 10am, she often will not be able to fall asleep until 11 or 12 that night. Fortunately she is very involved in sports and usually has had an extremely active day which helps greatly. Even before medication, if she'd had a non-active day, sleeping at night would be tough...so I'm not really sure it's always the Concerta......Hi my son takes his medicine by 6:15 at the latest on weekdays, and the weekends vary, but his bedtime is different, S-F he is in bed at nine and asleep by 9:30, and the weekends he stays up to 11 sometimes. Sleep has never been a problem for him, but he also plays sports, and is wipes from them!
My son is also on concerta. He has been on it since 4th grade, and now in 7th. We tried Ritalin and had really bad side effects. We haven't experienced any side effects with Concerta. He sleeps really well, and his appetite goes up and down. He doesn't take meds on weekends or in the summer, and this is where he eats the most. But during the week, he still eats 3 meals a day and a snack, but the portions are just smaller. But every person is different, you just have to find the one that works for your child.I normally leave weekends off sometime to give her body a rest only not this weekend Dance Recital weekend and I want her to be her best. Mind you it is a 3 1/2 hour show and she does not even go on stage right away. The first dance is 19 from the beginning and after the intermission the 20th close to the end Oey Vey! Yes I am bringing the gameboy and snacks and art stuff to do.Hi, My son is on Concert 27mg. His pediatrician started him on adderral xr at too high of a dose and he only slept 2-3 hous a night for the first 3 nights. The psychiatrist reduced the dose and he did better but it made him real edgy. We switched to Concerta and have really liked it.
He did loose weight and wasn't sleeping well so the psychiatrist wanted us to try 2 weeks of metadate CD and then ritalin LA. Well we didn't make it through the 2 weeks of metadate. He was starving, had no self contol and developed horrific tics. I put him back on Concerta and now the Doc has added Tenex for the tics. He still has sleep issues -appetite: will eat a good breakfast and then not be hungry again until 8pm. He takes his concerta at about 7am
It's all trial and error. I just hate having to endure the errrors or rather have my child endure them.