Tell me your thoughts on Concerta... | ADHD Information

Hey ChrisDay,

Thanks for the information on your experience with the patch. I am following the patch thread in case we need to move away from the Concerta for longer coverage. I am glad that your son's appitite seems better. After the first couple weeks on the Concerta, it seemed to only last about 6 hours. Because of the weight loss, the doctor cannot raise the dose but said we can add a second dose in the afternoon to cover homework if needed. I was really happy that we did not see any rebound. It is a journey for all of us.

vickie ~ We did about 4 weeks of the patch, and my son started having a
bad reaction to something in the patch. The red spots that the patches
leave, weren't going away, and they were starting to itch and welt up. In
the begining, the redness would be gone by the 3rd day. But, it
progressively got worse and the redness would stay longer. It was pretty
obvious that it wasn't going to start going the other way for us. The
medication worked great though. When it was in his system, after the 2
hour kick in time, it worked really well. Which is a bummer. So, I'm
hoping the Concerta will do well for us and last longer during the day.

About the weight loss and appetite...He didn't have a big problem on
Focalin XR or Straterra in the past. But, with the Daytrana patch, it was
horrible! He would eat breakfast, but not much lunch and not any dinner
at all. That kinda got me a big concerned as well. Today is day 2 on
Concerta, and so far, his appetite has gotten a bit better it seems. He
actually ate dinner last night. So, that's a good thing!

I AM ON 54MG OF CONCERTA AND I HAVE NO APPETITTE AT ALL,I AM NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THE SLEEP AS I HAVE NEVER BEEN A GOOD SLEEPER ANYWAY AND MY ADHD SON KEEPS ME AWAKE ALL NIGHT ANYWAY.

AS FOR EFFECTIVITY,I FOUND IT REALLY HELPFULL WITH MY IMPULSIVE SIDE BUT NOT VERY MUCH DIFFERENCE WITH MY INATTENTIVE SIDE,A PROGRESS BUT NOT MAJOR.SORRY I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE HYPERACTIVE SIDE AS I AM ADD.

YOU COULD TRY SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP HIM NOT TO LOSE WEIGHT AND NATURAL REMEDIES TO HELP HIM SLEEP.

Ds, 17, used Concerta until Ritalin LA came out. Concerta was alright except for a slight dip in its effectiveness after about 4 hours. I think that is because he metabolizes methylphenidate quickly and the first half of the concerta was used up before the second half was released. Also due to the way Concerta is released, one can't fine tune the amount of Concerta for the individual. So a therapeutic dose also caused him to lose his sense of humor, too serious. With Ritalin LA, I could also take some of the beads out so that the dose might not be too high. It also had a smoother effect without the drop off at the end which Ritalin and Concerta had. He is now using the patch and I am still trying to compare the difference with it and RitLA

Hope this helps

My son just started taking concerta 18 mg.; Saturday (the first day) he was reserved and quiet and ate almost nothing. Sunday (yesterday) he was more himself and ate a bit more. However, both nights he couldn't go to sleep. He seems awake in the mornings, but I'm worried that the not sleeping is a side effect of the medicine. But the dose is so low...could it still effect his sleeping?

My son was switched yesterday from the new Daytrana patch 15mg to
Concerta 18mg. What's your experience with this one? Thanks.

ChrisDay: My son started out on Focalin XR but it didn't last long enough and wasn't working as well as we would have liked. Just switched him in August to Concerta 54 mg. so far we like it. It last all day with him, actually too long because he has a hard time going to bed. In any case, the only down side is the eating. He eats breakfast and some lunch, but will eat dinner and snack around 4:00 and we also have him eat before bed.

mars

We have had good results with concerta..The only problem is getting her to eat..She takes 54 mg a day. It last about all day. We tried taking 10 mg of ritalin in the evening and we had to stop because she still had some concerta in her system and it was over medicating her.

Well, so far it seems to be working pretty good. I'm noticing some
problems with getting his attention when I need to ask him something or
to have him do something. I have to call his name 4 or 5 times to even
get him to respond. So, We'll give this dose of 18mg another good week,
and maybe see about going up to to 27mg. He had good days at school
on the 18mg, but seems to still be a bit more hyper than I like when at
home. I know we can't get rid of all the symptoms completely, but I'm
not seeing the same results as we had with the small dose of Daytrana.
His appetite seems to be much better than the patch. I've really been
watching that because he wasn't eating much at all on the patch. I'm
happy that he actually wants lunch, and is eating some dinner now.

Thanks for the reponses. Glad to see others using this medication and
having good results. It helps to keep my spirits up when I see others
having good progress. Thanks for all the replies.

[quote]I AM ON 54MG OF CONCERTA AND I HAVE NO APPETITTE AT ALL,I AM NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THE SLEEP AS I HAVE NEVER BEEN A GOOD SLEEPER ANYWAY AND MY ADHD SON KEEPS ME AWAKE ALL NIGHT ANYWAY.[/quote]

I can eat one big mac menu and 9 mcnuggets with concerta. In the morning, when I get up I take concerta and I eat one complete meal of rice with 8 pieces of chicken. I'm a great eater and concerta makes me even more hungry!!!

to all the parents that have changed the meds that thair kids are takeing I have also changed the meds that my son has takein. He is now on concerta 36mg and find that he is doing alot better in school and at home the only thing that I don't like is when it starts to whair off at night time it's like he get this berst of energy and wont's to do all kids of stuff that he dident get to id the day like read a certin book or show us something, then it's i forgot to tell you what happened to day, but we have him on ruteen and it goes very good. With out the ruteen it would be hell,

not just for him but for all of us. We have 2 very good doctor's, one the family and the other is are pedeatrition that help's us out, we will also be starting with kinark soon. He is also in a a social skills class which help out alot he is in gd 4 and but does gd 5 and 6 work, this will be tha last year that he in this class. I don't know how he will do in a regauler school. but so far we are just worried about this year and how it's going to go.so far so good

my babies38969.6821412037Why are you switching from the patch? We saw minor improvements at 18mg, and good response at 27mg. We took a break to gain weight (the only side effect we saw was weight loss). Will restart on Sunday in preparation for school to start next week. We will then optimize based on the demands of school and homework. From what response we saw early this summer, so far I like concerta for my daughter but we know there are optimization issues to deal with. vickie38960.7505671296it works alright. But i had to get it up to a really high dosage, which i dont
like taking.But my doc says that its okay.LCdc,
Thanks for your comment, but please don't feel uncomfortable at all. I don't expect people to visit my link before making a comment.

The issue of converting concerta to 'ritalin equivalents' was more relevant when concerta just came out. The issue was if someone was on ritalin 20 mg three times per day = 60 mg, then a doctor who was new to concerta may have switched them to concerta 54 mg, thinking that 54 is close to 60. The issue is that becasue of the formulation of concerta, 54 is only like 12 mg three times per day, so many people thought that concerta didnt' work. It was really that it was a dosing issue.

The recent canadian adhd practice guideline suggested that adults could go up to 108 mg of concerta. They can be found at the caddra site. You have to search a little, and I am sorry that I don't have time now to find it for you.

Kenny

OH OK - I guess I should have checked out your hotlink attached. I am a little slow on the uptake once in awhile!!!

I don't even know why the conversion matters as I don't know anything about ritalin as compared to concerta!!!

I will check out your site in the morning when my brain is functioning better!!!

LCdc,

72 mg (two 36 mg tabs, or a 54 + an 18) is equal to: 16 mg ritalin 3 times per day
90 mg (a 36 mg + a 54 mg) is equal to: 20 mg ritalin three times per day
108 mg (54 + 54 mg) is equal to: 24 mg ritalin three times per day.

You asked "How do you know this stuff?"

I am a psychiatrist.

I like sharing info online, and do it on my blog, and newsletter as well (see my signature).

I hope this helps.

Kenny
my son is on 18mg of concerta a day and allso 10 mg of ritalin his appetite is very poor and his sleep is terrible...his drs have tried him on 36mg of concerta but it wiped him out ...he was in bed for 2 days and could hardly move he is going for a medication reveiw to see if there is something else we can try him on because he has lost so much weightJust wanted to give an update for all those who have replied...Thank you! I
called the doctor last week to give him our weekly update and he said to go
ahead and up the dose to 36mg. So, he's now getting two 18mg pills each
morning and its been working great. He gets less angry and not as easily
frustrated. He is having a bit of a problem going to sleep, but not as bad as
the Daytrana was causing. I can deal with it at this point. His appetite was
good for the first few days, but seems to be dropping off again. He wants to
eat around 8:00 pm...which is bedtime. So, we'll have to keep an eye on
that. Thanks again for those who have given your experience with Concerta.
It really helps! Great news ChrisDay. I hope it keeps working for your son.

ChrisDay: What time in the a.m. are you giving him the concerta? I was giving it to my son around 8:00/8:30 and noticed the same thing..he was hungry around 8:00 (bedtime), so I now give it to him between 7:00/7:30 so he is hungry for something around 7:30. He has a bowl of cereal or something and off to bed he goes. Might want to try that. Also, a friend of mine whose son is on concerta give him the drink Boost and it has helped him keep his weight up. My son, however, won't touch the stuff!

Just some ideas that worked for us with the eating. Good luck!

Mars

Thanks jfla2! I'm gonna call the doctor today about bumping up the dose.
It's been a week, and it seems to be working, but I'm still having a real
problem with attention. He just doesn't focus when we are talking to him or
trying to get his attention. His mood is also still having a problem...easily
angered, etc. We're currently on 18mg, but I'm concerned that his sense of
humor or personality will be altered. I'm curious if anyone else has had that
problem.

caroompas6,

It does not appear to have lates (if it did it would be noted in the prescribing information):

http://www.daytrana.com/pdf/pdf1.pdf

The info also say that red areas can be seen users. It is not a problem unless it is more that just a red area (allergic rash, etc).

vickie38986.5815625

Thanks Vickie.

I did note that the adhesive has silicone and acrylic in it, but not sure if either of these have any latex in them. But as you said, they probably would have listed this.

Kathy

caroompas638986.5856712963

Kenny35 - Went to your blog site, very informative thanks.

Question regarding Daytrana. Do you know if the adhesive in the patch has any latex in it? I have noticed alot of posts with children getting red irritations, welts, blisters, etc. My children are allergic to latex, as well as, myself and it sounds like this could be a possibility. I would love to try it on my 8 yo son but unforunately my insurance denied it as he doesn't have a GI problem and can takes pills w/o problems. Back to the drawing board...

Thank you....Kathy

Have you tried Maletonin that dissoves under the tongue? It sure works for my son and I.

REAM
Sorry folks, I think I have placed this comment in the wrong section.

REAM
mars ~ He gets the Concerta first thing when he wakes up at 7:00. The
medication seems to be lasting for the 12 hours they say it should...that's
for sure!

Which is great! I've been letting him have a snack when he
requests it, even if it is at bedtime. He had crackers with peanut butter last
night. The dosage definately seems right. He came home from school
yesterday, as nice as could be. Got ready for karate when I asked him to.
Sat and did his homework with me...pretty much when I asked him to. It's
been great! Chris - congrats on finding the right dose, and thanks for sharing the progress.

Someone asked - can 18 mg of concerta still cause insomnia? Yes.

Someone also said that his appetite increased with Concerta. Although this is quite rare, it does happen (though I don't know many people who eat rice and chicken for breakfast)

The important thing about the dosing of concerta is that 22% of the medicine is quickly absorbed, and the rest of the pill supports that dose.

So, 36 mg is like 8 mg of methylphenidate (ritalin) three times a day.

It gets tricky for people who take 54 mg of concerta, thinking they are on a top dose, only to find that it may not work as well as expected.

That generally relates to the fact that 54 mg of Concerta has the effectiveness of 12 mg ritalin 3 times per day.

That's why some doctors are starting to use 72 mg or higher for their patients.

Kenny

[QUOTE=Kenny35]Chris - congrats on finding the right dose, and thanks for sharing the progress.

Someone asked - can 18 mg of concerta still cause insomnia? Yes.

Someone also said that his appetite increased with Concerta. Although this is quite rare, it does happen (though I don't know many people who eat rice and chicken for breakfast)

The important thing about the dosing of concerta is that 22% of the medicine is quickly absorbed, and the rest of the pill supports that dose.

So, 36 mg is like 8 mg of methylphenidate (ritalin) three times a day.

It gets tricky for people who take 54 mg of concerta, thinking they are on a top dose, only to find that it may not work as well as expected.

That generally relates to the fact that 54 mg of Concerta has the effectiveness of 12 mg ritalin 3 times per day.

That's why some doctors are starting to use 72 mg or higher for their patients.

Kenny
[/QUOTE]

Huhm - I am bad at math - how does that fiure with 72 mg of concerta?? Is it 22% of 72 and then what for the equivilent?

My doc is saying I could go to 108 (Ithink it was 108, it is in the 100's) in the future if needed.

How do you know this stuff?

Check out concerta.net, in the professional section. Here is the full prescribing information that has the equivalancy to ritalin and other information.

http://www.concerta.net/active/mccus/en_US/html/concerta/uti lities/patient_info.pdf#zoom=100

[QUOTE=Kenny35]LCdc,

72 mg (two 36 mg tabs, or a 54 + an 18) is equal to: 16 mg ritalin 3 times per day
90 mg (a 36 mg + a 54 mg) is equal to: 20 mg ritalin three times per day
108 mg (54 + 54 mg) is equal to: 24 mg ritalin three times per day.

You asked "How do you know this stuff?"

I am a psychiatrist.

I like sharing info online, and do it on my blog, and newsletter as well (see my signature).

I hope this helps.

Kenny
[/QUOTE]

my son is on 54m of conserta......i have noticed....eye twitching.....he has complained of headeaches....he has a hard time falling asleep.....i have noticed extreme agitation at times.... he gets dissy spells...i have heard that these could be some side effects.....this past weekend he had an episode that sent him to the er.....he was dissy....he turned pale....his eyes were twitching something fearce....my older daughter stated his eyes rolled back like he was posssed.....he was disoriented....and lost his footing easily.....could this be from the meds.....i heard that if the body is not using all the meds it can store up in muscle and fat tissue.....i know this sounds like an extreme case....i have heard alot of good things...but i do not feel that this is the best for him.....unless you can tell me for sure its not the meds.....but his doc did not even do the follow up blood work on him that the er did not have time to do seeing that there were life or death situations to tend to.....i am seeking professional advise....i an not getting input from dr....he is my exs new wifes boss.....i do think that has somthing to do with it.....i am not agaist meds....but there are many out there for a reason....cus somework better for otheres.....and so on.....plz help end some of my confusion and frustration....

Report all of your observations to the doctor. This will help the doctor adjust the meds to better meet your son's needs. My daughter's psychiatrist told me that there are so many ways to dose meds to meet her needs that I should not worry about finding the right combo as long as I keep reporting to him what is happening. Also, have you started a behavior plan? You and your son still need to work on proper behaviors, even though the rebound from the med makes it hard. Check out Ogram's marble system thread on the parents board. My daughter has become much better at expressing her anger in appropriate ways.

hi there my son who is 9years old now first started with concerta xl about 8months ago,the reason why the DR,said we should try them because instead of him been given tablets three times aday, these can be taken all in on go first thing on a morning,and should last all day, iv give them time to settle in to his systum for 6months, and iv noticed he has been having a lot of nosie bleeds for no reason at all,and they dont seem to last as long as his old meds did,he finds it hard to go to sleep on a night-time,some nights i think i fall asleep before he dose,he seems more raty also,backchatting me more than ever,also when the meds have wore of on a teatime,he becomes very loud,swears,just dosent listen to ant one. He appointment for Drs should be hear soon iam going to mention what iv noticed since being on these meds, Idont like concerta xl for my son any way. would you mention things to your Dr, if you were me