Focalin XR to Concerta or vise versa | ADHD Information

My kids have been on both. The concerta did last longer than the focalin does. When my oldest can swallow pills better, we will most likely go back to concerta. The youngest liked the concerta better, but weight issues keep us on focalin, which is working good for her.

Have you asked to take a second focalin xr. That way it would be one prescription for 2x/day. My kids' doc has given that as an option when the kids are older and driving and other demanding activities.

42 yr old adult woman here, recently diagnosed with ADHD, along with my ds.  I have been on focalin xr for about a month.  The drug has really helped me, the problem is I seem to metabolize it fast, then I'm crashing and wanting to just curl up and go to sleep, no-can-do with 3 small children.  My Dr. wants to have me continue with the xr and then take a regular fast acting focalin in the afternoon.  I'm trying to avoid having to fill 2 prescriptions and the expense that would incur concidering my ds is also on meds and already our two scripts cost us 0 a month.  Who out there has tried both (Concerta and Focalin XR) as an adult and what is the difference and does the Concerta seem to last longer?  Or have you tried another another med that you might recommend.  I really haven't had any sleep issues on the focalin xr, if anything I sleep better than I did before, that's why I thought I would stay in the methylphenidate family, even though I know that focalin xr is a different make up than Concerta.

Thanks in advance for the imput.

 

We never used them as an adult nor has my daughter used Focalin XR so I dont know how long it lasts or is supposed to last, but Concerta is a 12 hour med.

I am very glade things are going well. I think I will be suggesting to the Dr. to try the concerta with ds again. We had the same problems with the focalin. Hope everything continues to go well!

Good luck with the Concerta.. definitely let me know how it goes for you! 

Hi Shawn B,

For what it's worth, I took the Concerta this morning around 6:30 am, 36mg.  It definitely stayed in my system longer than the focalin xr 15mg, I was still feeling the effects of it at 7.00pm tonight.  Couple of things I have noticed throughout the day, I had a dull headache for the the first couple of hours.  Not bad, just aware of it.... also my stomach hurt for a little while.  After that, the weirdest thing was that everything tasted funny.  Kind of gave me this permanent bitter taste in my mouth, maybe that's why people lose weight on it, everything tastes bitter, kind of metallic.  Kinda strange.   None of it was enough to keep me from taking it.  Didn't have any major issues with temperment, anxiety,or anything and I'm home with my three kids all day (everyday), sometimes that can push the envelope, if you know what I mean  I will continue on and see how it compares in the long run with focalin xr, and whether or not the side effects subside.  I definently thought it was a more even day, with the focalin xr I feel like it takes effect quicker, but wears off fast . I really crash and burn.  Concerta seemed to be much more even in dosage  throughout the day.  Also, I haven't gone "narcoleptic" yet and it's 8:30 pm, WOW!  It's only the first day, so we'll see how it goes.

I'll keep you posted.

Sounds like it's going well so far. I could handle those minor effects. Yes, I do know what you mean.. today's the last day of school here. so I'll have my 2 girls at home all day, every day as well. I won't miss having to get up early to get them to school (3 1/2 year old daughter goes to  all day pre-school, and 6 year old finishing up kindergarten). But I will miss the quiet time I have had during the week to work!

The Focalin XR for me seems to just make me not that hungry.. I can still eat, but not until after lunch. So I try to eat something small for breakfast and grab a snack around 2 as a lunch then by dinner time I can eat. Good thing is that I can not eat nearly as much as I used to.. even when the meds have worn off. I do also take Fortamet ER (for my Borderline Diabetes) so I think that also helps.

Sorry to ramble on here. I'm so glad that those side effects are minimal and you can deal with them. I'm sure as time goes on that they will lessen or go away. The few things I experienced from Focalin XR when I first started has gone away now.
Your blood pressure (normally) and the slightly elevated sound a lot like me too. You can still take stimulant meds and also take a blood pressure med IF they're really that concerned. Your pressure isn't all that bad, (it's in the Pre-hypertensive stage) and if you're like me, it varies up and down to normal levels. Tenex (Guanfacine) should set that straight (and help out with ADHD too). I started taking Guanfacine for elevated BP due to Strattera.. but now I take it as needed for Anxiety. I know you don't want so many scripts.

How'd the appointment go today?

All went well, at 4:30 pm she checked my blood pressure it was 116/68.  My son's was good too.   I told her that the focalin xr was long gone.... I had taken 15 mg at around 8:30 am.  She then wrote me a script for Concerta (36mg), didn't have any problems with me taking it and said I can always switch back if I have any negative side effects from it.  ( guess her nurse just came up with the "wacky" response to my question the other day).  I will start it tomorrow and let you know how I do on it, whether or not it lasts any longer or if I have any negative side effects......

Hopefully all will go well, I'm expecting something crazy like it doesn't get out of my system for days or something..... that's just how life is for us, full of humor and drama.....

until next time........

 

I see my doctor today for a blood pressure check and I'm going to ask her about Concerta.   I asked her nurse about it and she said that she didn't think it would work for me that it's really only good for the school day?!?  What is that supposed to mean?  That Concerta goes on summer vacation or something ?  What a goofy answer..... I'm interested in it because it is listed as a 12 hour release medication, even focalin xr is listed as an 8-10 hour release medication, doesn't come close to that for me, or a lot of people from what I've read......  She wants me to continue on the focalin xr and then take a fast release, short acting generic methylphenidate in the afternoon to get me through.  I certainly don't want to take anything that might make me "grumpy" or irritable though, if Concerta does that... such a balancing act.  But neither do I want to fill two scripts for me and one for my son, that really adds up.....   Who knows, she may take me off of all of it if my blood pressure is an issue, (130/80, normally 118/68-70) that would really be a bummer.......aagghh....

We'll see.

Another option might be a higher dose of Focalin XR.  Higher doses last longer.I'm pretty sensitive too.. Benedryl (even children's strength at an adult dose knocks me out!). I'm sensitive to side effects, but at the same time I seem to metabolize them quickly almost making it like I'm getting the whole time release dose all at once.

For a little bit the Focalin XR made my eyes feel kinda blurry/strained feeling, but thankfully that passed for me after a couple of days on the right dosage. I have found that even though you can feel Focalin XR immediately (once it kicks in that is) I had to give my body some time to get used to it.

 I'm interested in trying Concerta because of it supposedly lasting longer, however I'm very worried about it possibly making me extremely irritable like I hear so much about. I know, I know.. everyone's different.. but see, Strattera made me like a Monster I was so irritable on it. I couldn't even stand myself.

I could benefit from Concerta's weight loss side effect that's for sure (I'm about 100lbs overweight). Focalin XR does curb my appetite, but I don't seem to be losing much at all.. not that I'm taking it for that reason, but it sure would be nice!

I'm also a bit afraid of Adderall because of the irritability and some serious rebound issues I've read about. However, I will not close my mind on them if I need to change from Focalin XR in the future.
I've never been on Concerta, but I am currently taking Focalin XR. I played around with the dosing in the beginning and found that 30mgs did well for me 2-15 mg caps. However, after getting the script filled I noticed too that it wore off in 4-5 hours for me. So, what I tried once was taking a 1/2 dose (15mg) around noon-1pm and that helped the rebound (crashing you mentioned) and got me through the work day and when that wore off it was not bad at all. So, my Dr wrote me a prescription for 90 pills at 15mg strength so that I could continue to do this. It's working well for me so far, and I don't need to have a short acting booster.

Maybe suggest to your Dr to try something like this and see if it helps you out.

Thanks for the information, I was only taking 10mg of focalin xr when I first posted last week.  I upped it to 15mg and felt like my eyes were "bulging", ridiculous I know, I'm very sensitive to all medication.  One 25mg Benadryl can put me out like a light and I can't get up the next day...... So then I did what you suggested and tried 10mg in the morning and another 5mg at lunch and that was much better.  I'm still interested in the Concerta due to the time release action of it and what I have read from other postings.  Like you, I feel like the focalin xr is pretty much gone within 5 to 6 hours. 

Have you ever tried Adderall?  Totally different medication, but being an adult, I'm curious to see which one works best for me.  I've done well on the Focalin xr so maybe I better leave well enough alone...... My ds and I see our Dr. this week for a blood pressure check, so I'll run it all by her then.

Thank you again for the suggestions....

 

 

Day three on Concerta.   Doing much better today, the bitter taste side effect I was having seems to be subsiding.  I was a little concerned about the headaches, I had them the first two days, but today has been great!  I would say overall, the Concerta is a much longer lasting medication for me, much more even.  Whenever I would up the Focalin xr dosage I would almost feel overmedicated for the first couple of hours and then it would drop off pretty quickly.  With the Concerta, I'm not even aware of it.  Just feel normal throughout the day and it's definitely lasting the full 12 hours and I have slept fine.  At this point I would give it a thumbs up over the focalin xr. 

That could change, but so far so good!