CONCERTA Problems | ADHD Information

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After seeing a psychiatrist 10 days ago we decided to switch my 12 year old from Starterra to Concerta.  The straterra wasn't working.  We raised the dose from 25 to 40 and then 60mg in a course of 3 months.  He was still very distracted at school.  We finally say a psychiatrist who switched to Concerta.  He had been on Adderall about 2 years ago and developed neck twitches.  The Straterra did not cause the tics but eventually stopped working.

Anyways,  he has been on 27 mg of Concerta for 10 days now.  He is very moody, argumentative and wide awake at night.  The moodiness and defiance are very difficult.  He blew up today at my work and refused to listen and do anything he was told.  It was embarrassing for him and me.  I feel like we are moving backwards.  The doctor wants us to give him the meds even during spring break (this week).  Im discontinuing them tomorrow.  Is this typical of Concerta?  I was hesitant about putting him back on a stim.  The doctor assured me that Concerta is much milder than Adderall with less side effects.  Is there better choices?  If he would have done this at school he would have been suspended.  Any advice is appreciated.........Colleen
Two thoughts - either Concerta isn't the right medication for him or the dosage is too low.  My daughter was moody and angry when the dosage was too low.  Once we upped her to the right level (which is 27 mg for her), she's been great.  

You could also go back to the Adderall family and try Vyvances.  From what I have read here,  lots of people have had good success with it.

Concerta was one of the worst meds my daughter ever took. So many people do so well on it, but for her it was terrible. Try another methylphedinate. She did better on Ritlain LA, but we needed an afternoon booster as it didnt last long enough, or Daytrana if he'll wear a patch. We found Daytrana MUCH milder, but she hated the patch and needed a morning booster (it tkaes two hours to "kick in"), but her tics weren't as bad as on all the other stimulants.

I feel for you, Strattera is the only med we can use and not have tics. For us with the right accomodations, it's working good enough.............to me nothing is perfect, at this point we are settling for what's the best "all around". We didnt want tics and/or moodiness and she has none of that with Strattera.

 My son has been on Concerta for 3.5 years and it has worked well. He started out at 18mg, then moved up to 36mg, then to 72mg. I felt that he was too moody and lost too much weight on 72mg, so I moved him back down to 36mg. He still forgets stuff and has to be bribed to do most things, but it takes the edge off. He is not as hyper and it's easier for him to control himself, he also grew a few inches and gained almost 20 pounds in 6 months! They are going through a lot of hormonal changes during this time also, so it's tough. But I must say that he is so much easier now then when he was 8! Give the medication some time, and work with your doctor, but you know him and love him more than anyone so you need to do what is right for him. My doctor still thiks he should be on a higher dose, but I know my son better than anyone, and 36 is just right for us. He was moody, grumpy and cried when he first started also, (that was so hard on me!) but it totally went away, now he only gets that way when he has not taken it for a while then goes back on, so give it time, and be very open with him.