Our first 2 days on Concerta 18mg | ADHD Information

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tosca,

We started out at 18 mg with Concerta.  Our dd is now 9 and been on it fo 3 years and is up to 54 mg (she is 53 lbs).  I would give it the 2 weeks to get into her system and then try a higher dose.  If the insomnia gets worse make sure to mention this to your doctor.  Our dd had a problem with it at first and was on a small amount of anti-depressant at night to help her but she was able to quit taking it after about a year (probably could have stopped sooner).  It just helped get her into a normal sleeping routine and helped with some of the anxiety.

Good luck!!

Thanks so much for your advice, all- I did give her 1 mg of Melatonin last night, and it worked like a charm.  Phew!  Now, we're off to a well rested start for day 3.  I think I may try getting her to go to bed without tonight, at her usual summer bedtime of 9:00.  Normally (meaning pre-meds) it takes her 1/2 hour to fall asleep, usually listening to a book on CD or soft music.  She's always been a pretty good sleeper for the most part.  So I'll see how it goes tonight.  If she's not asleep by 9:30 however I'll give her the melatonin again.

Thanks for listening to me think out loud ;)
We started dd (8) on her Concerta 18 mg for the first time yesterday.  She had an okay day, nothing out of the ordinary good or bad compared to not being on meds- except that right before bedtime she decided to spontaneously tidy her room (normally getting her to deal with her disaster of a room is a nightmare, as I'm sure you all understand!).  She did a decent job of it, not a fabulous job of it, but I was thrilled because the big success was that she decided to do it on her own.  After that it was already past her normal summer bedtime (9 pm), and it took her an hour and a half to fall asleep- this was really our only noticeable 'side effect' of the day.  Her appetite was good, she wasn't anxious or anything like that.

Today so far it's been pretty much the same.  She had a bit of a moment when we left the beach because she wanted to go to the canteen to buy some cold water, even after I explained to her that we already had some water in a Thermos ("but it's LUKEWARM mum!), and that besides that, we were heading home anyways.  This is normal stuff again for her, nothing out of the ordinary, and she wasn't unmanageable or out of control or anything.  Again, her appetite's been good, no anxiety. 

So...a couple of questions for you pros:

1)  For tonight I'm thinking of giving her some melatonin.  I have the liquid stuff.  A dropper full is 3 mg.  How much should I give her?  She weighs 55 lb. 

2)  We are to follow up with the dr. in 4 weeks.  He did say we could call him at any time if anything came up.  My question is:  Is 18 mg a typical starting dose only?  Or, if it's the right actual therapeutic dose for her, in how soon would be able to tell?  So far it's looking like there are no real side effects except for the bit of insomnia, but nor does it look like it's really made a difference to her overall.  Should we call him before our 4 weeks is up if we don't see a difference, or do we continue to just give her the 18 mg until we go back for our appointment?

Thank you all again- your advice and input are absolutely invaluable!

Tosca

I would only start with 1 mg of melatonin.

18mg is the typical starting dose. I would give it 2 weeks. If nothing has changed and you think she needs a higher dose (she probably will) I would all and ask, why not get the higher dose for 2 more weeks before you see him, then you'll know how it goes.......but give the 18 a good two weeks, the side effects (insomnia) may subside.

Thank you so much Diane...I will try 1/3 of a dropper then & keep my fingers crossed. 

And it makes sense to try the higher dose before we get to see the doc- I thought I read somewhere that something like 80% of kids successfully on Concerta are not on the 18 mg dose, but rather at one of the higher doses.  Or of course, Concerta may not work at all for us...we shall see...


aS FAR AS THE mELATONIN IS CONCERNED 1 MG IS A GOOD PLACE TO START. BUT IF IT DOESN'T HELP DOEN'T HESITATE TO USE UP TO THE 3 MG. WE USE ABOUT THAT WITH OUR DS,9 1/2. gOOD LUCK WITH THE MEDS.