My husband has been on Concerta for about a year now. He is 28. He was on Stattera but that didn't do anything for him. He takes 1 pill 36mg in the am and it lasts 12 hours. He sometimes doesn't take it on the weekends because he says he doesn't want his body to get used to it so it won't work for him. His doc said that it is ok for him to do. He did have headaches for a while but they have gone away. I can tell when he hasn't taken it. He was diagnosed as a kid and was on ritalin until he was 14 or 15. He just looked into it again as an adult when we were married because when we would argue he would hulk out as i say. Now we still get into arguements but it is nothing like before. Before Concerta he broke chairs and punched holes into walls. Now he doesn't. He is more calm and rational. He has no trouble falling asleep.
I have been told by 2 prominant docs in the field of adhd that of the two stimulants usually prescribed (the two being concerta, which is ritilan and adderall which is a mix of four different amphetamines) most find that either one or the other works great. For some its ritilan(concerta) and for others its adderall. They are two completely different meds.
Fro me, Concerta sucks.. I get an hour window of 'something' resembling focus then I'm left with 8 hours of edginess and wondering if it working.. Now with Adderall... WOW. It's like night and day. A profound difference that is a very positive, clear-headed, ready to take on the world feeling. Mind you that has been with the short release as i havent tried XR yet. And I've also recently found out that not all generic adderalls work alike. The latest generic I've had works minimally better than the concerta did.
I dunno.. give adderall a try.;
Hi def3k2t, my son who is 11 has been on concerta for almost two years now, he takes 72 mg. each morning. He has to take two 36 pills, this lasts him exactly 12 hours a day. He does very well on this, and out of every single medicine he has tried we have always come back to concerta. I asked him what it felt like, and he said it just feels normal now you get used to it. The only side effects he has is loss of weight, i'm lucky he is able to unwind is asleep every night by 9:30 except for the weekends. Good luck to you.Hi def3kt! I've been on Concerta since February (age 55). I have success with my head being clearer, therefore being more focused and I think before speaking. I'm going to suggest you do a search for Concerta in all forums, and you'll find some good advise from me and others. I don't have the time right now (sorry) to post my advise while on Concerta. The headache will go away. It will take a while for your body/mind to acclimate to the med. Hang in there. But those posts I recommend searching will tell more about any problems with sleeping, appetite, thirst, etc. Bon Chance! Good luck!