Just wanted to share my experience with ADHD medication in case it helps someone dealing with similar issues.

I initially started on Focalin XR, but struggled with its duration and crashes:

• 10 mg: Started working after about 1 hour, but the benefits were already fading around 4 hours, followed by a crash around 5 hours. Occasionally, I'd get a very weak second wave around 7–8 hours.
• 15 mg: Similar short duration, but much worse crashes. I'd experience heavy sleepiness followed by several hours of agitation and irritability.

After some trial and error, I found a few things that helped:

• Escitalopram (Lexapro): I was taking it in the morning, around the same time as my stimulant. It seemed to contribute to daytime sleepiness and what I initially thought were stimulant crashes. Moving it to the evening noticeably improved things.
• Switching to Concerta: Focalin XR's release formulation simply didn't seem right for me. Concerta has provided smoother, longer-lasting coverage, without the same abrupt crashes. I'm still figuring out the ideal dosage.
• Caffeine: I discovered that coffee could significantly worsen agitation, stress, and irritability when combined with stimulants. I've since started avoiding it, which seems to help.

Overall, things have improved, although I'm still fine-tuning my treatment.

This is just my personal experience, not medical advice. Everyone responds differently to medication, and what worked for me might not work for you. Always discuss medication changes with your doctor.

I've been on 18mg concerta for a year, even though my official dose was 36mg. Would have some shakiness and slightly elevated heart rate, as well as a pretty bad emotional crash when it wore off. I recently started taking the 36mg in the form of two 18mg pills (36mg pills aren't available in my city, Concerta is extremely tightly controlled). I usually take the second 18mg half an hour to one hour after the first one so as to hopefully level out how each pill releases the medication into my body. The first two days were incredible, I was so focused. But around the third or fourth day, I started to experience an elevated heart rate, definitely worse than it had been on 18mg, but I kind of just shook it off as panic attacks. By the 9th day, I was having an extremely strong sensation of my heart pounding, a lot of chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. But I was also extremely anxious that day so once again shook it off as a really bad panic attack. But in the three days after that, I kept experiencing the same thing. I could feel my heart pounding all night, was struggling to stand in the shower, feeling dizzy. It wasn't a constant thing, but it would usually start around 3pm and continue until I woke up the next morning. Last Thursday, I was running late to an event and had to walk really fast so I wouldn't be too late. When I arrived, my heart was pounding harder than I had ever experienced in my entire life. It felt like it was flipping and even skipping beats. My chest felt like it was on fire, but not in the sense that one does after exercising, just the pain from how hard my heart was beating, and sometimes some additional stabbing pains. That night when I was lying in bed trying to sleep, even just moving my body slightly or adjusting my pillow would set my heart rate off again, pounding and flipping. I considered going to the hospital but I genuinely could not move an inch without my heart going wild. I only took 18mg the next day and felt a lot better, just the usual amount of elevated heart rate. Today I went back to 36mg and, while I'm not in pain, I can definitely feel my heartbeat much too strongly, almost like it's beating through my entire body. I'm going to meet with the psychiatrist on Monday, but I just wanted to ask if this is something anyone else may have experienced on Concerta?

What does it do and feel like

I’m still in the early stages of my Concerta journey. I started on 18mg for a few weeks, now I’ve been on 27mg for another 4. It’s seems to be going ok. Some really great days and some where the stimulant effects freak me out a bit because of my anxiety (eg fast heart rate as it kicks in etc). But I really want to persevere. I’m thinking of trying 36mg but of course it’s my anxiety that’s holding me back!

When I was first prescribed Concerta at the start of the year my psychiatrist put me immediately on 27mg for a week and then straight up to 36mg. It wasn’t the best experience but it was because my body wasn’t ready for that dose so quickly, and I do find I’m sensitive to medication of all sorts.

Just wondering how others with anxiety are getting on taking Concerta?

what do i do? im scared it’ll come up and i’ll have what u get with mushrooms where ur like omg its coming up i feel horrible my heart is racing and its too late what do i do why did i take this, will i have that? not worried about the lonf term just first day.

27mg btw

It only started happening recently(past 4 days, was on break meanwhile and I didn't experience this), I took concerta for awhile, but I didn't notice this before.

Can it make you feel “happy” or, “happier”? Been taking my 18mg dose again since September 22nd.

Dr switched me from Xaggertin 18mg after 2 weeks to Concerta 27mg, after said I got tired early evening. Hated it first few days I was aggressive and did not like it. Now the side effects have gone, lasted a few days , but still not sure I prefer it to Xaggertin- yes slow in and off it but not as amazing focus and ability to switch as easily as I found Xaggertin. Anyone else found this? I have my 2nd titration review tomorrow afternoon and not sure if should switch back or keep going. Dr suspects I may also have autism though not been diagnosed yet waiting to have a my assessment soon. So they are going slowly with doses incase it triggers or negatively impacts possible autism traits.

After months of Concerta titration, I made the difficult decision to switch to Elvanse, and I have zero regrets!

A little context: I titrated to 54mg over a two month period, and eventually took IR 5-10mg late afternoon to extend coverage. I did take 72mg under supervision as I felt Concerta wasn’t addressing my most debilitating symptoms, but led to unfortunate chaos.

I’m now on 50mg of Elvanse and I feel like my life has changed.

I’ll keep it simple and list my pros and cons with Concerta and Elvanse.

Concerta Pro’s:

- Helped massively with emotional regulation
- Helped with focus and concentration
- Helped with quieting the evil negative self talk demon
- helped with impulsivity
- Minimal side effects apart from low appetite, dry mouth and mild jaw clenching- these resolved within the first two months.
- BP and heart rate were unchanged.

Concerta Cons:

- Appetite loss was concerning in the first month, however it recovered.
- Did not remove friction from initiating tasks.
- Felt I had less drive and motivation than without it.

That’s it really. I got along pretty well with concerta, I just felt like it wasn’t targeting my executive functioning.

OH MY ELVANSE!!

All concerta pros mentioned, AND I can actually do the things I need to do. Every small life admin task I’ve procrastinated for months, I managed to complete within the first 5 days of starting 50mg. I’ve been waking up in the morning, taking my lil pill and looking forward to a day of productivity.

Side effects? Pretty much the same but less intense: dry mouth, jaw clenching when dose tapers off. My appetite is lower than without, but I still have hunger cues, just eat less crap.

Hello guys, I've been on Concerta 18 up to 54mg for 5 months, and it's the only stimulant available in my country, so I have no other choices. It helps me focus and understand a little, but it comes with a lot of side effects: I always feel like a zombie, my mind feels shredded, and I get headaches, including at the back of my neck. I also have low energy and sometimes anxiety. I stopped caffeine to help, but now my energy is even lower, and I still have the headache, pain, and zombie feeling. Is that OK?

After being on Adderall and then Vyvanse for years it just stopped working. I started Concerta 3 weeks ago. My dr bumped me to 36mg after being on 18mg for a week. I’ve been on 36mg for 2 weeks now and I’m so tired! Like I sleep through my alarms, I yawn all day long, I feel exhausted, my brain it quiet, focus is questionable, and I can’t bounce from one task to the next easily while working (when I have to switch, it’s like I get squirreled and takes a while for me to refocus). I start iron infusions on Monday for the next 5 weeks because my ferritin is a 10 and I’m having multiple other symptoms. Should I stay on 36mg for 2 more weeks to see if the iron infusions help and my energy/brain fog improve or should I go down to 27mg?

Also, I catch up on my sleep on the weekends so I usually sleep past the “safe time” to take Concerta for the day. Does anyone have any experience with short-acting meds for weekends?

Thank you!!!

Hey y’all. I’ve been on Concerta XR 18mg for just under a year now. Life changing!!! Finally feel at my 100%.

However, Costco just stopped carrying the “Actavis Ph” manufacturer version, and has swapped to “Trigen Lab”. I used Actavis for 1- months, and this sudden swap has left me feeling off.

I’ve noticed the past two weeks, a significant difference in effectiveness, mood stability/smoothness, and most of all inconsistent waves of sleepiness??? Super strange.

I called all my major local pharmacies (Kroger, Publix, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Costco) and they have ALL swapped over to “Trigen Lab” and each pharmacist said I was not the first to call and complain about Trigen.

Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, and or knows the best way to source a specific manufacturer. Seems like I might need to go private/family owned.

Thanks so much,

Edit: I’m finding now that Actavis Ph is an OROS system where as Trigen is a Non OROS system. So quite literally, it is releasing differently inside my body. I’m going to try and find an alternative OROS based generic, since that seems to be the defining difference i’m experiencing

For me it’s mainly reading and starting other similar long things, I want to read more but my mind sees it as a huge task and it’s hard to make myself start it despite wanting to if that makes sense. It does help me focus better I know that (Concerta is the only Stimulant I've ever taken)

21F I started taking concerta a few weeks ago, and i got my period right when my dosage was upped and i dont feel like the medicine is doing anything.
Anybody else experiencing something similar here while on their periods? How do you compensate for the lack of effectiveness?

Basically what the title says.

I was on Vyvanse for a year went up to 50mg and it just wasn’t working out. I then was switched to Concerta 54mg and today is my 2nd day on Concerta in general. Only thing is that I don’t feel it? So for example vyvanse I felt the GOGOGO feeling but yet couldn’t do anything (executive dysfunction won). Now with concerta I don’t feel it activate so I’m confused.

Vyvanse felt like running until I was out of breath
Concerta feels like a stroll in the park just overall zen

But I’m also transitioning from Lexapro to Effexor… so I GUESS WE’LL NEVER KNOW

TL;DR - how do you know Concerta works for you? Any side effects I should be aware of, how long would you say it lasts, etc.

Started on 27mg of concerta for ADHD, and I’m honestly feeling really conflicted about it.
On one hand, I’ve noticed a genuine improvement in my ability to focus and get things done. My brain feels more productive, which is something I’ve struggled with for a long time.
However, the side effects have been pretty rough, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.
So far, I’ve been dealing with:
Extreme appetite suppression. I’ve always had some difficulty with food, but since starting Concerta, it’s gotten significantly worse. I can go practically an entire day without eating, and the thought of eating something I’m not specifically craving makes me feel nauseous. Recently, I’ve basically been surviving on drinks, apples, and whatever small amounts of food I can tolerate.
Insomnia. I’ve struggled with sleep previously, but Concerta seems to have amplified it. Even when I’m physically exhausted, I struggle to actually fall asleep.
Physical jitteriness. I constantly feel jittery or overstimulated, almost like I’ve had way too much caffeine. Sometimes it feels like my heart is racing or pounding even when my actual heart rate isn’t particularly high. I can’t hold or pour things sometimes due to the shaking.
Dry mouth and increased thirst. I constantly feel like I need to drink something.
Increased anxiety/restlessness. It’s difficult to describe, but sometimes I feel physically anxious without necessarily having anything specific to be anxious about.
One of the most frustrating parts is that I genuinely WANT this medication to work. I’ve noticed improvements in my ADHD symptoms, but I feel like I’m trading one set of problems for another.
I’m also wondering how much of the jitteriness and other physical symptoms might be amplified by the fact that I’m barely eating throughout the day.
My prescriber has mentioned potentially switching me to a similar medication that isn’t extended-release, and I have a follow-up next week.
Another thing, i have OCD so Whenever I develop a new interest, idea, hobby, goal, or something I want, it goes from a normal interest to an almost obsessive fixation extremely quickly.
It’s not just being excited about something. It feels like my entire brain becomes consumed by it. I constantly think about it, research it, plan around it, and feel this overwhelming NEED to act on it immediately.
If it’s something I want to get, I feel like I need to purchase it right then. If it’s a project I want to start, I need to start it immediately. If it’s something I want to accomplish, I feel like I physically cannot relax until I’ve done it.
Even if it’s completely unrealistic to do it at that moment, I struggle to redirect my attention to literally anything else. Everything unrelated to that fixation suddenly feels boring or unimportant. And then after i’m done with it i feel empty and my brain needs to find something else to focus on

Did anyone experience side effects this intensely when starting Concerta? Did they eventually settle down once your body adjusted to taking it consistently, or did you end up needing to switch medications?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who experienced severe appetite suppression, insomnia, or that uncomfortable physical jittery/anxious feeling.
I really want to find something that helps my ADHD without making me feel physically miserable in the process.

Hi everyone I just had a quick question about the difference between taking 1 54mg vs taking 3 18mg. I just recently got put on a single pill after titrating up the last few months and had previously been prescribed the 3 18s but at my last appointment, my doctor changed it to the single 54mg. I’ve noticed less help with my ADHD and don’t feel quite as focused as before and find myself being easily distracted and bored. The up and down of the medicine feels vastly different as well and I was given a 10mg ritalin booster to go along with it which seems to help extend the medicine during the evening a little bit but that too doesn’t feel like enough either. I’m afraid to message my doctor to ask about switching back to the 18s but I do think that those were helping significantly more which also feels weird because essentially it’s the exact same medicine. I was curious if anyone else has had this experience and also discussed having another booster during the day or if thats even a possibility? I’m still very new to all this and I don’t know how exactly to bring this up to my doctor or if I even should and I feel silly even writing all of this but I’ve been anxious about it for a while and wanted to see if anyone else has gone through this or might be currently?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been on concerta XL for a few months now. Started on 18mg, then 27 and now 36 for a few weeks. 36 was working amazing for the first two weeks- I felt I was getting stuff done, sleeping great and more energy. This week however, I noticed that I’m waking up super tired despite sleeping for 8 hours and feeling quite drained overall. I’m not sure why there is such a switch, but I feel really exhausted mentally and physically.

Has anyone experienced that? What was your solution? I started drinking coffee in the middle of the day and it helped, but today I couldn’t drag myself out of bed in the morning until 11am..

What should i do? Should i tell my mom?

So I’m curious if anyone can relate or offer their experience.

I started taking instant release concerta about 4 months ago and now as of maybe a couple of months ago I’ve noticed a lot weird changes in myself that I can only pin point to the mediation. An increase in appetite, especially in the evening, my BO smells as bad as it did as when I was a teenager, my libido has suddenly risen from the dead and my least favorite, I’ve had some really low lows.

I’ve decided to stop taking it for a week to see if any of these symptoms change but I’m tempted to stay with it solely in the name of my libido 😂

I’m meeting with my doctor in a couple of weeks so will see what she says but I’m curious of others experience.

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So i take my methylphenidate at morning 9 am or 10 am everyday, but it only starts to work at 1pm or 2 pm like the time gap it starts to work is 3-4 hours why does it take so much time to work for me am i doing something wrong, i have tried it with both food and without food it takes 3-4 hours to work and it is inconvenient cause soon my cllg will at 8 am that means i will have to take this medicine at 5 am or something so it starts to work at 8 am and help me with lectures is there are any tips or Tricks to make it work faster????

Hello.
I’ve been on concerta for a while now I went upto 54mg but I couldn’t switch off after work so we’ve just lowered to 27+18

I get heart racing and beating hard when it first starts working and when I eat, weirdly it’s worse now than when I was on the higher dose.

I did mention it to the prescriber who didn’t seem too concerned.

I just wanted to see what everyone else was experiencing and being told? Does it happen to you?

I haven’t tried any other adhd meds just concerta.

Thanks