I tried Concerta first and it was really good, but I wanted to try elvanse too to compare and I preferred it.
First day on Concerta I cried because my brain went quiet and it was quite overwhelming. After about a couple of weeks it felt like it had stopped working, that’s when my nurse upped the dose to 27mg and then two weeks later up to 36mg.
I had some headaches in the afternoons when it was wearing off (the Concerta crash) and had about an hour of feeling a bit overwhelmed mentally in my head, but food and paracetomol would sort it out. Also keeping blood sugar levels stable with protien at every meal is important. If I had something sugary on its own, I’d crash from it. Having breakfast when taking meds is a must as well as keeping hydrated (more than you think you need)!
Generally though, function better - able to just get up and do stuff. More energy. Less emotional impulsivity. Able to have a conversation without butting in. Less impulse spending. Haven’t touched a McDonald’s or Diet Coke (my dopamine foods) since starting meds. I do find with focus though, I have to be quite strict as it’s easy to get into hyper focus. I found whatever I was focusing on when they kicked in, I’d stay focused on.
Elvanse gives me a bit of an extra kick I didn’t get from Concerta, I think because it gives dopamine and noradrenaline instead of just blocking the receptors in your brain to increase levels.
Oh also, if you still have periods, there will be times in the month that you’ll feel the meds don’t work for a few days. Usually when estrogen is low and progesterone high (so just before the period). Don’t freak out and think the meds stopped working like me! 😆
Best of luck! If you have any Qs please ask! It can be quite an overwhelming time, so good to have first hand info I found!