Any other MN-ers on Concerta?

[ConcertaFirstTimer]

Just started it today and would love some first hand info on how it affects people - good stuff and any side effects to look out for.

I've felt a bit hot and have a very slight headache (not even strong enough to take paracetamol) I've been a bit calmer too and for the first time in living memory am going to sleep without my hands hurting badly from having chewed the cuticles, so I mustn't have been doing taht absentmindedly all day like I normally do.

Dr said not to try to make up for lost time (years and years of procrastination) in the first week, just see how it feels and then start to make changes. But it's not a cumulative med is it?

bump

I take it daily Mon-Fri i.e. on work days. I don't take it at weekends or holidays. No unpleasant side effects for me. Seems to have a fairly minimal impact on me so far so I'm trying an increased dosage from next week.

Thank you @HundredMilesAnHour. I didn't notice a massive difference, either.
I'll keep trying it for a week and see how it goes. Like you, I was planning on not taking it on days off and just using it for work days.

(Disclaimer I take Elvanse, but I have tried methylphenidate too although not in the Concerta format)

It's not a cumulative medication, but it will feel different the very first time you take it, to the second few days, to when you're used to it/established on the dose. Your body basically has to warm up to what to expect - they say that you don't develop a tolerance, because technically what's happening is something different to the medical term "tolerance", but in total layman's terms, tolerance is exactly what it felt like to me.

Your experience may be different, but for me I find I am very sensitive to taking breaks so it's better/smoother for me if I take it every day. I am not working and the primary area where I need support is at home dealing with my children. So this is also individual and you can discuss with your doctor what is best for you.

It is quite normal that they start you on a very low dose, so you might not feel anything at first. That's OK. But it can also be quite subtle when it's working properly. It's not meant to make you feel "high" or like a super-productive robot. However, some people DO get that sensation on the first day which is probably what the doctor is saying, then they try to do all the things, feel like their pre-medication 50% has been boosted to 150%, and you can sustain that on enthusiasm, novelty and the new medication effect for maybe a couple of weeks and then you crash out - and settle into a level of productivity (say 80%) which is nowhere near that euphoric high of 150% but is still a significiant improvement over the original 50%.

Headache is a common side effect when first starting medication and will go away as your body gets used to it, so take paracetamol if you want to.

I also found that it took me several weeks to really understand what the effect was over several different days, menstrual cycle also affects how well it works - it's less effective (or the ADHD is stronger, they aren't really sure which or if it could be both) in the week or so leading up to your period. I don't know if that's different if you're on hormonal birth control including Mirena etc.

Thank you @BertieBotts - that's all so helpful.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to take it? Empty stomach or with food? I've been experimenting with this a bit. Yesterday I took it at about 10am, about 30 mins after breakfast and it seemed to take ages to kick in, which it didn't on day one. But when it did, it was more powerful and I ended up awake until almost 2am which I want to avoid.

It would probably make sense to take it earlier - mayne 7 or 8 am but does that mean avoiding stimulants like coffee?

@ConcertaFirstTimer I take mine within 15 mins of getting up in the morning, usually around 7-8am. I take a pro/prebiotic drink Symprove as soon as I get up and swig my Concerta XL down with that. So I take mine on an empty stomach. Then I have a shower and get dressed and have breakfast and coffee. By then the Concerta has kicked in. Caffeine doesn't make any difference in my experience. The Concerta wears off by late afternoon.

10am is probably too late for Concerta - this is the longest/slowest release of all the ADHD medications. Here's a graph showing them - sorry, it's in German, the "nicht retardietes" means instant release (no delay). Concerta will last for an entire day so it's designed to be taken early in the morning. A lot of people (me included) take it with water about 10-20 minutes before getting up. However I am not so sure whether this is OK with Concerta - my son takes it and his doctor really wanted him to take it with breakfast.

I also don't find coffee makes any difference, but I am more sensitive to caffeine since my last pregnancy anyway so I only drink one, rarely two coffees per day and not after 3pm or I won't be able to get to sleep.

that's really helpful, thank you

OMG I have only just realised that I forgot to add the image 🤣 I'm so sorry!

That's fine @BertieBotts. Classic ADHD moment. How many work emails have I sent in a lifetime that say 'here is my report on...' followed by another email with 'this time with report attached'!

Thank you for the graph. That's really helpful. I took it earlier today and that helped. But I think I need to take it even earlier still for the peak times to coincide with work.

It is just a guide as people do report different experiences. You might need to do some trial and error to work out what the best time is to take it.

Hi all - hoping someone can help me on this. I started concerta a week ago and the difference has been night and day mentally. It’s like my worries and anxiety have diminished because I don’t have 65 thoughts at once A game changer, eating really well but not for dopamine hits so eating much less which is great. The only issue I’m having which I hate is an increase in blood pressure and therefore a fairly physical feeling of anxiety. I monitor it daily and it’s not at a worrying/dangerous level yet but it’s definitely something I can feel and absolutely hate.Varies from slightly elevated to the lower end of high.

Does this go away or do I need to chat to the doctor about meds to help?

thanks

jan