CathyO

New Member
Hi there.
My daughter was just give a prescription for Concerta. Did anyone have any problems with this drug? Did it work for your child if they took it?
 

Sara PA

New Member
Concerta is the same drug as Ritalin but with a different delivery system. Many people have said that their children have done quite well with it, even when they hadn't done well on Ritalin.

Like any of the stimulants, the most common problems are the loss of appetite, increased anxiety and "stimulant rebound". stimulant rebound is the term used to describe the problems that arise when the drug wears off each day -- essentially daily amphetamine withdrawal. It can include mood swings, agitation and what looks like binge eating. It can interfer with sleep.
 

loricbme

New Member
My daughter was also just prescribed concerta 18 mg. I'm also curious about any input anyone has.

SaraPA wrote: Like any of the stimulants, the most common problems are the loss of appetite, increased anxiety and "stimulant rebound". stimulant rebound is the term used to describe the problems that arise when the drug wears off each day -- essentially daily amphetamine withdrawal. It can include mood swings, agitation and what looks like binge eating. It can interfer with sleep.

My question is: Is it worth it? I'm just wondering if anyone has used Concerta and wondered if the "stimulant rebound" is worth it. I mean it in a curious way. Because we havent had to deal with it yet. I know how draining a day without medications can be. Any input is appreciated.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
We had great success for many years on Concerta.

difficult child 1 had to discontinue because the capsule does not dissolve completely in the gut, and he has intestinal scar tissue due to Crohn's disease, so we were worried about a possible blockage.

difficult child 2 discontinued it because he developed a mood disorder and everything went haywire. But it was good while it lasted!
 
K

Kjs

Guest
It works very well for my difficult child. He does not take it on non school days. He says he notices a difference in school. I see no affects after school at this time.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
It worked really well for my son for a couple years. We changed to adderall because you could "fine-tune" the dose a little easier.

My son did not have any serious or worth-mentioning stimulant rebound issues with concerta. You won't know how your child will react until you try it. Every child is so very different when it comes to stimulants.

If you want, wait and give it to him over spring break if you are going to be there to observe. If you don't have that luxury, give it to him on Saturday and Sunday for the first time when you can see how he's doing rather than sending him to school for the first day on the medication.

Good luck to both you and lori with the new medication addition. Hope it makes a positive change in your difficult child's lives.

Sharon
 

LOVESDOLPHINS

New Member
hi there my 7 y/o was on concerta and we started out low and gradually increased till we were at the max dose of 54 mg and then the voices started. we backed off to 27 mg in am and then added a 18 mg in the afternoon so we didnt end up with the stimulant rebound. so far so good. the voices were in his head telling him to do bad things and so he would hit himself in the head telling his brain to shut up. but this was over a course of a few years. the combo of concerta and seroqueal and cloindine seems to work well for us. but it is all trial and error. good luck
 
G

galadriel

Guest
My son has been on it and has improved in his grades. He is on 27mg although we tried to go up, he was raging by the end of day on the higher dose so the Pysch NP put him back down. Now I'm thinking it was stimulant rebound! although she never mentioned that. At the lower dose he does great. He also choses not to take it on weekends .
 

mum2JK&TH

New Member
Works well for my difficult child as well. We have seen a huge improvement. We don't give it to him when he's not in school as I found when we were it seemed to build up and he would become moody and aggressive after a few months of taking it. Since we started only giving it to him for school, we've had no problems.
difficult child had a huge rebound affect with Ritalin (it was ugly) but doesn't have it with the Concerta. It did aggrivate his Tourettes but that seems to be in remission for the time being.
It's been the right medication for my difficult child after trying Dexedrine, Ritalin and Strattera.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Our boys did beautifully with Concerta (one still does). The other stims were a problem. As of recent months, our 21 year old and his 6 year old sister are on Vyvanse and doing great.

It is trail and error with stims but absolutely I have seen the huge improvement in life quality for those who are properly medicated. Good luck. DDD
 

sandman3

New Member
I know that Concerta works wonderfully for many children.

For mine, its was like giving him heroine! One dose, the smallest amount, and was literally psychotic for 27 hours, violent, screaming, no sleep....the psychiatric had told me I would know right away if it would work for him or not....believe me, I knew!!! I gave it to him in the morning, say at 8:00 a.m.....he finally fell asleep at 10:30 a.m. the NEXT DAY!

So unfortunately, as the others have said, it's a trial and error thing....what works great for one, may not for the next.

I'm sharing my experience just so in the chance your child has this reaction, you know what it is and that is does go away.

Good luck!
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Miss KT was on Concerta for a short while. She was up to 72 mg and it was wearing off too quickly. About that time, Strattera was introduced, so we tried that instead.
 

carlyt

New Member
I should have searched for this post sooner, since I just posted one, too. Sorry. =[

Anywho, my 8 year old daughter(ADD) has been taking concerta for a couple months with great results. She is able to complete her assignments in school and is making better grades now. She is taking 18 mg. I have noticed some aggitation on the weekends when she doesn't take it, but other than that, no complaints thus far.
 
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