totiredtofight

New Member
how well does concerta work ??? are there any side effects that they dont warn you about ??? difficult child 2 was put on 18 mgs by her psychiatrist today and did warn me about tics that it could cause as well as sudden death ... anyone experience this ??? she is also on abilify
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I know that it works differently for some, than for others.

I also know that with bipolar, it can really activate mania... But again, that's with Onyxx...
 

buddy

New Member
Q is on a large dose of Concerta. (he has been on Ritalin or concerta for many years) I just read a study online, maybe referenced here??? that showed that there is NOT an increase in cardiac issues for people who have used it for long periods of time. We still always get checked, every three months. Including having ekgs once in a while. (he takes other medications that can be hard on the heart so we are especially careful).

My nephew is on 18 mg and had been upped but this year is better on a lower dose again (he is 13). He complains that kids think he is funny off of it, yeah, but he is in trouble funny...not actual funny.

Of course it is an amphetamine so not to be taken lightly. For us, I do believe it makes him more edgy than he even usually is but the trade off is that he is far less impulsive (hard to believe it is worse than it is from what I write but really, he is so unsafe he would need someone to hold his hand all day to keep him safe if he was not on this medication). I am grateful for it because out of all of our medications, this one is the one that allows him to be able to do anything with others in the community. Day ONE on it when he was 4 and in preschool the teacher called so excited because after two school years of teaching him, for the first time ever he sat during circle time with the class and listened to a story. It is that dramatic for him.

Just like anything, when it works it works, if it doesn't just make sure you let the doctor know and follow directions to stop. It is short acting in terms of not needing to build up so it is easier to have out of their system if you need to stop than some kinds of medications.

Hope it goes well...
 
I know that it works differently for some, than for others.

I also know that with bipolar, it can really activate mania... But again, that's with Onyxx...

that was our experience and then some on 18mg. fortunately it was fast in/fast out and the reaction subsided by the next day.
i never saw anything quite like it--it wasnt her natural mania, it was so over the top that she was literally incoherent, pale, talking so fast she made no sense, etc.

it wasnt something subtle that could be missed--it was outright alarming.

but everyone is different--plently of people do just fine with concerta. you'll know pretty fast if it isnt a good choice.

that all being said, mine is having great success with focalin now that she's on an appropriate mood stablizer...i was leary of trying a stimulant again, but i'm glad we did.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
For my difficult child it sent him into mania but that was my difficult child and he was only 8 and very unstable at the time.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Lots of experience with Concerta - but not with bi-polar in the diagnosis mix.

The big advantage of the ritalin group (includes Concerta and others) is that they ARE fast-acting. That means that whatever dose you take today, will affect TODAY. You will see whether it has impact or not. If there's a rapid bad reaction, you'll see that too. If the dose is too low, you might not see much effect... I wouldn't be upping the dose unless there are NO side-effects other than the (famous? infamous?) rebound-effect that happens when it wears off... in my opinion everybody on this class of drugs gets at least SOME form of rebound-effect.

For some kids Concerta works better... for others, the more traditional forms like Ritalin are better... no way to tell without trial and error.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I know this sounds silly but do you ever listen to commercials for birth control methods or almost any medication. The Gov't requires that they announce every side effect ever reported by anyone who used the product. To the best of my knowledge the reports are not clinically verified. If you listen to all the warnings you'd never take any medication, lol. Ritalin, Concerta and Vyvance have been used in our family since the 1960's with success. We had to change from one stimulant medication to another depending on the difficult child but it helped them all. The point of this paragraph is that I'm surprised he included "sudden death". Goodness gracious! It must have been reported by someone at some time (although I have never ever read of it) but I'm shocked a Psychiatrist would share that with you. Geez!

Some kids with BiPolar (BP) do not react well to stimulants. We had one who did. Concerta and all the other adhd stimulant medications are quick in/quick out. You will be able to see the effect with-o waiting a long time. If, by chance, it triggers a problem you can stop the medication with-o waiting an extended time. Fingers crossed that it is helpful to your difficult child. Hugs DDD
 

totiredtofight

New Member
well here we go! we started the concerta this morning... now to wait and see what happens ... I was supposed to have a girls day of shopping with difficult child 2 ,but im not sure if i want to take her out.
I mean if she rages in the car or mall we could have a problem but on the other hand she did earn it as a reward
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Don't let your fear interfere with the earned reward. She's not going to go from happy to cookoo in a few minutes....or at least I sure haven't heard of it happening. Fingers crossed. Hugs DDD
 

totiredtofight

New Member
well so far so good .. she got up and dressed with no drama. ate and took the concerta, 2 hours later she did her chores with no problems after only having to be reminded once. Then onto schoolwork .. shopping was great ( I had husband tag along just in case) she was perfect .. no running off or touching things, she was polite and even said Thank You. I just hope it lasts (fingers crossed)
 
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