Re: Concerta – first week symptoms

[Anonymous]

Jd,

Well this much I can tell you, I am not expert by any stretch but I do have some experience (not to be confused with expertise).

I was diagnosed with ADHD at 44 (but only about two months back). Work up until that point was insanely terrible for years and my career was heading down the crapper fast than I could stop it.

I went for testing to simply give myself some answers and see what was going on and perhaps be able to make some better decisions as to where to go and what to do next. I spent a bunch of time being tested and evaluated by many professionals and after about a month, I was told that I have ADHD. I was asked if I wanted medication immediately and I had some apprehensions regarding it so we (my doctor and I decided) to see how coaching would help.

After doing coaching for about a month, I decided to request medication (Concerta) and the doctor said we’ll go with the lowest dosage and see where it goes. I started out with the 18 mg and felt really, really strange. Like you I had that “no fog lifting yet” feeling but in addition to that was a nervous sort of anxiety but nothing ‘earth-shatter’ that I haven’t felt before whenever I screwed up and was in suspense about when I was going to get caught and disciplined for it.

When I went back to the doctor and reported my progress for the first two weeks, I did notice some very subtitle changes. Apparently, according to my wife, I wasn’t as ‘high-strung’ as previously and she hadn’t noticed much change in the concentration part at all. So, my psychiatrist (aka doctor) decided to up the dose to 28 mg to see if that would aid me more. She cautioned that I should be very vigilant about any ‘negative side-effects’ such as depression since there were two strikes against me (family had a history and I was on another drug many years previous that drove me into depression where I sought to take my own life on a number of occasions).

What I had begun to notice is that the ‘attention’ that was once at a 360 degree of awareness now was narrowing for me. That the need to focus on everything over both of my shoulders was highly diminished and that I was able to find myself focusing and concentrating on less but on those tasks and jobs of which I was seeking to focus, it was there for extended periods. All this was extraordinary and unusual and most of all frightening to me since I had never known this before.

There were a few household DIY projects that had been waiting for my attention for over a year that I was able to complete within three days, to the utter bliss of my wife and who was so very grateful for it.

At work, it was noticed that my focus was much sharper and that my ability to organize, prioritize and synergize my work much better and my attention to detail was magnified massively. I suddenly began to receive both emails and voice mails of appreciation. My supervisors came to me one day with two documents (normally that meant that I was in the ‘crapper’ and was about to be dressed down for some screw up). They passed them to me and requested that I read them both. As I read, my eyes began to well up and they all looked at each other and asked me if I was alright to which I had to say, of course I am alright, I am just not used to having any of this sort of feedback. I am used to be stomped on and reprimanded.

My medication once again has been upped to the next level (36 mg) to see where it takes me. So far so good, there are not negative side effects whatsoever that I am aware except for the lack of appetite for food about 30 minutes after taking it. That is a side effect that I can live with easily enough, because after 10-12 hours, I make up for it.

I have to add that it hasn’t just been the Concerta, there has been coaching involved as well. The coach I have is wonderful in that she keeps me accountable for everything that I do and don’t do. I report to her every two weeks with my homework that she provides for me and suggestions for making me more productive at work. The entire staff both upper and lower are aware that I have ADHD and I keep them apprised to everything that is going on. That way, they can all be part of my therapy and aid me in becoming a better and more effective employee.

So far, I count my blessings for the people who I work with because before, it was so much the opposite.

Coaching coupled with Concerta has been nothing but a god-send to me and my situation. I am not saying that it is the answer for you because as I said, I am no expert. I do know that there are a number of drugs out there that are designed to help with ADHD and maybe Concerta isn’t the one that will work with your body chemistry and metabolism but do not lose faith or hope. Keep plugging away, always smiling, doing your best and never giving up at all. It will all come together for you. If it has for me, it will for you.

Being in the military isn’t the most compassionate environment to work in when you have such conditions as ADHD but if things have worked for me, than they will most certainly come together for your good no matter what!

Distracted66

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