Concerta… I got the generic first (useless!) then genuine (better, but…)

[Anonymous]

I’ve been taking concerta in one form or another for about a month. I started on 18mg of the generic, took that for a week and a half, before my doctor raised the dose. I noticed at first an energizing effect and an improvement in concentration and energy, but this only lasted about 3 days. Same thing with generic 27mg: it worked for a few days then crapped out. I returned to my doctor about a week and a half ago, and I asked specifically for the name-brand Concerta, since it wouldn’t wear off around 3 in the afternoon like the generic type.

Since taking the name brand Concerta at 36mg, I’ve noticed improved energy, concentration and attention, and it’s been persistent unlike the lower dose/generic. However I’ve noticed a few things since switching to 36mg name-brand Concerta….

I get some symptoms of anxiety throughout the day which I was controlling quite well as a result of techniques learned in CBT. Now though, I get more nervous in a variety of situations and experience the classic anxiety symptoms (dry mouth, sweating, trembling, stomach pain), although it’s not severe it’s certainly noticeable. I also get more muscle tension especially in the neck– sometimes it gives me a mild headache.

The other thing that concerns me is my mood. I’ve been struggling with depression for nearly a year now and when I first started taking concerta a month ago, I was starting to feel a bit better and this feeling continued for the first couple weeks on concerta. Lately though I’ve been noticing I’m more sad and withdrawn, feeling ashamed, hating myself, and feeling like everybody would be better off without me. I do have good moments for sure, but this is disturbing for me because I feel like I’m sliding back into the dark hole I was in.

I’ve read that this medication should be used with caution for people who have had depression and I fear that I am one of those “contraindicated” patients. I hope not, because I really do feel better on this med– I can finally focus on tasks, I procrastinate less, I can sit still, I can listen when someone talks, and so on.

Anybody have any experiences they’d like to share?

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[caper]

I would get the tightness in the neck (felt like I needed to swallow) and sometimes tightness in the chest when the dose was too high. On Concerta this would be in the early afternoon when the peak hit, and even a bit as the initial rise in the morning occurred; this was on 54mg. Similar effect when I’d take too much of the generic Ritalin SR. No headaches though. Now I take 2 Apo 20mg SR methylphenidate (generic Ritalin SR) with no side-effects. If I take them too close together (i.e. 3-4hrs instead of 6-7hrs) I get the side-effects about an hour after the 2nd dose.

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[Anonymous]

hmm… That’s an interesting idea… I’ll see what my doctor thinks, but that certainly could be a solution!

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[Author]

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