First Day taking any ADD medication–Concerta 18mg…

[Philabuster]

First day on Concerta 18mg dose. 37 y/o M. I feel so pissed off and angry right now, I cannot see taking this medication EVER again! I have never felt so bad as I did today, and this is supposed to help me? And to think I volunteered to try this…

What to do? Call the doctor and tell her I am stopping the med?

What ADD medications work for primarily inattentive subtype? I have to find something else that does not put me into a rage. I would be better off taking nothing vs feeling this way again.

Thanks.

REPORT ABUSE

[turbo]

Sorry to hear this med hasn’t worked for you.

But…it is a process….so……take a deep breath, try and relax. Tomorrow AM, talk to your doctor and decide what your next step is. There are plenty of other options for you. Strattera might be an option for you — it gives me a feeling of inner calmness.

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Well, saw the doc today. I gave her back the Concerta. She prescribed the old stand by Ritalin. I will give it a shot even though I know it is the same active ingredient. I can at least cross it off the list if it does not work. My doc said we will try Strattera next if the Ritalin does not work.

I initially considered taking medication because of the Totally ADD documentary and reading lots of posts here about positive things people have to say when they find the right med. Problem is I am starting to feel very discouraged in the process…

REPORT ABUSE

[turbo]

Some people who don’t respond to Ritalin do respond to Dexedrine, another of the tried and true stimulants. There are also long acting versions of it available.

Also, may I ask what it was that had you feeling so bad while on Concerta? What kind of side effects did you exerpeince? And did you use the drug for just one day or more to see if the medication itself was the issue?

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Side effects of Concerta was the same as I previously read–irritability–only my irritability was more than I have ever experienced.

The only way to accurately explain it was like someone kept poking me and would not stop. It was like I was constantly being bombarded with frustration no matter what I was doing. Extreme feeling of pissed off but no way to stop it.

Still waiting on Ritalin prescription to be filled. Need pre-authorization for adult ADD meds. The Concerta was a coupon so it did not go through insurance.

I will talk to doc about Dexedrine as a few other medications. I have a feeling it will be trial and error for a while…

REPORT ABUSE

[turbo]

So glad to hear you are willing to try another. From what I hear it really is a trial and error process for a lot of ADDers. I myself tried 5 before settling on the one which seemed to work for me the best.

For interest’s sake can I ask if you tried genuine Concerta or a generic version? You may have to look at the markings on the pills themselves to tell. Generic meds are not always identical to the original, and I know there is at least 1 ADHD med where there is an issue.

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

The doc gave me a prescription for Genuine Concerta with no substitutions permitted as she printed a coupon for Concerta. The pharmacy filled it as such. I will not take that again. Feeling extremely pissed off for 7 hours straight is not a good thing. My girlfriend even commented that she had not seen me that pissed off in several years. Again, this was not a coincidence.

Update…

I went ahead and bought the generic Ritalin medication (methylphenidate) out of pocket because it takes a while for insurance approval. 10mg two times a day. I felt it would be a waste of time to get approval for a medication only to find out that it does not work.

I was hesitant to take the first dose because of what happened with the Concerta. I told my friend at work about the Concerta side effects and asked him to watch me closely for any abnormal behavior–good or bad.

I have taken the methylphenidate for two days now–both the morning and noon doses. No issues with irritability or anger. The med seemed to really kick my ass into gear and get me motivated to just do something. We are allowed two breaks at work plus lunch. I usually take them, but today, I did not even stop to think about a break. I just wanted to hurry up with lunch the first day so I could get back to my project at work. It was like lunch and breaks just got in the way. I almost looked like a tweaker running around getting shit done as fast as possible.

I reminded myself of one of Dr J’s videos as I was working very hard on a minor detail of a large project. I had to mentally stop myself and focus my enthusiasm on more productive tasks. No headaches or side effects that I have seen so far.

Tonight, I Googled ‘Ritalin’ and one of the street terms from a .gov website for the drug is ‘Kiddie Cocaine’. Not sure taking this medication is a good thing.

REPORT ABUSE

[Bill]

There is no question that Ritalin is a stimulant and that it tends to reduce appetite. Did the doctor talk to you about taking it after meals and ensuring you get enough protein so that your blood sugar level does not drop?

Many people see Ritalin as a short term solution, while the person develops the coping strategies they need to be successful.

All the best!

Bill

REPORT ABUSE

[turbo]

Philabuster- please don’t let some uninformed idiot’s comment on a government WEBsite discourage you from a medication that might be right for you. Great to hear you’ve found a med that seems to offer you some improvement.

Dr J stressed in the sessions I attended that Ritalin is among the safest drugs available. I’m sure there are some videos on this site which talk about this and the other meds available, if you want to research it more.

I also remember Dr J saying to “just make sure you sit at your desk in front of your work” before taking Ritalin. He made a humorous comment like, “if you are sitting in front of the TV when you take it, you will watch TV really, REALLY well”

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Well, so far I have taken the methylphenidate for 6 days now. Still no issues like I had with Concerta.

It still looks like I am ramped up on speed when I take it though. Breaks? What are those? “Phil, take a break!” “In a minute, I gotta finish this…”

The urgency to get things done ramps up and down proportional to the medication in my body. Timing is obviously everything with fast acting meds. I sometimes forget to take it at lunchtime, but not a big deal. I still forget to take a lunch though. I am not loosing weight or going hungry.

Funny side effect–someone mentioned in another thread about how his focus was 360° in all directions, but as the med kicked in, his focus would slowly narrow to what is directly infront of him. I feel like this medication gives me the same effect. It feels like I have tunnel vision. I can walk by something and it will not attract my attention as before.

The lack of focus in all directions feels almost spooky–almost like my peripheral vision is gone, but in reality, my tendency to get attracted to random stuff is diminished. The worst place I get this feeling is driving a vehicle. I have to check my surroundings much more (mirrors, etc), because it feels like I am not paying attention or looking out for other vehicles, pedestrians and such. Safe driver though–never had an accident in my 20+ years of driving. Driving to work in the morning (no meds) does feel different than driving home on the med.

The point about the “kiddie cocaine” was somewhat humorous, but Ritalin is classified a schedule II drug–same category as cocaine. I have never taken or smoked any illegal / recreational drugs, but I am wondering if taking this med is really any different except for a prescription.

REPORT ABUSE

[turbo]

Glad to hear you’re geting such a positive response from it.

I, on the other hand, noticed little (if any) improvement even on a 20mg dosage. I was really hoping it would work for me, but it didn’t

I did feel like I had more energy on it, but it had little effect on my ability to “focus” or get work done.

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Same exact situation happened today (kid stuff) as when I was taking the Concerta.

The situation was EXTREMELY frustrating and infuriating while I was on the Concerta. However, while taking the Generic Ritalin, the same situation seemed to be like no big deal. I was surprised the situation felt easier to deal with while taking the Ritalin than if I had taken nothing.

Girlfriend even commented how well I handled it this time vs last time. She said sounds like you may have found something that works for you.

I also had another good test for the Ritalin today–necessary legal paperwork, AKA, Kryptonite. I plugged through it while normally, I would take many breaks and really not get much done. Girlfriend again commented how well I handled it without needing constant reminders to get it done.

I was off work today. This is my first day taking the Ritalin while not at work. I did not feel like I was on speed, but just had a better attitude in general to get things done, while also feeling more relaxed dealing with the above mentioned kid situation. I also noticed I am drinking less than half as much caffeinated beverages as before. Obviously, a sign I was self medicating and not needing the caffeine stimulants as much.

I am still at the 10mg dose twice a day. I do not feel the need to increase the dosage. This level is working. I will update as the month progresses.

Concerta and Ritalin have the same active ingredient, but I wonder what else was in the Concerta to cause people to have anger side effects. I have read anger issues about Concerta in a few different places, but not read much at all about anger being associated with Ritalin.

REPORT ABUSE

[Anonymous]

Hey gang, I’m new here and just reading all this stuff is encouraging. Thanks for taking the time (and focus) to post. Its really helpful to have others give real life examples and opinions as to what is working or not working. So anyway. THANK YOU ALL for posting.

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Still taking my 10mg x 2 METHylphenidate daily. Going to see doc tomorrow for check up. I lost about 5 lbs and one notch in my belt. No real surprise as this stuff makes me run around getting things done at 100 mph. I am now right at my ideal BMI, so I am not concerned. If I drop another 5 or 10 lbs, I will drop the med. I do see the need to take a break from the med on occasion–to give me a chance to rest instead of go Go GO.

I am still not looking at a clock. Co-workers still need to tell me to take a friggin break or go to lunch.

I am still happy to report no issues with anger like I had before with the Concerta.

I have noticed one other side effect of the med. I am not on the computer surfing near as much as I used to be. I am on the computer very little now and I have no more than 2 tabs open when before it was 8-10. Computer time at work is now almost zero. I barely even remember to check my company emails once or twice a week.

Point being, I am not needing any computer stimulation time, where before it would be hours.

REPORT ABUSE

[Philabuster]

Doc checked me out. Everything is fine. My blood pressure is good. It was much lower than is normal for me, I asked her to recheck it to be sure. Getting the pre-authorization on the med as this one is working. ‘Legal speed’ is also what the doc called it when talking to my GF. Doc also wanted to make sure I was sleeping ok. No issues unless I forget to take my melatonin, but that is no different than before.

No mood issues. I really do not feel the med ‘kick in’ like I did when taking pain meds for example. I just feel like the need to ‘get things done’ slowly builds and then fades without any real conscious awareness that is what is happening. On the other hand, my co-workers and friends sure know when I am taking it. One comment was, “What are you on and where can I get some?”

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts