First Day taking any ADD medication–Concerta 18mg…

[Anonymous]

I’m on my first day of Concerta and I’m one of the lucky ones…so far so GREAT. Three of my four children have been on it for years, and what a HUGE difference it made for them. I’m only just now getting around to finally getting help for myself. I hope things continue to go well, and glad to hear that you’ve found a solution that so far seems to help…good luck!

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[Philabuster]

It appears like I may need to adjust the dosage with my doctor. My old habits are creeping back as I am getting used to the medication. I am no longer feeling any benefit and my activity is slowed. Breaks and lunch are back to normal. I am starting to crave computer time again and I am staying up way too late again.

One thing I did notice a few weeks ago as a side effect though. I am normally a salt-a-holic. I crave salt on meals and snacks–always have. Candy bars and cake are not something I even ate or cared about. About 3 weeks after taking the meds, I noticed meals were tasting salty without me adding any more salt so I stopped using a salt shaker. I also noticed an increase in desire for sweet snacks that was rarely there. Last week, I ate two candy bars in a day and also started eating hard candy.

Again, this is unusual. It is not life threatening, but I did notice it was out of the ordinary. The past few days I have not had any sugar.

Another side effect with the medication I noticed from day one is I tend to bite my nails MUCH MORE OFTEN as the med is wearing off in the afternoon. I have resorted to wearing gloves as often as possible at work, but my fingernails still look like hamburger.

Weight is unchanged in the last two weeks. I am still at my smaller belt size, but have dropped no further.

Pre-authorization for the med finally went through. That was a lot of hassle–especially when it only saved me $12 a month vs paying it out of pocket. BFD.

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[Anonymous]

thanks for all the info Philabuster,

I have just been diagnosed and have my hopes up that the meds are going to be a positive influence for me. I’m also inattentive type. I think I may ask for the standard ritalin after reading your experience. I’ll see what the doc recommends next Thursday. I have to say, I can hardly wait. Life is overwhelming right now and I’ve been needing help for a long time. Thanks again and let us know how the new dose works out. I will report as soon as I can (Thursday).

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[Philabuster]

Doc upped my dosage to 20mg twice a day instead of the 10mg twice daily (methlyphenidate).

Focus is back like it was when I first started taking it. I really appreciate how the med makes me feel when I am around my kid. I have tons of patience when dealing with difficult situations (kid stuff again) where before I would get frustrated rather quickly. I noticed that my patience dropped off as I got used to the dosage. Patience is back now that dosage is doubled.

Help with patience around my kid was the primary reason I started taking any ADHD medication. The Concerta was horrible. The Ritalin works for me. The benefits of the medication at work are just a bonus.

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[Author]

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