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Thread : started Concerta a week ago, how do I know if it's right for me (that I actually do have ADD)?  
28 Jul 2010 @ 7:44 PM
scatterbrains Join Date: Wed 28th Jul 2010
Threads: 2 Posts: 0
started Concerta a week ago, how do I know if it's right for me (that I actually do have ADD)?

(I started this in the wrong forum before, my apologies)

I'm a 33 year old obese female suffering from depression (taking prozac to great effect). I've highly suspected for two years now that I've had ADD (inattentive) for my whole life, and last week I finally talked to my doctor about it. I did some written evaluation tests (which I was almost off the chart on for the results), talked to her for quite a while, and she decided that I should try Concerta (18mg/day). (note: I'm in canada, and thus the method of gaining a prescription may differ from where you are. I did not have to get a prescription from a psychiatrist).

The doctor told me that within a week to ten days I'd know if it was helping, and we'd see about adjusting the dose from there. She also said that if after two weeks I didn't notice any real difference, then they would take me off of it and see what else might be affecting me, because it wouldn't be ADD. She was hesitant to tell me exactly what I'd feel if it worked, because she didn't want to encourage any sort of placebo effect.

So, it seemed to work at first. Now I don't know that it is anymore. The first four days, I felt... like a normal person! I was alert, I could focus, I didn't have the overwhelming urge to sleep all day, and I actually had the energy to do a good amount of housework - not anything like hyperfocus, just what it seems like a "regular" person would be able to accomplish on any given day. These last three days however, the pills seem to be having less and less of an effect - I still feel some measure of "almost normal"ness, however the intense desire to sleep has been coming back and my focus is disappearing.

I will be talking to my doctor of course - however I'm also looking for advice from the community out there. Is this something that should be expected if treatment is working (but perhaps I need a different dose), or is this what it looks like when it's not going to work at all?

Thank you in advance.

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29 Jul 2010 @ 4:17 PM Reply # 1
eabeam Join Date: Tue 12th Jan 2010
Threads: 0 Posts: 97
Study yourself.

The Good thing about the stimulants is that their is no "building period"... you don't have to wait weeks and weeks to see if it will work.

However, try not to go by feel or perception. Heck, when I am off my meds, I am not aware of all the things that I am doing or not doing.

I recommend studying yourself. Are there activities that you do regularly? (Especially things that you feel you need the Concerta for....) If so, do you know how long it takes you to get them done? If not, time yourself a couple of times... total time from start to finish. Then, compare similar tasks when on the medication.

You may also need to consider quality, accuracy, etc.

When I did this, I found that tasks that required concentration took my 1/6 the time while on Concerta, but I did not feel any different. http://askdreric-schoolpsychologist.blogspot.com/

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30 Jul 2010 @ 12:11 AM Reply # 2
Phillymanhere Join Date: Sun 6th Apr 2008
Threads: 0 Posts: 15
Welcome Scatter

Scatter,

Basically, keep doing what you're doing: take the medicine and observe ... Schedule a new appointment with the doc, and tell doc exactly what has happened ... You may need to go up in dosage ...

Basically, it's trial and error ... But your doc may want to adjust the dose before switching you to a new med. Give it a few weeks, but if you see absolutely nothing or barely anything after 2 weeks or so, I'd schedule an appointment with the doctor.

good luck.

Phillyman

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4 Nov 2010 @ 2:14 PM Reply # 3
clutterchaos Join Date: Tue 2nd Nov 2010
Threads: 1 Posts: 0
concerta

I will tell you- 18 mg is not going to be enough for an obese person. --IMO if you are wondering if it is working then it isnt.

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23 Nov 2010 @ 1:01 PM Reply # 4
eabeam Join Date: Tue 12th Jan 2010
Threads: 0 Posts: 97
I disagree

I disagree with this... some people are very sensitive or insensitive to this regardless of weight.

When I first started taking methylphenidate, 18mg would have been WAY too much for me at 215 lbs, and I would have had severe side-effects.

My therapeutic dose did not "feel" like it worked... until I saw how much less time my homework took.

In my internship at a slight larger weight, I have seen 100-120 lbs take 56mg with barely a response -- good or bad. At double their body weight, this dosage would have put me in the hospital.

I stand by the recommendation and study yourself and communicate with your provider. My blog post below describes how my doctor figured out the correct dosage for me. http://askdreric-schoolpsychologist.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-adhd-story-part-6-current-day.html

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clutterchaos said: I will tell you- 18 mg is not going to be enough for an obese person. --IMO if you are wondering if it is working then it isnt.

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