Quote:

Murlev said: On Aug 10 I began to take Concerta 18 mg. On Aug. 23 it was increased to 36 mg. Tomorrow I will begin to take 54 mg.

I have been reading every day in order to see for how long I can actually concentrate. There is a lot to be desired.

What positive changes did you first notice when your medication began to work?

Hi Murlev,

Hey I'm getting the hang of posting on this forum....even if it is very quiet!!

I'm on Dexamphetamine so I just had a quick look at the comparison between the 2 and see that your medication is a 12hour slow release and mine is taken every 4 hours.

I started the medication on 2nd July and after a few days build up was on 4 x 5mg (20mg) a day. I am also on other meds for bipolar and anxiety and found that there was a side effect when my anxiety was more "amplified" at first due to the dex. The Dr said this was common and as my anxiety meds were of a very low dose, he increased it to a middle of the range dose and things settled down.

29th July the dose was increased to 30mg (2,2,1,1) and after a review one month later, it is the same.

I am feeling a noticeable difference. My concentration is much better and I have the clarity I only used to get on a bipolar high.My memory has definitely improved too. I feel more motivated and organised and have implemented some new routines in the house and joined an on-line group that sends daily emails (flylady.com) that helps with getting order in the house. Usually these kind of things are a whim with me, but for once I am sticking to it. Entertaining used to make me feel anxious but had some girlfriends stay the other week and coped well and didn't feel overwhelmed because I had pre planned better instead of procrastinating and leaving everything to the last minute.

When I went to my Dr's appt. the other day, I had an "A-ha!" moment as time management especially for an appointment with someone was a huge issue for me. I'd procrastinate and then I'd be rushing and things would snowball from there. Following street directions, general navigation and remembering an address I have been to before were always a drama for me as well and once I got stressed, my mind would be a blank and I'd often get lost and arrive apologising for being late!

I'd been to the Dr's surgery 4 times before, but would not have been able to drive there without a GPS or looking it up in a street directory. I didn't have the GPS this time, but it only took me a second to look at the map and KNOW exactly where I was going and remembered the street names without having to keep checking them. I arrived calmly on time which was a wonderful experience.

However, I did get distracted later as I started browsing in the nearby shops of this unfamiliar area, decided to stay for a book launching at a quaint bookshop and chatted to the very fascinating young author who I had read about, had a relaxed lunch by myself etc and it wasn't until I returned home, did I realise I had misplaced my special folder with all my confidential health records in it! But I didn't panic as I normally would have in the past as remarkably for me, I was totally clear on exactly where I had been. So next morning, I simply rang each place I had visited and left my number until I found that I had left it at the Pharmacy where I had my prescription filled and must have put it down to sign for my purchase.

So yes, for someone that was totally against medication and dreaded having to take it, the results are better than what I expected. I get a very dry mouth and need to drink lots of water, and I don't feel as hungry and have to consciously remember to eat lunch sometimes which is a big change as I used to be ravenous and have to eat regularly. I've always been quite thin so when I went up 2 sizes on the bipolar meds, it was a shock, but have dropped a size already on the dex as my metabolism feels faster and I'm more motivated to do things and exercising more so very pleased about that and can understand why amphetamines can be abused for weight loss. Dr is monitoring weight loss and blood pressure which is has always been good and hasn't changed.

From what I've researched I think I've lucked in with getting a medication that suits first up (so far) and it seems that many have to try a few before they find what is right for them.

Must be starting to chill down there...we are just going into Spring which I'm very happy about.

Bye for now, L

Quote

Hi L,

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I am happy that you are happy.

At 72 mg of Concerta I found that can read a news magazine for 60 min or more if I wish, and my mind only wanders when I read things of absolutely.no interest. At 18 mg I had read 4 letters to the ed and wanted to stop and do something more interesting like get on the computer.

As the dosage increased, so supposedly did my pulse rate. I mention "supposedly" as I have been getting the readings from a machine at the local pharmacy, and yesterday and today when I took my pulse it was well below the machine's recent readings.)

Since I started the Concerta about a month ago I have lost 3 kg :o) I like that but the doc said to eat and not lose more (even though I can very easily afford to lose another 8 kg)..

And on the other end :o), I used to be able to set my watch by my morning trip to the washroom. I have now found that prune juice works, but finished the bottle yesterday and will definitely have to get another.

The doc advised that if my pulse rate had not increased as it had, that she would increase the dosage, as there is still room for improvement.

Aside from the reading, I really do not notice anything that I would describe as an improvement. My resident observer will have to give me input re that. I am part of a 12 week ADHD study and after their investment in time, I would not bail out now, but at the end I will have to weigh the pros/cons of the medication, in order to see if I wish to continue.

By no means do I have a severe case of ADD, but at 59 I am not going to return to university and become a physician, so if I do not have to study and really absorb things, why suffer from constipation! :o)

Cheers!

Quote

after 3 days of being on Dexedrine 15mg, I started reading at about 3 pm, and read for about 5 hours and 267 pages, I have never did that before. It was actually a fairly technical book on ADHD, the different types and affects. My wife was amazed. Heck, I was amazed, I read more that one night than in 10 years. I continue to amaze myself with what I am capable of, remembering phone numbers, names, I feel as though I have woke up from a 52 year nap. you are seeing some spelling and gramatical errors as the phone I am writing this with is using a size 6 font. anyway, not sure how you can quantify dosage increase with degree and length of focus as it is affected by other factors, sleep, emotions , thoughts ...ect. can you actually feel the intensity as you increase

Quote:

Murlev said: On Aug 10 I began to take Concerta 18 mg. On Aug. 23 it was increased to 36 mg. Tomorrow I will begin to take 54 mg.

I have been reading every day in order to see for how long I can actually concentrate. There is a lot to be desired.

What positive changes did you first notice when your medication began to work?

Quote

I devoured 4-5 books on ADHD before I started medication. Then I started to read news magazines. At first it was torturous and then as meds increased I was able to read longer.

Now that I am off meds I can not read anything longer than a page. :o(

Quote

it seems medication gives me a little boost to actually begin a project and get it completed...maybe not right away... as I still tend to get distracted and travel additional avenues of thought but it definitely helps me stay focused. I'm still a little concerned about the effects medication may have on me physically. It definitely does have its effect on my anxiety levels and I have trouble sleeping. I have kept my medication level pretty low in comparison to what I've read that others are taking (I take 20 mg dex a day in divided dosages), because for me it produces the anxiety so I'm probably not getting the full effect I could be getting from medication but it still helps.

Quote

Quote

I couldn't believe how much better i could finish things. My thoughts are calm and i can think with only a few things running around in my head instead of at least a dozen. I'm letting people finish what they are saying before i talk. Well most of the time instead of never. I only start about 5 things at once now instead of 20. And i even manage to complete a couple of them now. I'm sure you all can tell by the way i keep jumping back and forth my dose isn't just where it needs to be but i'm on the right path and it feels great!!!

Quote