From Adderall to Concerta

[Fortified]

Hello. First time here.
I have a question for anyone and everyone. I am a 23 year old college student. My junior year of high school (1996)I was prescribed Ritalin for ADD and took it for about a year. I responded very well to the medication when it peaked but I couldn't handle the ups and downs. So my senior year my doctor switched me to Adderall. I thought it worked pretty well and continued to use it on into my freshman year and sophomore year in college. However, I did not recognize the side affects in myself of depression, headache, anxiety, fatigue as being related to the Adderall. Anyway to make a long story short. Took two years off from college and quit the meds...slipped into major depression/weight gain. I returned to college a year ago struggling to maintain focus and my doc suggested I try Adderall again. (I never related the depression, anxiety and headache or fatigue to Adderall) Well I've been on it for 2 weeks now and OH MY GAAAH I feel like crap! I am just dragging myself all over campus. So this morning he suggested I try Concerta 36mg ER tablets. So I went and got my perscription filled and took my first pill this morning. I feel nausea and a bit tired but I think that is the Adderall withdraw. Also have a killer headache. I have had Concerta in my system for just about 4 hours now, and realize I won't feel the full effects right away due to the switch, but was wondering if anyone has ever had that effect with Adderall and if they've switched to Concerta or any other similar methylphenidate med. I obviously tend to respond better to the methylphenidate medicines. Sorry so long..but just looking for anyone with a smimilar experience. Thanks!

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[Jennita]

This is a common tale. I have heard it alot, whether it be meds for ADD, depression, OCD, social anxiety or generalized anxiety disorder. These type of meds that target the brain are not natural and unwanted in the brain, thus the time comes when they lose effectiveness or cause many mental or physical symtoms and ill mental/physical health.

You can continue to ride the drug merry-go-round or simply get off it. These problems, even if solved by a new drug, will eventually surface again.

If you do decide to discontinue your present course, be warned you should never cold-turkey your prescriptions but ever so slowly ease off, like around 10% cut every two weeks as a guide. You may have withdrawals. Also, long after chemicals are gone, there may be some craving(or simply withdrawal type symptoms) for quite awhile after, since sometimes it takes a very long time for the brain to get used to not having the drug.

If you decide to continue taking these drugs, I hope things will get better for you, but in the long run it's probably not going to and you will have to put up with side effects and tolerance development to drugs that used to work well.

[oboetooter]

Fortified ...
Were you on Adderall XR when you had the headaches, etc.? My nephew is lucky he's young - an older body would not have stood the abuse he made of the regular stuff in college. He wasn't using it for a "high" - he'd just pop one before a class, then with a test coming up a couple of hours later, he'd pop another ... By the end of the week he wasn't even sleeping ... then he'd come back down.
My experience with the extended or slow-release meds has been that they are more "even" - so you might not get the headaches or such, even though the constant level of the drug in your bloodstream would be sufficient for you to manage and get some help with the ADD symptoms. Just curious.

[Fortified]

I did try the Adderall XR for a bit, but felt strange on it. My doctor had me on zoloft to try to prevent the depression that came along with the Adderall. The two DID NOT mix and I experienced some crazy and scary side effects. But today I've taken Concerta (I did take 20mg Adderall yesterday--today's my first day on Concerta) I have suffered from major nausea today...I am sure it is just the shock from the switch and withdraw from the Adderall. Since this Concerta is a "pulse" release of medication over 12 hours It shoud be more even. We'll see.

[cymomtx]

The first two weeks on Concerta there is known problems with nausea and headaches but they should go away after that.