Ritalin to Concerta

10-21-2003, 12:46 PM

My 7 year old grandson (55 Lb.) was first on Ritilan for about 2 years (during school only) and was getting by in school with no behavior problems but lacked appetite while on it. He’s now being tried on Concerta 18 mg.. 90% of the time he is on it he still has no appetite. Along with that he has become disruptive in class, one time banged his fist on the desk due to problems he was having with his math or whatever. I noticed while the concerta was working he had great concentration whether it was to play games, build lego or whatever but once he started to come off of it about 10 or 11 hours after taking it he becomes quite cranky and agitated and is starving and eats almost in a frenzy. He is also experiencing trouble falling asleep. Are these side effects that will pass, how long should we give it before going back to the Ritilan.???? The druggist suggested seeing the specialist and maybe he needed his dose increased. He said it is the same strength as Ritilan but slow releasing, so he is getting 18 mg compared to the 20 mg is was on with the Ritilan. Any suggestions? Tx Karon

10-21-2003, 02:10 PM

My seven year old has been on Concerta for six months and takes 36 mgs. He is doing well in school but does not eat well or sleep well. In addition he is now having "rages" when he doesn't get his way. He attributes this to lack of sleep. I am at my wits end about what to do now. I am going to talk to his doctor tomorrow and see if we need to change him to something else.

So, I guess to answer your question, when he increased the dosage from 18 to 36 he still was not eating or sleeping well and he has been taking it for six months.

Vanessa

10-21-2003, 11:01 PM

Wow. I can't imagine a 7 year old take 36mg of Concerta. At the age of 31, I took 36mg and it was too much and caused my blood pressure to go on the high side (and this was at 190lbs at the time). It helped a lot with my concentration; but there were usually two or three times a day where it "peaked" and made me feel anxious... especially if I had caffine that day. I have since stopped taking Concerta and take a combo of Adderall XR (morning) and Strattera (night) without those affects. My appetite is still reduced (as with Concerta) and my weight has dropped to 170lb since then (but at my age, I can't complain).

I was concerned that my daughter (8 yrs old) wasn't eating much while on 5mg twice per day of ritalin. She now takes a newer medication that is similar, but with less side affects, called Focalin (same dose).

10-23-2003, 08:34 PM

I replied on the Strattera thread, but I'll do it again here. My son was on 54 mg of Concerta from ages 8-10 with great results for his ADHD. He rarely, though, went to sleep before 11:30 (It was usually closer to 12:30 or later)and would not get hungry until around 9:00 pm when it wore off. However, the positive effect it had on his ability to function successfully (at home, in school, with friends, and in sports) was a benefit that outweighed the side effects. When Strattera came out, we tried that exclusively, but it didn't work for his focusing and only minimally helped his impulsivity. It did do a decent job controlling his hyperactivity, and it greatly improved his eating and especially his sleeping habits. We also surprisingly realized that while on Strattera the anxiety problems he had were virtually nonexistent. Therefore, we reintroduced Concerta (but at 36mg) along WITH the Strattera. The Strattera seems to combat the Concerta side effects and there is no noticeable stimulant "let down" when it wears off. His anxiety has been controlled and he eats and sleeps and is doing well in school and sports, and at home and with friends. For him, the combination of the two is working well at this time.

10-23-2003, 09:18 PM

The dose of concerta can vary from child to adult, person to person. This meds dosage is not based on weight.

------------------
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

11-18-2003, 07:41 PM

20 mg of ritalin is not compared to 18 mg of Concerta! I went from 10 to 15 mg. ritalin to 36 mg. of concerta. I have been told that 36 is compared to about 10 of ritalin....I would definately check that out. I do the same thing with food frenzies and loss of appetite, but i'm 19. If he takes it in the morning, let him skip lunch, but feed him an early dinner around 4:30ish.
Just a suggestion! Good luck

11-19-2003, 03:09 PM

I was wondering how you deal with the not sleeping side effect of some of these meds. I have been reading up on them (considering trying meds for my daughter) and I think the lack of sleep part w/b real tough to deal with. I know she gets crabby and crys when she is over tired ( I know I turn into a B*#*#*) so I couldn't imagine having her up till 11 or 12 at night since I am in bed before then.
Sounds like a combo of the meds has been working for some of you?

11-20-2003, 07:35 AM

szarkam, I dealt with the no sleeping by switching meds with my son. As you can see by my much earlier post on this thread he was on Concerta and getting no sleep which was making him miserable. Now that he is on Adderall we don't have that problem. In fact, now that it is getting darker outside earliler he has been going to bed on his own at 8:00 PM!

It's all a guessing game on what will work for your child and it just takes some time to try different things out.

Good luck!
Vanessa

11-20-2003, 07:58 AM

Thanks Vanessa

Ritalin to Concerta

Sign Up Today!

Join Our Newsletter

Whoops,

Thank You