Concerta Immune/tolerance Build-up

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My son, who is 8, started 18mg Concerta a couple of weeks ago for ADHD. The first couple of days it was wonderful. He was generally happier, his concentration was excellent. He did talk a mile a minute and had trouble falling asleep at night. Both my husband and I were amazed at how well it worked. But the effect has been steadily becoming less and less by the day. It's been 2 weeks now and he's very much like how he was (impulsive, no concentration, doesn't listen etc) even while on medication. Has anyone else experienced this and if we up the dosage now, how many more times and how often would we have to up it???

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1

My step son has worked his way up to 90mg of Concerta a day. He is 10. 18mg is a very low dose, you may want to speak to your doctor about it.

Oh and if you are wondering how 90mg? 1 36mg and 1 54mg in the morning. After trying everything so far this has been the best! He is still a little boy that does boy things, just not so impulsive and his grades are wonderful now.....my problem is when he gets used to the 90mg is he going to have to go higher? That worries me!

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Dawn, thank you so much for your response. We have an appointment to see the doctor today. I know she will want to up the dosage. I am just concerned about how quickly he would need to go to a higher dosage again. While medication helps his immediate behavior, all the side effects and a little child, and probably for the rest of his life, being on such high dosage of medication cannot possibly be good for him in other areas. And, what then, when he gets to the highest possible dosage??? May I ask what dosage your son started on and how long it took to get to the dosage he is on now?

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3

He has been on them all. He was started on 20mg Adderall xr worked his way to 25mg of it. He seemed to be doing fine or so I thought. The doctor yanked him off it and put him on Vyvanse 50mg. He just wasn't right, but the doctor insisted this was the best and newest treatment and upped his dosage to 70mg. He got more aggressive and more impulsive. The doctor said give it time. Well, being a nurse, I took him in and I said now you listen here this child has went through two ADHD medications and they are adult doses. It is not helping him he is failing school and is being very mean. I said I can't take it anymore, so something needs to be done to help this child and now! He says has he been on concerta? I said no....he knew that! Well, he started him on 54mg and gave me a script for 18mg to go with it, well he ended up taking both and that child has completely changed. All his grades are A's and B's and his behavior is 90% better. He actually interacts with other kids now where he would just sit with his dad and I at softball games for our daughter. His next visit I thanked the doctor because all this has been going on for a year. Trying different meds to see what would work and so far this one is it. He started him on 90mg a couple weeks ago.
I now seeing what you are saying am going to talk to the doctor about my son getting older and if he will have to go up. That number seems to high to me anyway, but I do know of some children that take xr meds twice a day because they are definitely ADHD. This or any of the meds never made him hyper until late in the evening when it starts wearing off and he talks about 90 miles per hour and my head is spinning. I am glad you mentioned that, because I know some people learn to deal with it and come off the meds as adults.
Some have no choice but to stay on them to function.
Thanks

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4

I wonder why your doctor started him on 90mg! Julian (my son)'s doctor said that they always start with the minimum dosage, which is 18, well, at least in Connecticut. Are you worried about abuse? Maybe I'm reading too much or worrying too much, but I've read that it has been known to happen, although not as often by the person it's prescriped for. They said that it constricts blood vessels, increase blood pressure and heart rate, and the release in dopamine is associated with a sense of euphoria - kind'a like street meth! The idea of an 8-yr old being dependent on meds doesn't sit so well with me...

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5

My mom was giving my nephew 12mg of Concerta for 2 months. She went to her regular doctor for a routine blood and urine tests. They found Meth amphetimine in her urine. She held the pills in her hands every day and it just finally soaked in her system.

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6

Wow, there is no Meth Amphetimine in Concerta. And it sure as hell wouldnt soak into her blood stream from holding the pills you idiot. Why don't you see if shes taking Meth.

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7

You actually can have any type of medicine enter your body by just holding the medicine---just for you info. I'm a nurse and that is the 1st thing they teach you in school, if you have ever been in a hospital that is why nurse where gloves when handling medicine or pop it into a cup without holding it.

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8

Please be very careful with Concerta!! My 7 year-old was on 54 mg. It built up and he became aggressive, violent, and suicidal. 7!! We took him off, and he experienced something worse: about 10% of people going off of Concerta experience psychoses. We had to take him out of school for 3 weeks. This is a loving and smart child who has been treated with too much medicine. Stimulants have given him Tourettes. Once a child develops this, it's dangerous to go back on stimulants because vocal Tourette's could develop next. Do lots of research and aggressively advocate for your child. We have a very long road ahead.

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9

Referring to the post above, 90 mg of Concerta a day is too much for a child. I take 36 mg of Concerta a day and I'm a 30 yr old male weighing 160 lbs. Sometimes even 36 mg increases my heartrate by 30 beats per minute. Imagine what 90 mg a day could do to a child.

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10

Both my daughter and I take Concerta. She has been taking it for about 2.5 years. Now at 11 years old she takes between 108mg and 144mg per day. She takes 1 or 2 in the morning and then 2 more (all 36mg) in the late morning. During school, we found it worked better to break up the dosage to get her right up till about 8-9 pm so she could get her homework done. As for me, I take 72mg per day. I am noticing, that I seem to be building a tolerance it is not as effective as it was for about the first 2 months. My doctor will not increase my dosage from here. As a note to the previous post from Person, the age, weight, size of a person is not the controlling factor as to how a person consumes Concerta. Based on your theory, my daughter should be a walking zombie. She is 5'4 and 92lbs. She is active in softball and swimming.

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11

Amy, how are you and your daughter's teeth? - it may seem like a strange question, but my son has gotten quite a few cavities since he's been on Concerta. I am suspecting that it's related since my daughter has perfect teeth (she is not on medication) and the two of them have practically the same diet and habbits. Obviously you are saying the weight is not an issue, are there any side effects you have noticed? And how do you feel about your daughter being on such a high dosage. My son is almost 10 and on 36mg a day now.

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12

Tanya, in response to the cavity question...this is fairly common with a number of meds...dehydration = less salivation = less natural protection = more cavities.

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13

Sorry, just saw the question to me. Our teeth are fine. My daugther has not had any cavities since being on Concerta. I have also not had any problems in the few months I have been taking it. I would have to say the only thing I could say would be headaches. I am not convinced it is a side effect of the Concerta yet. I suffer from migraine and have to be careful with not getting dehydrated. That is a bigger trigger for me as is stress in my job etc. For my daughter, I am getting her eyes checked and also keep a close check on how much water she drinks too. That is always my first line of defense along with a snack. Overall no real problems and can't imagine life without it now.

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14

All of your children are addicted to something that can be remedied otherwise. Before wondering how to stop how, wonder how it is caused.

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15

Hi, I am really up in the air about starting my ten year old on concerta. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers syndorme. He is the high functioning type (had this diagonses three times) This last doctor diagnosed him with the comdined ADHD. I already have him on Clonodine for sleep(he will not sleep without this med. I had a struggle inside myself as to wheather I should put him on THAT one. It has been a god sent! He has lots of trouble at school so this is now a Concerta concern. I read blog/thread and I am now deaply worried and split. I do not want to put my son on something else if I do not have to. I am really scared here. He depends on me and trust me to a fault. I don't want to say "here take this because it might help son" I don't know what to do and need more info!!!! Oh, and I would have to take him off the Clonodine-don't want an interaction- He NEVER slept before that pill and that took me 8 years to consider because I finally was so tired of being tired from him! :P whew

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16

My son has been on 18 mg for almost two years he is 11. I started uping the dose to 27mg on school days only, on weekends he only takes the 18mg. I try to teach him how to control his own actions so he can servive in this world. As for his teeth no cavities at all. I am afraid to add a high dose. I am so scared for the kids who are taking 90mg and up breaks my heart. I took 27mg just to try it. I can't believe how strong it is. Prayer and a healthy diet is the best thing for all of us.

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17

I am in the same boat as you right now. My 7 year old son has been on 18 mg of Concerta for a little over a year now. He has become more distracted and tuned out to the teacher for the last several weeks. I am also wondering if he has built up a tolerance to the meds. We are taking him back to Dr. next week.

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18

You might possibly consider trying a different medication such as Adderall. Seems to has less side effects with more benefits.

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19

I know this ost is old but I just couldn't believe it!!! Kathy stated her mother gives her nephew concerta and had rutine bloodwork, where meth anphentamine was found present. Kathy seems to believe this is due to holding the concerta in her hand and the medication had seeped into her bloodstream.Kathy states she is a nurse and this information was part of her schooling to become a nurse.*** I am amazed in 1)she claims to be a nurse 2)would type nonsense with expecting to not be regarded as uneducated. 3)concerta chemical compound is {{{Methylphenidate Hydrochloride is methyl α-phenyl-2-piperidineacetate hydrochloride MEANING~Methamphetamine causes the norepinephrine and dopamine transporters to reverse their direction of flow. This inversion leads to a release of these transmitters from the vesicles to the cytoplasm and from the cytoplasm to the synapse, causing increased stimulation of post-synaptic receptors. 4)Although there are some medications that MIGHT enter through skin contact, that can only happen when handeling for extended lengthy periods of time.Also concerta has a gel coating used to extend disolving rate so effects last longer due to constant flow.5)Kathy stated "methamphtamine was found in mothers blood stream" I would hope the lab used would certainly know the difference between methamphtamine and METHYLPHENIDATE!! Otherwise parents US wide would be questioned as to how thier child had cocain like substance in thier system!! I agree wholeheartedly with the gentalman who said your mother is taking drugs. Your mother is using her caretaker status as means to abuse drugs and use your nephew as the excuse. I suggest to you Kathy that you stop defending this sherad of a nurse and start looking into interventions for your mother and get that child out of her care!!! Why wouldn't that be where you looked first rather overlook undeniable evidence of drug abuse!!! Lastly ~"Methylphenidate usually is known as Ritalin and Methamphetamine usually prescribed is known as Desoxyn. Both can treat ADHD and narcolepsy. It just happens that both are very commonly also turned into street drugs, and meth is often made from psuedophedrine and common house hold cleaning chemicals where as Ritalin is usually snorted for a quick hit."~ educate yourself first before you speak.......

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20

putting your 10 year old child on a dose that is above the highest dose for adults is a horrible idea. 72 is recommended max for adults.

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44

So I was diagnosed with ADD 2 days ago and was put on 18 mg of Concerta. Yesterday I took it and did not feel anything all day. I may have felt a little less hungry but that was it. I did not feel concentrated. Do you guys recommend I try two 18 mg pills to see if that works?

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43

I know this is an old post, but I wanted to commend you for your observation about generic Concerta. We had the same problem when CVS suddenly changed to a generic brand that was worthless. I found that Walgreens offered the Watson-lab generic - it is exactly like the brand-name version. Sad to think that if we had started on the poorly manufactured generic version, we would have NEVER know that Concerta was the proper medication for us. We have now been successfully on Concerta for 4 years, have slowly increased the dosage along the way, and have now most likely developed a resistance to it. So sad. It was perfect for my son. He is now 12 and we are trying other medications with no success - and lots of unwanted side effects. Now that a couple years have passed since your post, did you find that to be true, that your child developed a resistance? If so, how did your doctor handle the resistance?

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42

Actually if you wanna know methamphetamine is in concert. I take 36mg of concrete every day. When I went to take a drug panel at applebees (an hour after I took my concert) my results came back positive for methamphetamine. So maybe you should do some research on the drug its self. Plus on the medicine bottle it says in capital letters...METHYLPHENIDATE ER. And no i do not do drugs incase you were wondering.

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41

My son who is 11 at 86lbs was put on 117 mg which we were recently told by his teachers that it seems to be slowing down his executive processing and he is becoming oppositional. The doctor a neuro lowered him to 108mg and his processing is getting worse. I think she od'd him and she won't call me back!

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40

ek wil net hoor die skool het my kind van 10 jaar dr toe gevat omdat hy in die skool sukkel met konsentrasie en afwykings en toe sit die dr hom op 36mg concerta en hy het een pil gedrink en kon die hele nag nie slaap nie en sien snaakse mannetjies en goed ek wil net weet moet hy nou al op 36 mg begin hy was nog nooit op medekasie ni

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39

I have be tested, and I have severe ADD, I have 16, weighing 160lbs, actively play lacrosse varsity and football varsity, In 6th grade, so I was, 12 yo, my mom wanted me to be put on Ritalin, but I didn't take them. All throughout elementary and middle school i had disciplinary referrals by the time I transferred to high-school I had 4 pages of referrals with around 15 referrals per page. The work I had no problem focusing on that because I knew that my grades got me through it. But the teacher she would explain the same thing over and over again for the people that couldn't comprehend it as fast. That's when I got bored and acted up. My grades were straight A's, exceeded every class exit exams. I have 130 IQ. But as soon as I got into high school my grades went from A's to being borderline. Not because, I didn't know it. Because, i didn't care about being the high potential I could be. I am in all honor classes and the school won't take me out of them because of my tests scores. I apologize for that background story, but, I'm just trying to say just because your kid can't focus doesn't mean your kid has ADD, I'm not denying that some people are chemically imbalanced. But, the amount of people that are diagnosed with disorders are insane. I personally think most people uses disorders as a excuse, because the solution is you give your kid medications, and then they are normal. Which is the fastest and easiest way to temporally fix the problem. Why not try to find the root of the problem? But, just because you or your kid has been diagnosed with a disorder doesn't mean you have to take medication. I survived all of elementary school and middle school with straight A's, acted up a lot but that was because I was bored, the class moved to slow. I was diagnosed with severe ADD. But, people choose to act a certain way. If you let you kid get out of trouble because he has ADD, it just allows him to oh, I can act like this and I won't get in trouble. You can become dependent on concerta, you can test wrongfully positive for meth, example with, taking morphine --positive for->oxy condone, I have researched what effects conserta has and he said being an ex- coke and speed addict, conserta feels the exact same way, some people describe the feeling being incredibly euphoric. I wanted to see if conserta would help me focus in school, so I took a name brand alza, 54 around 21 hours ago, 9am, Total effects I felt, I had dehydration, excessive sweating, horrible stomach pains, clumsiness, extreme focused, excessive talking, faster heartbeat kinda like doing push-ups, jaw clenching off and on for an hour. physically can't go to sleep, it's 5am as of right now. During the school, I did all of my work, which is not normal but I wouldn't do conserta again, because i didn't feel present in my body, maybe like a observer, but, my whole point is, just make sure you know everything you can before you give it to your kid, it is very tempting, especially after the magrine, you don't want to deal with people, become very short tempered also. Just want to be alone. I did feel physically exhausted multi times today. And then, since alza is a extended release it would make you go up again. If you take offense to anything I just said, don't be offended, it was meant as general, not certain people.

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38

Hi, My son (who just turned 11) is on 54 mg of concerta. I have a feeling it's losing its effectiveness as he's been on it for a long time now. can I ask how much your son weighs/

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37

Well I take 18mg n a 54mg daily. I work in the legal field and my job is stressful and high demand. I think some days it works and others it does not! However I went on vacation and forgot to bring my concerta. My family member is on adderall the pill is peach. I was there four days n I tell u what that worked a heck of a lot better than my concerta. But I don't no what to do. Any advise on either or possibly a different kind? I am 35 year old women. I don't have adhd. I have add.

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36

Hi. I have a 11 yr old severe ADHD who has been on concerta 54mg for over 2 years. I have tried vyvanse, Ritalin in different strengths. So far concerta has helped a lot. I use the generic brand manufactured from Watson. Has alzo and 54 mg on it, and is cylinder shaped. I found out the hard way not all generic drugs work the same. My pharmacy changed manufacturers and I could tell a big difference in her behaviour. So please make shure you watch closely if your children's pills look different. I was also severe ADHD when I was growing up. I am 31 now and I and not on medication. Yes, I am occasionally forgetful and hyperactive, I've grown out of most of it at puberty. So just hang in there parents! A lot of times when kids hit puberty there symptoms are less, therefore less meds! When I was growing up all they had was Ritalin. It would make me jittery and my pulse fast. Thank goodness they have done more research on ADHD! I am thankful for concerta! anyone who doesn't believe in ADHD as a real illness, should spend one day w my daughter off of her concerta, and one day with! They will understand!


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35

My son is 8 n started out on 18 mg of concerta as well. It seems ur son is doing exactly as my son did. After the first month I had my sons dose raised to 27mg and its bn a year now n he's still on same dose n it has done wonders. Just let your dr know how he is n they will raise it. I am glad to hear that it is helping your son. Also my son has had no side effects afyer his 3 month mark except he has began eating better.

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