Concerta: Pro's & Con's?

[misty]

Good point Mary! I only give it to Shannon as needed but in the beginning she took it almost every night. If this is the case, you do need to take a break from it every so often so that the body does not become dependant on it & stop making its own melatonin.

[ctmomof2]

Yeah-we figured we'd only use it on the nights where we can clearly tell she's still stimulated close to bedtime. He said for the beginning and until her body gets used to the meds, we can give it to her everynight if needed. She had NO issues last night!!! Her little body needs to catch up on all the sleep she's missed this week.

[mary2]

Just curious... How has her appetite been since she started Concerta??

[ctmomof2]

Mar 28, 2008 20:55:33 GMT -5 lcdc1 said:

OH sorry, I meant how many mgs of concerta did they start her with?

Sorry, didn't see your reply. They started her on 18mg and it seemed to work all day until about Sunday. I called her ped and he wants to up her dosage to 36mg and see how she does-he said that we can always go down to the 27mg if it seems like too much. Her impulsivity is doing well, the hyperness and defiance/not listening is what seems to be back to pre-med "status", as I called it earlier.

Mar 29, 2008 6:39:33 GMT -5 mary2 said:

Just curious... How has her appetite been since she started Concerta??

Her appetite has been fine (knock-on-wood) so far-still getting up from the table 3-5x's and taking too long to eat at times but she hasn't seemed to lose any interest in eating.

[ctmomof2]

Well we gave her the 36mg this morning and it's making her just as compulsive as the Vyvanse was last week. I'm going to try and call the doc and see about the 27mg. All this changing dosages is driving me crazy!!! I know it's to be expected but

[lcdc1]

I am not a doctor and I know kids and adults are different, but for a time that I was titrating up on concerta I had different effects. One dose was lower, I wanted to take a nap on it, the last dose I adjusted to put me so in focus compared to not medicated that it was a little freaky at first because I actually noticed things that otherwise would not catch my attention. Luckily it was just a short time, like seeing things clearly sort of, now it is not a factor and I am glad I stuck to the dose.

Yeah I thought it was strange to skip the next dose and jump up, but with this type of med, you have the options of messing with the dose easier than some. Good luck!

[mahfl]

Hello! I just joined this forum not too long ago when I came across it while in search for alternative remedies for the treatment of ADHD. I have read some of your posts as well as others and you seem to have a lot of experience in the topic. Therefore, I would like to know if you could guide me toward the right direction. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed! I have also read some information on PS (PhosphatidylSerine) and did not know if you had any information on it.

I have two children, my son is 13 and my daughter is 11. They were both independently and at different ages diagnosed with ADD - the inattentive type with no hyperactivity. My son was diagnosed as Gifted/LD (learning disabled) as well as with dyscalculia (dyslexia with numbers) toward the end of 2nd grade. Although he's extremely smart, he has a VERY difficult time concentrating, focusing and staying on task.

He began taking Concerta right before he began 3rd grade. Since we live in Florida, 3rd grade is an "FCAT retention year", where if you don't pass this test, you are retained regardless of your grades to-date. Therefore, due to this, we decided to put him on medication (Concerta). At first, there were no other side-effects other than the initial weight loss and lack of appetite, which was easily controlled by giving them dinner at a later time when they were hungry. I was able to keep him on 18 Mg's for three years and then on 27 Mg's dosage for two years, always stopping on weekends, holidays, summers, etc. But this year toward the end of the 2nd nine weeks, HE (my son) began to express his inability to concentrate and focus in school. Within a week I was also receiving emails from the teachers expressing their concern. After speaking to his neurologist and pediatric endocrinologist, he was increased to 54 Mg's just to be able to successfully complete the 7th grade. This is where I think I can provide some of you with at last with some information regarding the side effects that Concerta has had in my children.

After the first year on Concerta I began to notice that he was not changing pant sizes (length) when usually every winter, I would need to buy new uniform pants since the others would be too short. I began to address it with his pediatrician, and he had dropped from the 95th percentile that he had been on, but since he was still above the 50th percentile, it was dismissed as "normal". After the third year of height loss, I finally switched pediatrician and found one that listened and agreed with me. Fast-forward another year, and he is now on the 11th percentile! He is 4'10" tall and weighs 86 lbs. Two years ago I began the long and frustrating process to meet with a pediatric endocrinologist. It took me 9 months to get an a "first-time" appointment, and then there's been a lot of wait time, since we've had to do multiple bone age tests at different times. During our first visit, the pediatric endocrinologist agreed that ALL ADD/ADHD medications slow down the growth rate. Genetic testing was also done to determine if it was in the genes (although dad is 6'4" and I am 5'4") but this was not the case. Next week have yet another appointment to see who much he's grown, and then this will determine if he undergoes hormone-stimulation testing to see if he can begin HGH therapy/injections. Although all the literature states that it only "slows down" the growth rate and that they will eventually achieve their "targeted" height once they come off the medication, this could not be further from the truth! The endocrinologist has also told us that if he continues to be on the growth pattern that he is now, not only will he NOT reach his "intended" height, but there is also a window in which these HGH treatments can be done before it is too late!

As I mentioned earlier, the only side effects that he was showing were the initial weight loss and lack of appetite, but this was not the case with my daughter. She also began taking Concerta at the beginning of 3rd grade. At first, once again, the initial weight loss and lack of appetite. She had no "growth issues, but then toward the end of 4th grade she began having tics, the neurologist lowered her dosage from 27 Mg's back to the initial dosage of 18 Mg's. A few months later, now in 5th grade, she began having syncopal episodes (fainting) and beginning of seizure activity. Needless to say, she was immediately taken off the medication and can no longer take any type of ADD/ADHD medication, not the stimulant nor non-stimulant type. She completed 5th grade but with great difficulty, which also affects their confidence.

Due to all these medical problems, we've decided to look into a non-pharmaceutical approach to treat ADD. Therefore, if there's anyone out there that has been "successful" in accomplishing this through a homeopathic or natural approach, I would really appreciate any information - no matter how small....