Are concerta and ritalin the same thing
Common Questions and Answers about Are concerta and ritalin the same thing
concerta
Hi Bill!
Wow - 54 mg? Did you start off on a lower dose? That sounds awfully high... I've been on methylphenidate for about three years. (I take the brand Ritalin, but I'm pretty sure Ritalin and Concerta are about the same thing.) I started off on 5 mg, three times a day (of the non extended release) and I got a lot of benefit from it.
Whilst taking the meds, I noticed that the veins in my arms, hands, stomach and along the shaft of my penis expanded in size. I also had increases in bp to about 160/70. Since stopping the veins are still more prominent than they were before.
I have less desire to have sex.
I have an enlarged varicocele (which became larger after ritalin/concerta).
Initially (for about two months), whilst I was on Ritalin I experienced increased libido and experienced really intense erections.
Specialmoms comments are correct. I do get the feeling that since Concerta is a slightly newer drug (and longer lasting) that getting the dosage correct is a bit more trouble. Good article on this here - http://www.addadhdblog.com/concerta-getting-the-right-dose/#b6e48
Just keep in mind that all kids are different and react differently, so one person's experiences may not be the same as the next.
Please feel free to post if you have any more questions.
My son took Concerta for several years and I noticed a change in his attitude. He would become so aggresive that he would actually hit myself. The doctor was upset when I told him I was not going to allow my son to take that medication any more. Now we are having problems with his attitude towards his school work. Good luck to you.
I was then switched to 18mg Concerta ER and I still get the same side-effects but they are about 85% less severe and last alot shorter 1-2 days max, but doesnt even work for me. Maybe amphetamines are too "strong" for me?
I diagnosed with ADD and was prescribed Adderall 20mg XR when I was about 22 years old, and I didn't have a problem at all except slightly dry mouth. I'm 32 and decided to try ADD meds again bc I cant concentrate. I'm stumped by these symptoms.
ve been on concerta for about 3 years now and my dr recently perscribe me with 5mg of ritalin. I take 2 18mg of concerta a day and 1-2 mg in the evening if I need an extra boost to do my hw. Ur story sound almost identical to what happened to me this past november. I took my 18mg like I usually do in the morning. that evening I planned to go to a friends house to get some hw done. Around 5pm I took 4 5mg of my ritlin. Big mistake.
My son was on the concerta and got tics from it and when he was taken off of it, about 6 months later the tic had dissapeared completely. Check out the info on www.cbn.com and type in ADD and look for the article on curing children with ADD/ADHD. Also type in the search area L-theanine and look for the article on Feeling a little unfocused. Both are great articles and help to understand more on what other things are out their besides drugs.
Concerta is of the methylphedamine type or in the same class as Ritalin, it is just newer than Ritalin and thus formulated differently. So something you might offer up to your doctor is a medication that was one of the first used in ADHD treatment and that is Adderall, which is of the amphetamine class, which is more pure in form. This as any of the stimulants, can be addicting but may be something else to try than these medications made specifically and only for ADHD.
During this time, the Concerta dose moved up 3 times and was given a new script. Some of these scripts were turned in during the same month.The doctor added on ritalin on a separate script one month. I have turned in these prescriptions mostly to the same pharmacy, but when at Walmart I have turned them in there. When turning in my last prescription, the pharmacist stated she would not fill out the script because I have gone to Walmart and my prescription has been given to me too early.
I tried provigil, stratera, wellbutrin, lexapro, celexa, Prozac, paxil adderal, and concerta. Concerta is ritalin (methylphenidate hcl) but the delivery system is different and is supposed to be more effective but it's wicked expensive. My medication doesn't make everything all better for me. I'm not able to go out and do normal things just because I take the pills. I was never able to just do normal things. The medication does make things much easier but it doesn't work magic.
My son is 7 and has been on Concerta for over a year now. He started with 18MG which worked great. No side effects and had a wonderful experience at school. This year his dosage was increased to 27MG and now I've started to notice a tic I guess is what you call it. I was searching the web and came across other post because I was wondering if it had something to do with his medication. His tic is he wiggles his fingers, he does it and he doesn't even realize it.
The whole reason you are on it is to increase the signaling. Also, it was billed as a long term study - and it lasted one year. Many, many people have been on the medication for years and years and years will no ill effects.
The second study dealt only with rats who do not have ADHD. It is true that if you abuse stim meds you will have problems. Thats why it is so difficult to fill your perscription.
It is one of the side effects of Ritalin perhaps you should ask your Doctor for a new evaluation of the Med, if you ever decide to let him be on Natural Remedies, it has been shown in studies that food supplements have the same efficacy as Ritalin and a Muliple Vitamin-mineral with B Complex and Vit C also Fish oil, would be good, a lot of Parents are trying this now and their children and not getting the bad side effects that Ritalin and the other meds have.
As far as I know, the only two are intuniv and concerta. They use different formulations. No clue which is better. I think it probably depends on the individual. Both do take a while to take effect (compared to a stimulant). If you google them, you will be able to see lots of anecdotal posts on how it worked for that poster or their children.
Hope this helps.
Thanks guys for all the input. I actually decided to go ahead and take the concerta, and it seems to have cleared up all my problems. 30 minutes after talking all my anxiety and depersonalization went away. Also for the first time in my life i felt like i actually enjoyed doing simple things and getting every day satisfaction out of it. Its my 3rd day that i've taken concerta and i've only had 1 problem which isnt really that bad and that was headaches.
he scratches his head frequently and generally acts like a speed freak. He feels like the ruler of the earth and is blind to what we see. If the Concerta is not abused it works well for him, but he lacks the self-control to take it as prescribed. His doctor just writes the scripts. Never does blood test and ups the dose anytime my son asks. We took him to a neurologist and psycologist that was very careful(when he was younger). This doctor could care less. His work history *****.
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