Concerta for ADHD User Reviews (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2015

"Concerta helped me so much. Before Concerta, I dreaded doing school work or even regular household chores. While on it, I want to do my homework and chores. It makes me 200x more focused overall, which means more learning and better grades. I went from C's and F's to A's and some B's"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 17, 2013

"I'm 18 years old and have been on 18mg of Concerta for just under a year now. In the beginning, I loved it - was able to focus and was very productive with everything. Positives: my grades and work ethic excelled, accomplished a lot, confidence raised. But, it may have just been me, but after being on Concerta, I became very antisocial (the complete opposite of myself) and basically got lost in my head. I also suffer from depression and severe seasonal affective disorder, and my first winter taking the Concerta was a horrible experience. The important thing to remember with this medicine is that it is not what is making you 'smarter' or more accomplished, it is merely helping you to do these things without your ADHD holding you back."

• Pen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2019

"I started Concerta in August after Vyvanse gave me bad side effects. I began at 36 mg and now I take 54 mg. Being on this has helped me so much with classwork and anxiety, I no longer have anxiety spirals like before! I’m actually interested in my uni classes, and I’m getting better grades. The best part of Concerta is that it stops my obsessive anxiety. I can control my thoughts now, this is something I was never capable of in the past. It gives me a sense of mental relaxation that I’ve never had, and it’s life-changing. I feel on edge, kind of jumpy, and alert, but no uncontrollable anxiety like before. At first, I had some weird side effects, like tics, shakiness, lack of appetite, and peripheral hallucinations, but these side effects are so worth not having the terrible anxiety like I used to. Concerta helps me feel more sure of myself because I’m not spacing out on information or having anxiety attacks. I feel more confident and capable. It’s wonderful!"

• nr6...
• September 7, 2016

"So I was diagnosed with inattentive type ADHD about a month or two ago. I'm 19 and in my second year of university. I struggle to take in information in distracting settings like big lecture halls, have a tough time focusing, and my organizational skills have always been poor. So, my doctor prescribed 18 mg Concerta. I've taken it for a week so far, and I'm loving the results. I'm now always listening in lectures, always focusing on what the professor is saying. My room, car, and desk are now more organized than they have ever been, and it's stayed that way so far! Many people complain about a lack of appetite, but I haven't noticed that at all! I've noticed two minor side effects so far: headaches that start later in the day, as well as some minor irritability."

• Abb...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 5, 2014

"I was diagnosed with ADHD in 8th grade and put on 20mg of Concerta, which has since risen to 54mg extended release in the day and 10mg immediate release in the evening for when I do my homework. At first, the medicine was great - it allowed me to focus and my grades went up significantly. However, over the past year or so, I have been experiencing negative side effects such as depression, headaches, and loss of appetite. I can manage the headaches and appetite problems, but as for the depression, it is so bad that I am considering switching to another brand or changing my dose because when I am on Concerta, I become virtually emotionless, and as a result, I am struggling to maintain good relationships with my friends and family members."

• Sha...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 4, 2013

"I've taken Concerta on and off since I was 9, so 11 years now. I've taken every ADHD pill ever made, and this one is by far the best out of them all. It has helped me a lot in life. I was able to focus in school, and I always had good grades. If you miss a dose, you can definitely feel it both mentally and physically. I was able to graduate at the age of 16 and start working full-time. I'm not sure where I would be in life without this truly amazing pill. I would recommend it to anyone who would benefit from it."

• Lin...
• January 27, 2017

"I was recently prescribed this, and let me tell you, even with it being a stimulant, it has helped my anxiety. I can explain things a lot better. I can focus more - my brain isn't all over the place. I feel a lot more confident, my form on my workouts is better. I'm losing a lot of weight, though. At 27 years of age, I was recently diagnosed with Asperger's because of social situations. I am now 28 as I type this. When I was a kid, I was first diagnosed as learning disabled. Throughout my teens and early adulthood, I was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. But I do not care, because my symptoms improved dramatically. I have a really good doctor and therapist, so that's helping as well."

• Tom...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 24, 2020

"I've been on this medication for about 14 years now. And I love it but hate it. It's considered an abusable drug now, so getting and filling this prescription is absolutely insane. I have to take a pee test to get the script four times a year, then a pre-approval from the doctor, then I can buy it for $30 instead of $300. I wish I was joking. As far as the drug itself, it's great! High focus, low appetite, it's great. The only problem is it makes my hand spasm, and sometimes it can mess with your head. But all meds have cons."

• Los...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2017

"I have been taking Strattera 60 mg for 6 months and am a male that weighs 185 lbs and is 6 ft 2 in. The ATX (Strattera) was not enough to help my severe unmotivation. I recently added Concerta (Alza 18 mg generic) to my medications, and it has helped dramatically. Like a pair of eyeglasses, I can now 'see' my life in a better light. It will not get your work done for you, nor will it solve all of your issues that you may have, but it will make life a lot easier to live. Instead of always worrying and being behind, I can get what is really important done and get to what is important another day. My mood has not been bad, my driving is less road rageish. I'm a lot less stressed out and anxious. I'm blessed to get help at age 22. I am doing well."

• Sup...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 1, 2013

"When I first took Concerta, I was more able to concentrate on hard tasks, such as writing and doing math calculations. When I stopped taking this medication, I was unable to pay attention in class and kept misplacing flash drives and pencils. Plus, I've got a bunch of D's and F's on essay assignments because I've been leaving ADD untreated for six months. Concerta helped me concentrate, but it didn't make me too jittery or unfocused, and it feels just right. When I came back to the medication after six months of not taking it, I've had the best school days I've ever had in my life. This medication works, no nonsense, just don't drink too much coffee or energy drinks if you don't want a fast or irregular heartbeat."

• Wha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 27, 2014

"My 13-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter both have been diagnosed with ADHD. I, nor my husband, could wrap our minds around our kids taking medicine, but were forced to give it a try. My son started taking Concerta when he was in 4th grade, and my daughter started taking Vyvanse in the 3rd grade. The results were amazing! Their handwriting went from sloppy to super neat, reading skills increased, grades were mostly A's... and many more great results! The bad part about the pills is that they have so many side effects that were making them seem like totally different people! They were skinny, depressed, had insomnia, headaches, twitching, and were angry. We withdrew both from public school and started homeschool. Now learning at our own pace!"

• Ano...
• November 12, 2013

"I would recommend this medication ONLY if you are 100% positive you need medication, by that I mean teachers and family recognizing the issue. My mom finally decided to give me Concerta during early middle school after my teachers advised it for a few years. I recommend beginning with 9 mg and slowly going up if needed. This medication is horrible in my life in the sense that I feel like I need it to do good in school, especially now I'm in college. But it causes me to be incredibly depressed. I continue to take it because grades are first, but for kids I recommend keeping a very close eye on them and follow up on depression issues because as a kid in middle school, it was horrible."

• Exp...
• October 1, 2013

"My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD in the 2nd grade, and her doctor and I discussed different medications and settled on Concerta. Grades were never a problem, but behavior and socialization were. She hated the medication and would spit it out or hide it. It gave her headaches, loss of appetite, and sleep loss. Eventually, she began taking it regularly and began to do well in school. The behavior problems ceased, as well as socialization. She took this medication for about 2 years, and then I decided to pull her off. Her teacher didn't even notice and thought she was still taking the medication because she was so well-adjusted and presented no serious issues. She never took meds again and learned to cope. She has ADHD but manages it other ways."

• Nob...
• June 14, 2019

"Higher grades, acknowledgments from teachers, and the ability to focus are the upsides. Wanna hear the downsides? I've lost all my friends, I honestly don't know what happened, I must have changed. I lost a dramatic amount of weight (from 220 lbs to 145 lbs in half a year) to the point where, when I returned to classes after break, nobody could believe how skinny I was. A decline in self-confidence. A scarily reduced sex drive. Sweat pours from me all day, even though I'm cold. A slowly declined desire to socialize, I don't even want to leave my room after school anymore. It's been over a year. I hate who I've become, and at the same time, I have no desire to be my old self again. I've been on Concerta consistently for over a year now. I've tried alternative meds to no avail, and at this point, I'm nearly an adult, thus I'm running out of time to fix myself. If you are a new patient and are experiencing these problems like I am, don't suppress them to keep the benefits, else, you will have this mess to fix like me."

• ADD...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 27, 2014

"I am on 27 mg Concerta. Never felt better. I have better grades because of better concentration. No anxiety or suicidal thoughts. I guess I have too much to keep me alive, that I have never had those thoughts. The only side effect seems to be slight insomnia, but I would prefer better grades over sleep."

• kri...
• August 21, 2018

"A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD and was first given Vyvanse. It caused me to have awful anxiety and chest pains. This turned me off to stimulants for a while. Finally, I started seeing a new doctor, and he prescribed me Concerta XL for my long days at work, and it has definitely changed my life. At first, it was for my ADHD, but it also helps with my depression. It makes me feel awake but not jittery and anxious. I feel more social and talkative (I'm very shy, and people always make comments on how I don't talk that much). I don't have as many bad days like I was having before. I still get them, but they seem to be more mild and less often. There is a slight come-down period when it is wearing off, and you can get a little bummed during this time. It's not as bad with the long-acting Concerta like it is with regular methylphenidate. I highly recommend trying these medicines."

• ADD...
• November 4, 2008

"This is it. You might have to up or decrease your mg according to how you feel at first. I take 3, 18mg tabs in the morning. It is the Concerta ER, lasts from 8-12 hrs. No side effects at all for me. I am calmer, more focused, and still get a lot done during the day. I easily go to sleep now. Recommended for ADHD though, not for ADD symptoms. I am energized during the day and do not 'feel' like I am 'coming off something'. I highly recommend this."

• Sun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 9, 2020

"It took a while to get used to, but I weigh about 160 lb and take 54 mg daily now. Overall, it just makes it so much easier to be focused and organized, with the meds, I can actually keep routines. The biggest side effect for me is the appetite loss, I lost 30 lb within the first 6 months. Thankfully, that has lessened a lot, and I’ve gained some of the weight back, but definitely something to consider if you have concerns about being underweight or disordered eating. As well, if you try to have caffeine, nicotine, sativa, or any stimulants, you’re going to feel like absolute garbage, so follow the doctor's order and avoid them. The only other warning you might not find online is that the brand name Concerta is expensive and not always covered (in BC, Canada). It wasn’t covered by my university health plan, but it’s covered by my work plan with Blue Cross. For 90 tablets of 54 mg Concerta (brand name, my doctor told me not to take the generic), it costs $400."

• yes...
• March 24, 2008

"It's a lot more mild than Ritalin and more effective than Focalin. The only problem I have with it would be weight loss (I'm 5'2' and only 100 lbs) and sometimes I can't react as quickly as I would without the medication. Weird, but an awesome drug for any ADHD or ADD college student. It instantly gets rid of fidgeting and you'll be able to listen and focus on the most boring lecture imaginable (and learn from it!)"

• Tyj...
• January 27, 2014

"It makes me depressed. Yes, it helps me focus, and it helps me with my school work, but when I am on Concerta, I am 100% emotionless and it is the worst feeling I have ever experienced. Constant depression until it wears off later in the night time."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 14, 2022

"Concerta has allowed me to turn my life around. I had undiagnosed inattentive ADHD, and for 12 years, I was drinking 8-12 beers a day, 'self-medicating.' Since starting Concerta, I've had no desire to drink in 44 days thus far. I've been able to start exercising, eating healthy, and getting myself back on track. Life-changing for me."

• djm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2014

"I've been on over half of the ADHD medications on the list, and all of them either made it worse or added to the tic the first medication gave me. I started taking Concerta about two years ago, and I remember improving in school greatly. It works fast and helps a lot."

• Mis...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 29, 2016

"I began taking Concerta at the age of 13 to treat my ADHD. I'm now 22, still taking 27 MG of Concerta daily. Overall, it has been helpful with managing my ADHD symptoms, I'm much less distracted and able to stick to one task at a time. It was especially helpful when I was in school because it was just so impossible for me to stay focused in class. As an adult, it makes work so much easier for me because my job requires things to be done with a lot of precision. Side effects I've experienced have been headaches (occasionally migraines), inconsistent appetite, restlessness at night, some difficulty sleeping, and constant thirst. Despite the side effects, I feel that my overall quality of life has improved with taking Concerta to manage my ADHD."

• rji...
• January 12, 2009

"I am 26 years old and have been using Concerta for approximately 9 months. I have been extremely impressed with my new ability to focus and attention to detail. I have always been a daydreamer, and that paid off in creativity. However, daydreaming during a meeting with the president of the company you work for doesn't pay off. My wife, out of angst, suggested that I might have ADHD and should consider getting tested. After a 5-hour psychological evaluation, it was decidedly so. Since I have started Concerta, I have been promoted to the top position in my office. It controls my anxiety and keeps me calm and focused. The only side effects that I have noticed are weight loss (lost 30 lbs) due to loss of appetite and a lack of emotion."

• Mac...
• April 1, 2013

"I'm a 22-year-old male, and I've been on Concerta for a week now. Like another person said below, so this is what it feels like to be normal. It is such a relief to be able to access my brain when I want it. I am able to put sentences together without struggling to get them out. I'm able to motivate myself easily. It almost feels like time moves slower, I don't feel rushed anymore. People are able to talk to me without me interrupting to blurt out what I was thinking. I can sit down and start something and continue to do it until it's done. I don't have the urge to jump up and do something else. But I also feel really draggy when I get home, and the meds start to wear off, it's actually very frustrating."