Concerta and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Meg...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 6, 2019

For ADHD "At the beginning, I experienced weakness and headache, as well as occasional anxiety. But the more I continued to take the pills, the more the side effects disappeared. I have been on Concerta for 8 years, and it helped me a lot with my ADHD. Recently, my sister and I noticed I developed tics, but I am able to control it."

• Lau...
• August 21, 2015

For ADHD "I first started with 27 mg of Concerta. When it was giving me no effect, my doctor increased it to 54 mg. At first, I loved it. So great... motivation, energy, concentration, etc. But then I realized how bad my anxiety was getting and that my Prozac was no longer controlling my anxiety and depression. Concerta caused me to have very severe migraines, which caused nausea and dizziness. I would have a migraine in the morning, and the only thing that would take it away was the Concerta, and as soon as it wore off around 5-6 pm, there came the migraine again! I obviously couldn't take the Concerta or I'd be up all night. I am now switched to Vyvanse but haven't tried it yet. If Concerta did not cause migraines and anxiety, then I would really recommend it."

• Lov...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 3, 2019

For ADHD "This drug is atrocious, especially if you also suffer from bipolar disorder with psychotic features. I have increased anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia, and mood swings from this drug. In the meantime, it has done some things for my severe attention deficit disorder symptoms. Nevertheless, the side effects are horrible. I am cold, constipated, yet sweaty. I am in pain. I have extreme bloating whenever I am late by a few hours for my dose. The insomnia is unfathomably severe. I have undergone rapid weight loss on this drug. I have no appetite and must force-feed myself despite also being on antipsychotics. Do not even use methylphenidate stimulants if you have psychosis."

• ora...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2012

For ADHD "I've tried several of the common ADD medications, and Concerta works the best for me. I was on it for two years a few years ago. When I am on this, I produce better work in school and in my job. When I am not on it, my mind has significant difficulty compartmentalizing information, storing it, and accessing it when I need it. Often, I wouldn't even hear what was being said. This creates major anxiety when I can't think clear enough to get more challenging tasks done. What Concerta also does is make me hyper-focus on small things like constructing a simple email to send to one person - it'll take me 15 minutes to write the 30-second email because I'm overly focused on my every word."

• Sly...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2016

For ADHD "I'm 16. I was prescribed 36 mg Concerta. I took it at 8:30 pm (was supposed to take it in the morning). It worked, it helped me focus, but 3 hours into it, I started feeling anxiety, and later I had a crash. Couldn't sleep, stayed up the whole entire night. I also had many other side effects like lack of appetite and heavy breathing. Might be too large of a dose, but overall, without the crazy side effects, it helped me get stuff done and concentrate."

• Viv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 6, 2018

For ADHD "It did help me to calm my brain, but it gave me a very fast heart rate, anxiety, and caused me to lose weight. My normal weight is about 140, and at my lowest on Concerta, I weighed 123. It did help with the ADD, but didn't work completely, so I stopped taking it because the side effects outweighed the help."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 13, 2019

For ADHD "Concerta has worked for me. Started when I was young, and then I had some bad side effects, but that was because the dosage was too high. But even with those side effects of extreme anxiety, hard to fall asleep, feeling unsafe and insecure, still, Concerta has helped me so, so much, and my teachers were really understanding as well. This was a vital part of my education during the early years in school. I can safely say that I have learned/gained experience from this medicine as well, it really helped me out. The positives outweigh the negatives in my experience, but we are all different, and you should really speak with the doctors and try to figure out which medicine is best in your case. And the cost of my medicine varies from month to month, it works like a circle. At the start, it is expensive, and then it gets less expensive. Then the circle restarts, and it goes from expensive to less expensive once again. Hope it works out well for you. And you can find the help you need."

• tru...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2021

For ADHD "18F. Mild side effects at the start (heart palpitations, nausea, reduced appetite), but slowly subsided. 18 mg felt like nothing, 27 mg boosted my physical alertness but did nothing for executive dysfunction, and 36 mg had really unpleasant side effects (anxiety, dizziness, jitters). Going to try an amphetamine-class drug next (probably Vyvanse), hopefully it'll be more effective."

• Isa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2016

For ADHD "My daughter's pediatrician told me to give her 1 pill before 9:00 a.m. daily. I gave her the pill at 8:30 a.m., and all day she was amazing. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, at 10:30 p.m., she said she just couldn't fall asleep, her hands and feet wouldn't stop moving, her mouth was moving extremely weird, and she said she was jittery. My daughter finally fell asleep at 6:30 a.m. and didn't receive another dose again but had problems for 5 more nights with sleep."

• Anonymous
• February 25, 2011

For ADHD "25 years old, with major depression. Take with other medicines (sertraline, trazodone) greatly helps interest, which the others don't. Probably inattentive ADD - never got on in school. 18 mg is good. 27 mg is okay, but I'm a bit paler and a bit edgier. Any more and I look and feel washed out and jumpy."

• Sop...
• November 14, 2017

For ADHD "For a while, it was good, I was doing okay in school and focusing more, but the more I increased my dose, the worse the quality of life became. My social anxiety went through the roof. The worst part about it for me was that when my dose was 72 mg, the cutoff or withdrawal was horrible. As soon as it wore off, my face would get a big red rash and would pulsate, and my pores would get huge. This would happen every day, and it was irritating and made me self-conscious, so I took myself off the medication and noticed it stopped. I haven’t been on it since, and I would like to start a new medication with less side effects."

• pan...
• July 7, 2016

For ADHD "18 mg dose, day 1. Was hungover, so I took paracetamol, had taken Ritalin as a kid, and this is the first time I've had meds in years. Had a migraine, was irritable, tunnel vision, extreme anxiety almost brought me to tears, slight suicidal tendencies, hallucinations relating to anxiety, and had a hard time articulating myself as my memory was shot and my thoughts were rapid, and I felt impulsive and dehydrated very easily. However, I feared worse effects from withdrawals, so I took it again the next day, and I played a bit of guitar, and that set my mood for the whole day, constantly euphoric. I've just passed day 3 and hardly felt any effect from the drug, overall, I remained productive and achieved everything I wanted, even on the worst day. Will see how it goes."

• pil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2022

For ADHD "I was initially prescribed Ritalin, which worked well, but after moving to a country where only Concerta is available for ADHD, I had to switch over. Despite them both being methylphenidate, Concerta felt like a very different drug. The side effects were significantly worse - I had terrible headaches (though I’ve heard that can be mitigated by drinking a lot of water while on it), as well as worrying cardiovascular issues, and strangely the drug was really inconsistent. One day it would be somewhat effective, the next day it would give me really bad anxiety that made it difficult to focus, etc. I wasn’t taking any other medication that could have interacted with Concerta, so I have no idea what was causing such varying reactions. Even after discontinuing use, I still have some cardiovascular issues from this drug. Tread with caution! Avoid Concerta unless all other possibilities have been exhausted (other stimulants, neurofeedback, Clonidine/Guanfacine, etc)."

• Ale...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2021

For ADHD "Experimented with dosages of 18 mg to 48 mg, experienced a high heart rate and anxiety with little impact on ADHD symptoms. I felt like a zombie for two weeks before my PCP told me to stop the medication immediately."

• Dxa...
• March 28, 2018

For ADHD "I was on Vyvanse, but since I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, I wanted to try other meds to see what's the most effective. I tried Concerta, and it was awful. It didn't do anything for concentration, made me feel nauseous, stomach aches, and some crazy anxiety. Went back on Vyvanse! At least now I know I don't react well to Methylphenidate meds."

• Mit...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2022

For ADHD "This drug was prescribed to me in my senior year of college to help with my ADD and depression. I started with 18 mg and worked up to 54 mg. It was great at first because it got me out of bed. I had been staying in bed for almost 8 hours a day and neglecting all my responsibilities before I started on this medication. Unfortunately, Concerta increased my anxiety and had me experiencing mood swings and suicidal ideation. I definitely think that my brain chemistry is not compatible with it."

• Anonymous
• March 28, 2011

"My son is 12 and has been on this medication for about a year. His grades are very good, and he is able to focus so much more than he ever did before. He started on the lowest dose and is now taking 36 mg. However, his anxiety is getting so bad it's almost scary. He is so nervous to do so many things he ends up vomiting almost once a week. He would rather be home with his parents than be with his friends, and he wouldn't dare spend the night at someone else's house (even family members). I love that this medicine has helped him so much, but I think it is also causing a lot of problems within him."

• Lul...
• February 21, 2021

For Narcolepsy "I took this medication along with another narcolepsy medication for about 3 months. At first, I was taking Armodafinil 250 mg and Concerta 36 mg ER every morning. I became extremely anxious and paranoid about irrational things. I also became very OCD as well, which is not normal for me. After explaining that to my doctor, I ended up reducing Armodafinil to 150 mg and continued the Concerta 36 mg ER. I did this for about a month, but I didn’t feel like the medication was benefiting me enough to continue taking it. I also had a dry mouth when on the medication, and I was physically unable to yell. My mouth and throat felt like sandpaper. Personally, I didn’t think the meds were helping me enough with attention span and alertness. I quit Concerta 36 mg ER and went back to just taking Armodafinil 250 mg. I have been focusing a lot on my diet and exercise, which I felt has made a huge difference. Also, prioritizing my mental health. But everyone with narcolepsy is different!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 7, 2021

For ADHD "Concerta is the first ADHD med that I tried, and I only could handle one day. I have an anxiety disorder, so I was hoping that the smallest dose (18mg) wouldn't give me increased anxiety. Concerta worked really well for my ADHD, and I actually felt calm and clear-headed when it was in my system. But after a few hours, my heart would start to race, and I would feel really nervous, like I had a lot of coffee. When the medication wore off (which was about 8 hours for me), I felt HORRIBLE anxiety. I also felt moody and depressed. I suppose this was a rebound effect for me. At bedtime, I was so exhausted, but I couldn't sleep at all, like I involuntarily pulled an all-nighter. It was a terrible night for me. I'm giving it 3 stars because it did essentially eradicate my ADHD while it was in my system, but it just was too strong for me with my anxiety, I guess."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 7, 2021

For ADHD "Concerta is the first ADHD med that I tried, and I only could handle one day. I have an anxiety disorder, so I was hoping that the smallest dose (18mg) wouldn't give me increased anxiety. Concerta worked really well for my ADHD, and I actually felt calm and clear-headed when it was in my system. But after a few hours, my heart would start to race, and I would feel really nervous, like I had a lot of coffee. When the medication wore off (which was about 8 hours for me), I felt HORRIBLE anxiety. I also felt moody and depressed. I suppose this was a rebound effect for me. At bedtime, I was so exhausted, but I couldn't sleep at all, like I involuntarily pulled an all-nighter. It was a terrible night for me. I'm giving it 3 stars because it did essentially eradicate my ADHD while it was in my system, but it just was too strong for me with my anxiety, I guess."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2022

For ADHD "Worst insomnia ever with this medication. Dr. switched me from Adderall because it wasn't having lasting benefits through the day, but this lasts too long and I cannot sleep, makes anxiety worse, and I feel like my personality is dimmed."

• SAN...
• August 12, 2017

For ADHD "Terrible experience. My son is affected with ASD and ADHD. We gave him Concerta for one day by prescription. All symptoms have worsened dramatically. He became extremely nervous and did not sleep half of the night."

• Jtc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 10, 2018

For ADHD "On this medication, I have experienced a decrease in appetite, an increase in libido, difficulty falling asleep, irritability, increased anxiety, and times where I seem to lack positive emotion."

• Anonymous
• January 25, 2012

For ADHD "I am taking this medicine for ADD. Very positive, this medication has changed my life. I am much more productive. Only side effects are loss of appetite and increased anxiety."