Concerta and Irritability: What Users Say

• Joh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2020

For ADHD "I am in my early thirties and very recently started drug trials for ADHD. After trying Vyvanse, which didn't work out, I moved to Concerta. On the lowest dose, I had concerns, as it seemed to make my ADHD symptoms worse. I became more irritable and more distracted. After a week, I moved the dose up to the next level and had a terrible day. Extremely irritable, so lethargic I could do almost nothing all day, difficult time sleeping... I had difficulty dealing with my children if they did the slightest thing wrong. Concerta is not for me, I will try something else."

• Moo...
• November 15, 2013

For ADHD "I'm a 15-year-old girl who started off with Vyvanse for a year but became anorexic. I switched to Concerta! The first couple of years, I felt so amazing because I have never experienced what it felt like to succeed after trying so much. Then I got to High School. My meds ended a relationship. I was always paranoid and extremely nervous. I am like a robot now. I'm either extremely emotionless, really mad, or really paranoid. My friends tell me that it's like talking to a stranger. I get frustrated so easily and don't care about anyone or anything around me. I don't want to be taken off my meds because I'm really successful. But should I really have to choose between my loved ones and school? I shouldn't have to pick."

• nr6...
• September 7, 2016

For ADHD "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."

• Anonymous
• January 7, 2016

For ADHD "I have been taking this for 10 years (started at 18 mg, went up to 36 mg). Recently (several months ago), I developed several horrible side effects. For example, it made me feel nervous. I could not keep still. It also made me extra irritable (to the point I was yelling at my friends for the littlest things). I also felt depressed (to the point I did not want to get out of bed at all) and could not sleep. The doctor brought me down to 18 mg, symptoms did not improve. I immediately stopped taking this and felt 100% better the next day. The doctor put me on Adderall XR, which works a lot better with very little side effects. Please avoid Concerta if possible."

• Abi...
• January 5, 2016

For ADHD "This is not the drug for everyone. I was absolutely miserable on Concerta. I was restless, anxious, needy, fidgety, irritable, and depressed. My psychiatric practitioner attempted to cure these symptoms by prescribing higher doses. I eventually had a meltdown. As soon as I stopped, it was like I was instantly better. I know this drug works wonders for some people, but please be careful."

• wow...
• March 6, 2009

For ADHD "I'm 17 and have been taking this for about a month now for ADHD. I started at small doses of Ritalin (10 mg) and then moved to 20 mg. My doctor thought it would be easier to just put me on Concerta since it's 18 mg a pill. I then took 36 mg of Concerta, which didn't work out. I got major irritability and started feeling depressed. Even my focus was off. I went back down to 18 mg and it's working much better. No irritability, depression feeling. Make sure you're on the right dose for your body. Too much can do more harm and too little may not do anything."

• Isa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2022

For ADHD "When I took Concerta briefly, I was 16 years old. This happened to be during the shutdown pandemic, so online school was our classroom. My doctor prescribed Concerta to me for my ADHD in hopes that my grades would rise and I would focus with the distractions that came with online school. I took Concerta from September 2020 to October 2020. This was quite possibly the worst I had felt in my life, and Concerta was to blame. I am a very happy person, always willing to help others, and I’m very much an extrovert. Being on Concerta stopped my happy personality, and even my family noticed such a heavy difference. I would find myself easily irritated at the smallest things and get very upset over them. I also had no control over my emotions (I would cry out of nowhere). My appetite was probably the worst side effect. I would take the medication at 7 a.m. (before school) and not feel the need to eat anything for hours, meaning that I would go every day without breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

• Iso...
• July 28, 2016

For ADHD "I was prescribed Concerta 54 mg for two weeks, and after two weeks, my dosage was lowered to 36 mg. The positive effects: First of all, it was absolutely effective at keeping me focused, engaged, and gave me the motivation to continue working away at my given tasks. It also accelerated my perception of time. The (manageable) negatives: It made me so focused on tasks that I was antisocial. Fixating on annoying sounds, anxiety, sweaty palms, no appetite, and weight loss (25 lbs). I found I was lacking emotion, and during the long comedown, I was irritable and rarely experienced mild to moderate depression. Concerta is an effective ADHD drug, but the emotional effects can be annoying at times. It is worth consulting your doctor about!"

• Jef...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2017

For ADHD "I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, which I didn't think I had until I started college. Things then became more clear! I started off on Adderall, which I hated because it made me irritable, jittery, and I found it totally unhelpful. Weary of the stimulants, I switched to Wellbutrin, which helped, but only a little. I decided to give Concerta a shot, as my psychiatrist told me it's like a more specialized version of Ritalin, and I've been amazed by the results! It lasts me most of the day, and I can finally focus on work and conversations! My quality of life is so much better now that I'm on Concerta. I take the 27 mg XL dose."

• Liv...
• January 20, 2012

For ADHD "I am 15 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 6. I feel Concerta is like a mental steroid. I focus 50% more and understand the things I'm taught better. Honestly, I really do not like Concerta. I have muscle twitches, nervousness, agitation, a complete loss of appetite (which gets to the point where I almost pass out due to suppressed hunger pains), tiredness, mellowness, confusion, mood swings quite frequently, irritation of the eyes, which is one of the things I absolutely hate, and more. I am not autistic, but sometimes I feel like I am during school. My social life is completely impaired. When I take Concerta, I am a very dull person. I am constantly paranoid, always worried about what others think of me."

• 83n...
• February 28, 2013

For ADHD "First couple of days, it was working well, then I started noticing mood swings, insomnia, anxiety, anger, agitation. On top of that, lack of energy and a sore throat. It's okay, but not worth all these side effects."

• ap0...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2016

For ADHD "I'm 17 and have been taking 18 mg Concerta every day for a week and a half. This is the second medication I've tried after being diagnosed with ADHD (I was also diagnosed with major depression). First, I tried Adderall, and while it made me feel very alert and productive, I could not handle the severe depressed feelings from the comedown. So far, Concerta has made me feel productive and positive for about 3 hours, and then depression slowly creeps in and gets progressively worse for about 8 more hours. It's not as intense as the depression from Adderall (which even led to suicidal thoughts), but it lasts longer. I also become irritable, anxious, and tired. I've also lost weight because trying to eat makes me feel queasy."

• ave...
• February 13, 2018

For ADHD "I have both ADHD and mild/moderate narcolepsy. I have been on Concerta for 9 months. I had not taken any medication till I was a teenager (my parents were very against it), so I took Wellbutrin for a while to help with depression and my ADHD and narcolepsy, however, it was not strong enough, so I switched to Concerta and am taking 36 MG. It changed my life. For years, I could not go a day without taking a nap and could not focus at all in class. I just started college a few months ago and got a 4.0 my first semester, which seemed impossible for me years ago. I can finally focus and stay awake, I cried a lot at first because I was so not used to this!! The only negative parts are insomnia, anxiety, and irritability. I recommend having the same bedtime every night and having something like melatonin on hand to combat this. Also, take your Concerta at least 12 hours before you plan on going to bed. These side effects aren't horrible, though the good by far outweighs the bad!"

• Kia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2019

For ADHD "The first day I took it, I didn’t notice a difference, but once I started taking it and going to work, I noticed a huge difference. I was actually working! I wasn’t getting yelled at for sitting around doing nothing, and I was actually finishing my jobs. It worked for a bit, but we frequently have to up the dose for it to continue working, and when I try to go without it, I’m irritable, but so far, the only times I’ve ever been able to have a real conversation with someone is while taking this medication."

• Jen...
• April 1, 2016

For ADHD "I've been on this medication since I was 9, I'm 21 now. I've always had trouble in school, and it has helped me a lot to concentrate, but without it, I can't focus at all. I became too dependent on it, so now that I am in college, I cannot study or find any kind of motivation to stay focused if I'm not on it. It wouldn't be a bad thing if it didn't make me depressed. Recently, in this past year, I've been taking it almost every day again and have been feeling sad for no reason, always thinking negatively and very irritable until I put two and two together. Now trying to get off once I am done with school next month for good."

• Jak...
• April 2, 2013

For ADHD "I'm 18 years old and have been taking Concerta now since my sophomore/junior year of high school. I was also taking Zoloft (for depression) along with my daily dosage of Concerta. Now that I'm in college, things have been going better for me, and I don't have to take the Zoloft anymore and only take the Concerta when I feel like I really need to focus throughout the day. However, I've been noticing recently that while on the Concerta, I'm moody, tired, and unmotivated. I also start thinking really negatively about myself and find myself very irritable. I feel like I've taken several steps back and should be taking the Zoloft in order to balance out my emotions."

• Anonymous
• October 23, 2011

For ADHD "I can't say it's bad. I can ace through an assignment on my dosage like an Ariel Atom. But there are some things I did experience, as I was taking it, and in high school, I noticed I didn't care to hang out with anyone. There were times when I did, but I was terrified. The days I'd forget my dose, I was buzzing with charisma. I'd have to say out of all these, the creativity it sucks out of you scares me because I'm a musician. But the worst is the withdrawal effects, they hit you fast in the morning, even before you take your dose (headaches, can't wake up) and irritability. It gets the job done, but there are too many side effects."

• Mic...
• February 5, 2013

For ADHD "I have mainly taken 36 mg doses of Concerta from middle school through 25 years old. I start the morning with 10 mg Ritalin, then take Concerta 3-3.5 hrs later. Due to its appetite suppression, I come home weak from hunger after 9 hrs of work, but my mental focus keeps me going, and I get irritable if something gets in my way. If I give in to my weakness, I will slump on the couch and think about all the things I need to do. I never fully rest mentally, though it alleviates some of the hyperactivity. I have severe ADHD that affects my friendships, marriage, and helpfulness. My aunt switched to Adderall from this because it helps you initiate tasks, which Concerta doesn't. I will try Vyvanse, which is extended-release Adderall."

• A09...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 2, 2021

For ADHD "I've been taking 18 mg XL for a week and decided to take myself off. I can hardly eat a thing, I'm tense, anxious, occasional blurred vision, really irritable, complete lack of motivation, low mood, headaches, and stomach pain. Feel absolutely horrific and haven't noticed any benefits at all."

• fuz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 30, 2020

For Narcolepsy "I take this med, Concerta, for narcolepsy - 36 mg, 2 times daily, and it works okay - the side effects are troubling. Mood swings, irritability, foggy brain, memory issues. The good and the bad are an even balance at this point."

• 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."

• hwa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 2, 2024

For ADHD "I have taken extended-release methylphenidate ER (Concerta) for about 5 months now, and here is my experience. In the very beginning, I was prescribed 18 mg Concerta generic after being diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. For the first week and a half, I was feeling very anxious and like I didn't want to go all in to being medicated full-time. But after giving it time, it got much better, and school grades and general focus were improving. But there are pros and cons. First, the pros. Pros: improved focus, better grades, better attention span, basically most if not all of my symptoms were being improved with the meds. Cons: frequent headaches, random anxiety, random stomach pains, not eating as much, dry mouth, and the worst con in my experience is the irritability. When I am on this medication, it is so easy for me to get upset over the smallest noises or changes in pace. But overall, it is a good medication for getting things done. There are other side effects, but overall it works."

• Aro...
• November 27, 2011

For ADHD "What would I give to not take medication! I am 18, and have been taking Concerta for 3 years now. It helps me keep things in order, stop forgetting things, concentrate in class for long periods of time, and do mundane tasks I hate. However, within the first week of taking it, I feel very moody, have tics, etc. I get excited and anxious easily. In the evenings, it is impossible to concentrate, and it often gets me very frustrated or irritable. I have been considering changing medications or stopping because it suppresses my creativity and will have me concentrate on negative thoughts, causing depression. However, the withdrawal effects will make me very lazy, depressed, or even manic."

• 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."