Headaches from Concerta - 2 weeks in

[Watermelon5]

Our 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in January. She is extremely bright, but struggles to keep up with her schoolwork (slow processing speed), so we are trying medication. Our pediatrician gave her an Rx for 18 mg of Concerta. Two weeks in, we observe that the Concerta is helping her stay on top of her schoolwork, but she is complaining about headaches. Did your child have headaches from medication? Did they eventually go away? How long did it take? Was there anything that helped reduce the headaches? Thanks for any insight you can give.

[anirush]

I think these are common side effects with some medications just like drowsiness which will eventually go away. I'd give it time unless the headaches get too severe in which case talk to your doctor.

[BunnyTech]

My 8-year-old has been taking the same dose for about 5 months now. He's never mentioned headaches, but his pediatrician warned us that they might happen, along with a few other side effects. They should go away (how long it takes depends on the individual, but I'd give it at least another 2 weeks). She can take ibuprofen or Tylenol for the headaches when they show up.

Follow up question: is there a consistent timing to when the headaches show up? Is it just as the drug is kicking in? Wearing off? When she's extra tired? Extra stressed? Are they just random? Keeping track of details like that can help you pin down what's causing the headaches and figure out some stuff to help reduce them.

[Testarossa1975]

I took 15 mg immediate release Ritalin (methylphenidate like Concerta) for a week, and I had headaches everyday. I switched to 10mg IR Adderall (amphetamine) and had headaches the first two days. The following 4 days I have not had any headaches. (I just recently started trials.). My doctor recommended starting with the lowest dose (5mg) and gradually working up to an effective dose by next taking two 5mg tabs, then three, and up to four. (I believe the extended release will be double since it’s like two doses in one.)

My 11year old son has been taking methylphenidate for about 4 years. He started on quillivant XR and then switched to Ritalin LA when we had a hard time getting quillivant. He has headaches about twice a week and takes ibuprofen as needed.

You might keep trying the concerta for a couple more weeks to see if her body gets used to the medicine. If possible I would wait to give the ibuprofen until after the headache starts that way you can determine any changes in their frequency and severity. When she is home from schoool on the weekends woukd be a good time to assess more closely how she is doing.

If the headaches persist, you might ask her doctor about trying an amphetamine.

There is also a non-stimulant and second line medicine called atomoxetine which can be effective but does have side effects for some people.

[Pennywink]

Does your child take the medication with food / milk or right after eating? This seems to help my son a lot. But if it's still a problem after two weeks, I would consult your prescribing physician & see what they think.