Luckily, concerta has a short half life, so it is NOT one that has to "build up" in the system. We have taken "breaks" from it also, but it's not usually been very pleasant for us. Unless he's able to go 100 MPH NON STOP (a day full of running on the farm or at the park) If he needs to be still and quiet for any length of time, it's best to give the meds. My grandson will actually ASK for his if I don't give it to him and he feels he NEEDS it to "help me be better". His desire to be a "better boy" warms my heart.

Our 13yr old daughter is on Adderall 20mg and she has very little appetite during the day too. While school is in session I make sure she has a good breakfast and we eat supper as a family, except on Fridays and Saturdays as it is grab and go. She is thin but healthy as per her pediatrician. We are on Spring Break now and she still takes her pill daily. Good luck.

Just was this. Sorry - didn’t mean to imply that the stimulant won’t be effective after med breaks. Concerta should still work fine.

If your prescribing physician suggested the med breaks, I would continue with them. If not, I would recommend discussing it with the physician. There are pros & cons. Med breaks typically work better for Inattentive type, vs Hyper or Combined type. My doctor recommended for us not to take med breaks at the moment.

I have a personal hypothesis (based on no data but my own logic, so take it with a grain of salt), that as some of my son’s early side effects to the stimulant (tics, slightly over emotional, stomach aches, extra tiredness) faded after 1-2 weeks of taking stimulant medication, that if I had disrupted that 1-2 week period with regular med breaks, it fits to reason that he may have taken longer to adjust & get past those side effects. But this may be an incorrect conclusion on my part.

My grandson is on 27mg of Concerta as well. He performs so much better on it. He goes to an IB school. When I mentioned 504 plans and IEPs, his teacher became more “helpful.”

I feel you, my son is 12, I email teachers constantly, thanks god I can check school assignments completion online, because when I asked my son everything is up to date 🤔🙂 and if teacher doesn't reply after a follow up I cc assistant principal or ESE teacher, depends on what is about.

Good luck!