How will Concerta affect my son?

[arleneamd]

Hi everyone, I've just decided to put my 8yo son on medication for ADHD. His doctor prescribed Concerta and I was wondering if anyone who has experience with this medication can give me some advice. I am very nervous about putting him on meds because of the side effects. Anything shared (good or bad) is appreciated.

[CFLBCL]

My son did a trial on it. Adderall worked better for him. I understand you should try both before committing. The generic brand of concerta is sometimes different than concerta by quite a bit. I heard about that on a podcast given by William Dodson on Additude Magazine's Ask the Experts series. He and Dr Barkley talk a lot about medication. Its really safe and effective if your child has adhd. It helped me a lot!

[Pennywink in reply to CFLBCL]

Barkley & Dobson are two of my “go-to”s for ADHD information. 😊

[Kmk1117]

My son has been on concerta for a couple years now

We tried everything under the sun and concerta was the only thing that helped ... it does suppress the appetite which is an ongoing issue for my son and his weight BUT there are things to help that my sons doctor just turned down his dosage from 54 to 36 today. I was nervous at first my son is 10 now and has been on concerta for at least 5 years. But it truly helps him get through the day bc without it he wouldn’t be able too

[Pennywink]

My son is also in a long-acting methylphenidate very similar to Concerta (Metadate CD - the only big difference is how much they release at which time.) 80% of people with ADHD see benefits with stimulants - that’s a really high number, so odds are you’ll see improvement. And it acts quickly - you can usually tell in the first day (hour) if it’s helping or not, and can stop anytime if it isn’t a good fit.

My son (now 8) has been on it for over a year and we’ve been pleased with the results. The only negative was appetite suppression / pause in weight-gain the first year. We planned eating around around it, and his appetite seems to have come back now and his growth fully back on track.

Only minor issues was some minor rebound when the meds wore off, and his tics didn’t fade that first summer as usual. But both have also resolved themselves (and we now give him an afternoon booster dose.)

[love2009]

Hi

My son is 11 yrs old and have adhd. I knew he had that condition but never took it serious. I didn't accept that he have a mental disability it took me years to realize how serious it is and that he need it help. I enrolled on ADDitude magazine and started to watch the webinars and they talked about treatments . so I decided to take him to the Dr and they put him on concerta at the beginning I was so so scared because of the side effects but I gave it to him . so far he is doing great no crazy side effects. School grade improved a little bit . he still eating, no bad thought . he even prepared his breackfast and take the pill. Hope this helps you. Try ADDitude magazine is amazing.

[nurse_nelly]

My son was on concerts from 2nd grade to 5th grade. I couldn’t figure out why he was always so short tempered, emotional and cranky in the evenings. So the dr added another psych medication. We went through so many different doses of concerts and psych meds during this time. I felt like he was a gueni pig ! It was heart breaking ! Then in 6th grade we changed him to just 1 10mg of Ritalin once a day. This was short acting! Wow what a difference that made! He started eating grades improved and maturity had finally sat in! Now he is on his way to freshman year and we have him off of everything! Looking back now I would have NEVER started him on concerts. But remember each child reacts differently! I just know at one point my son was in 5 different meds and I would NEVER let that happen again!

[arleneamd]

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it. I started him on it today so let's see.

[Mille_5]

I have been on Concerta for 15 years. When I first started taking it my appetite went down some but not enough to be of concern. Eating on a schedule helped as well as fewer snacks. I have had no issues since. My eating is fine and I have had no other side effects. It has worked really well for me but everyone is different.