Uhg—another failed med? Concerta.

[greenteamilk]

I gave my 6 year old the smallest dose of Concerta for the first time and it did NOT have a good effect.

He was so hyped up and he talked endlessly all day, and he couldn’t speak to keep up with his own thoughts. He made zero sense, while normally he speaks pretty clearly.

Not to mention his aggressive tendencies and outbursts were through the roof, good god…

Is this what always happens? Is there an adjustment period, in your experience? The thought of having that kind of day again scares me more than I would like to admit…

Help?

[Hidden]

We had that happen with methylphenidate. It did not go away with time, had to stop the med.

[greenteamilk in reply to Hidden]

Did you try any others with success?

[Hidden in reply to greenteamilk]

We tried 4 stimulants. No success, because they all caused aggression.

[greenteamilk in reply to Hidden]

Any non-stimulants?

[Hidden in reply to greenteamilk]

My son is successful on Strattera and Guanfacine 👍

[EWF817]

Tried Concerta for adhd with both of my children and it increased aggression in both cases. We had to stop the medication.

[greenteamilk in reply to EWF817]

did you find any med that they were successful with?

[lovieandbean]

Concerta was NOT good for us at all but that has been the case for all methylphenidate class meds. Amphetamines are much better for us but still there is trial and error. I used to preach to parents to give it time- Now I say mom knows and don’t put yourself through a med that does not fit. There are plenty to try. I do suggest changing drug classes. My daughter requires a higher dose of medicine than I would have imagined but it really just depends on how a child processes medication. We also did the dna swab. I know there are drs w different opinions but for us it has just confirmed every negative/ positive reaction we have seen to all listed meds- even as much as with codine cough syrup! From now on I will never give a med with out cross referencing the report. It isn’t all inclusive but it does cover a lot. Good luck. I know it is tough.

[greenteamilk in reply to lovieandbean]

What is the Dna swab you speak about?

[Kimby812 in reply to greenteamilk]

Yes, would like to know more abou t the DNA swab too.

[penn_adhd]

Being that you say another failed med I wonder if he has been evaluated for autism. A friend's son who was initially diagnosed with ADHD wasn't getting any help from meds and he was found to have been misdiagnosed. He has a type of autism that used to be called Asperger's. My husband's coworker has an autistic son who gets so wound up he's broken multiple TVs and he's on Adderall to help control his mood - he's at least 17 now. Maybe older as he has his own money from working now.

[anirush]

Concerta made my grandson so angry and aggressive. He is on Guanfacine , Wellbutrin and Quetiapine at age 16 and doing well. But there have been many med changes over the years. Sometimes a good med suddenly stops working.

[SurvivorFan]

Had very similar experience with Concerta. Day One 6yo was climbing tables at school/out of control behavior. He said it was a bad day himself. Stopped after that and went to Ritalin. He does well on this.

[Momtrying]

We went from concerta to adderall. We had to move around the mg amount on the adderall a couple of times but have seen great success on it.

[SC_DC in reply to Momtrying]

Same here - didn’t have negative effects from concerta but it didn’t help much either. Adderall has been better but trying a late afternoon dose too (short acting).

[barneyjing]

Same experience here - we found stimulants made our 8 yo very aggressive and hyper

Switched to non-stimulants - guanfacine seemed positive mood wise, but led to bed wetting, so now we use clonidine

It’s frustrating, but as others have said, it’s very much trial and error until you find the right answer

[Elijah1]

It is likely that Concerta aggravated some underlying anxiety or similar condition. If you are trying another stimulant medication (like Adderall), ask to try the short acting pill so, if a similar reaction occurs, it only lasts a few hours than all day. Also ask about other treatment options. We learned over time about these issues.

[DrBrand]

There is an adjustment period with all new stimulants. Unfortunately it is usually a trial and error trying to find ths one that works. Unfortunately many if the stimulants on the market are just a slight different version of each other. The only 2 that are categorically different are the prodrug ones like Vyvanse and Azstarys. One is the Amphetamine prodrug and Azstarys is the methylphenidate prodrug,actual made by the same guy. Methylphenidate usually is better for the under 12 age group. I would try Azstarys. It is new so will have to see if insurance covers it. It's 30% methylphenidate and 70% schedule 4 prodrug. During trials and what is being seen with people taking it aggression is not an issue. Has a smoother profile so lack of appetite and insomnia are seen in a lot less patients too. Keep trying.. If Azstarys doesn't work then maybe try Vyvanse if you haven't already.... Good luck.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to DrBrand]

You sound like you know a lot about medication. What is a prodrug?

Just one more question.. by do you think kids react so differently to the same medication? Of course, I know we are all human and have DNA but.. one child can do great and another is wetting the bed?

Thanks