Switching from ritalin to concerta

[roblu]

Hi! I've recently been diagnosed with ADHD and have been taking ritalin for a few months but have decided to try out concerta to try avoid the peaks and troughs that come with ritalin and get something a bit more long lasting. I'm kind of nervous to take concerta and was wondering if anyone else had done the switch and if you could tell me about how it went! Which medication do you prefer? Are they very different?

Thanks!

[Iereus]

They’re both methylphenidate, should be fairly seamless. I’ve taken Concerta for years in morning, with Ritalin in afternoons when “needed” (ie late meetings, work, etc).

[roblu in reply to Iereus]

That's reassuring to hear! Thank you

[diamondsinthewater]

Hi, Roblu! I never took Concerta, but from what I know of it (from others who have taken it), it is more consistent than ritalin. I remember "highs and lows" when I took ritalin, though it was many years ago. Concerta is supposed to be a time release of the same methylphenidate, so I would suspect that once you have the correct dosage for you, it should be much "smoother." The upside is that you won't have to remember to take it again in the middle of the day, as it should last 10-12 hours if you take it in the morning. That, to me, is a big advantage of the Concerta, as I had to make sure I remembered to take my ritalin with me to work so I wouldn't miss the afternoon dose! Good luck--let us know how you are doing!

[roblu in reply to diamondsinthewater]

I was starting to get a bit frustrated with the highs and lows and having to remember to take my ritalin every few hours so I'm looking forward to the consistency and ease of concerta! I'm still slightly nervous about getting the dosage right and side effects but I guess these things take time. It'll be great not having to worry about taking meds throughout the day

[diamondsinthewater in reply to roblu]

You'll be a pro in a week or two! Good luck!!!

[Mbiosis77 in reply to roblu]

HI, I just saw this post. I'm wondering how it is going with the Concerta. I was on Ritalin LA for years and my insurance won't cover brand name anymore and I had to switch to Concerta. So far, I'm experiencing some brain fog that's undesirable so I'm wondering how you have done with it over the past year. Eager to hear!

[roblu in reply to Mbiosis77]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. It took me a while to adjust to the concerta but it's pretty good now. I still get the short acting Ritalin 10mg so I can have a top up later in the day if needed but the concerta has been great. Way more stable and nice not having to think about when to take more meds. I dont really get any side effects now either which is so ideal. I think it can still be a struggle to sit down and start doing something but much easier than without meds and I'm able to do things once I put in the effort to start. And I can always have a top up of the Ritalin if I need to