New to Concerta and have questions

[Anonymous]

So my 13-year-old DD just started taking Concerta for ADHD. She is only taking 36 mg so far, although she is allowed to take up to 54 mg. She is already not liking how suppressed her appetite feels – she barely wants to eat at all, and she is normally a very healthy and robust eater (she's super-slender, with a dancer's body).

She is also just feeling frustrated in that she is not really sure the meds are helping her focus. The doctor we saw said we ought to be able to tell fairly quickly whether this is the right medication or not, but my daughter can't really say it's helping and she also says she just feels flat. One reason she was worried about taking meds in the first place is that it would take the edge off of her creativity.

So the question is, how long do we wait to decide this is the right or wrong medication? She's been on it less than a week. Do we suggest to her doctor that we want to switch? I just need some advice from other parents who've done this.

[Anonymous]

I think with these medications a week is long enough to know if it is helping or not. Might want to try a different dose of medication.

[Anonymous]

Is she seeing a psychiatrist? If it's a primary care/ped doc, I would highly recommend finding a psychiatrist. And if you are already seeing one, how often? It should be frequent at first. No more than 3-4 weeks.

My DD could tell right away when we hit the correct dose. She has not noticed any appetite effects (although that may be a problem with any stimulant... it helps to eat a BIG breakfast and dinner) and I would say that her personality re-emerged once she was on Concerta. She had become very anxious and introverted, which was not her norm.

So it's possible that Concerta isn't the right med. Our psychiatrist has us try a dose for a week and then go up for a week, if necessary, and then re-evaluate.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, we just saw the psychiatrist, really liked her. My daughter has no appetite at all on Concerta. We are now toying with the dosage. But that one side effect may make it a no-go for us. She literally will go all day without eating. Her stamina has dropped as a result, and I worry about her passing out during exertion. If the benefits were really noticeable, I might say stick with it it and see, but she is not seeing much improvement with focus and attention either. Maybe a little. But so far the side effects are more noticeable and I can tell she is uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP again. Forgot to mention, we are in constant email or phone contact with psych and are supposed to physically go in in a couple of weeks.

[Anonymous]

How much does she weigh? My 10 yr old DS, 78lbs, takes 18mgs. Maybe smaller dosage?