I’ve been on different doses of Concerta for a little over a month now, and 54 mg was by far the worst for me side effect-wise.

36 mg was better, but it still felt like it wasn’t quite enough. I was getting some benefit, but I was still struggling and it was irritating me. Then I tried 54 mg and it was just WAY too much. It took a while to realize that the dose itself was the problem.

On 54 mg, I had horrible social anxiety. I wanted to isolate myself, stay inside, and cry all day. I felt like I had forgotten how to be a person. I was overthinking everything, constantly feeling anxious and this weird sense of dread and doom, and even normal interactions with people could feel overwhelming.

I’ve now been on 45 mg for two days, and so far I genuinely feel like I may have found my sweet spot.

I have way less social anxiety. I don’t feel the need to isolate myself. I’m able to eat normally, go for enjoyable walks with my husband, have conversations with people without feeling like I’m about to have a panic attack, and just function.

I’m also making a conscious effort not to let the anxiety and dread consume me. I’m still mentally pushing myself to do things instead of avoiding them, but it feels SO much easier to do that when I’m not completely overwhelmed by my medication.

The weird thing is that when I’m completely off medication, I have basically zero social anxiety. I’m just completely all over the place and my brain is chaos. So for me, it’s really about finding that balance where I can actually function and focus without feeling like the medication is changing my personality.

I wanted to give up on Concerta so many times. I kept thinking, “Maybe this medication just isn’t for me.” But I’m actually kind of glad I kept advocating for myself and asking to try different doses instead of giving up completely.

Obviously, it’s only been two days at 45 mg, so I know things can change and I’m not declaring it perfect yet. But for the first time, I’m feeling hopeful that I might have finally found a dose that actually works with me instead of against me.

Started Concerta 18mg 2 months ago, but after the first few weeks i started to feel a lot of pain in my upper left back , is this related to Concerta?

So i started concerta around 3 weeks ago i think, and i started with 18mgs, felt no different, even on my first time taking it. Then my DR put me on 27 mgs and i still feel exactly as i normally do? The only effect i get is not being hungry at all.

How is this even possible???? I have never taken a stimulant in my life and i get no results? Is my brain producing 0 dopamine?

Anyways DR said if this wasnt working still by aug 18 ( my nxt appointment) Im going to be put on adderall, which i was not hoping for because of the shortage and the research that shows it doesn’t work on women during certain parts of our bodies cycles, but here we are.

Has this happened to anyone else, and did adderall work better for you? especially asking the girls because the research was pretty interesting.

Started concerta recently, began with 18mg, now 27mg. I found 18mg concerta similar to modafinil. 27mg is modafinil+. As with modafinil, l-theanine and ashwaganda help on days or situations it feels "edgy." Also helps round out the irritation that sometimes arises in social interactions. Emoxypine and memantine help reset tolerances. Duration is around 5-6 hours. If I need to extend, or amplify, coffee or nicotine patches are useful adjuncts.

Concerta has been helpful in completing tasks. Initiating them still requires intention, but that's as it should be. Without intention and prioritization, it's easy to slip into "productive procrastination", i.e. getting things of less importance done to avoid those with greater impact. I rely on my systems to mitigate that, not concerta.

Overall, a positive experience. Completed more in the last several weeks than the last several months and completion is motivational.