Get Informed: Concerta
Active Ingredient(s)
Methylphenidate
What does it do?
This product is used in the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy. It is thought to work on the brain stem arousal system to produce a stimulant effect.
- Last Text Update:
- 2009-Nov-07 2:12 PM
- Last Data Update:
- 2009-Nov-07 8:28 AM
Other Names
- Adaphen
- Concerta
- Daytrana
- Metadate
- Metadate CD
- Metadate ER
- Methylin
- Methylin ER
- Methylphenidate
- Ritalin
- Ritalin SR
How Safe Is It?
- Your Risk Rating
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- Average Risk Rating
-
- Pregnancy Category:
- C
Black Box Warning
This product has a black box relating to its risk of drug dependency and the possibility of other abnormal behavior with long term use.
Facts & Figures
- Date Approved
- 05 Dec 1955
- Est US Patients*
- 3,522,000
- Generic Available
- Yes
- OTC Available
- No
User Age Distribution*
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
* Estimated number of US people currently taking Concerta or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.
Concerta Safety Report
Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings
- Please login or register (it's free) so iGuard can check how Concerta interacts with other drugs and diseases in your profile.
What is Concerta used for?
iGuard.org is currently tracking more than 20,300 patients that use Concerta (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.
| Disease / Condition | % | Average Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Deficit Disorder | 78% | 
|
| Sleepiness | 12% |
|
| Chronic Fatigue | 8% |
|
| Fibromyalgia | 2% | 
|
| Depression | 2% |
|
| Other | 2% |
|
How well does Concerta work?
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 20,300 users taking Concerta (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.
Average Satisfaction Score
(out of 10)
Average Effectiveness Score
(out of 10)
- 88%
- of patients are confident that the good things about Concerta outweigh the bad things.
- 20%
- of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Concerta.
Common Side Effects of Concerta
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 20,300 users taking Concerta (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.
44% of patients experience side-effects on Concerta
6% of patients experience signifcant side-effects on Concerta
Most Common Side Effects...
-
Loss of Appetite
-
Insomnia
-
Restlessness
-
Headache
-
Anxiety
-
Mood/Behavior Problems
-
Palpitations
-
Abdominal Pain
-
Dizziness
-
Fatigue
-
Nausea/Vomiting
-
= 10%
Less than 1%: Constipation, Drowsiness, Dryness, Itch/Rash, Tremor, Weakness, Weight Loss
Global Patient Feedback for Concerta (Methylphenidate) ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
My 7yr old son was on Straterra 40mg once daily for his ADHD, and I really didn't notice a big difference in his behaviors or impulsiveness, and gets daily progress reports sent home, letting me know if he had a good "focused" day or not. His DR. just put him on Ritalin, and he took his first dose today. They started him off with 5mg tablets, and he gets half a pill a day for now. How long does it usually take to notice a difference?
7 year old Male
Posted: 2009-10-05 20:31:17
Answer/Reply:
Ritalin is similar to ADHD medication called adderall now these medication are stimulates so you would see a change in his personality but theses medications can be addictive.
16 year old Male
Posted: 2009-11-01 15:01:39
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
It usually takes about two weeks before Ritalin causes a noticeable difference in children with ADHD. Some effect may be seen before that time in some patients.
Posted: 2009-11-04 14:24:45
Question/Comment:
my son was 7yrs old when we find out he had adhd and the doctor put him on ritalin for about
1 1/2 yr and then they decided to send him to a special doctor who deals with kids who have adhd then that's when they changed his meds to concerta . he has been on that for about 1 yr and is doing pretty good except he was losing wieght so they put him on boost to brng his weight up nad that has help . the doctors do not know if it was from the concerta or not but he is dong real good in school now. we had trouble when he was in kinderagarten then 1st grade came that is when they put him on ritalin but that work for a while til 2nd grade came and that is when we notice a change in him so they change it to concerta and now he is doing real good with help from a special teacher in school. i am proud of my son and so is the rest of the family.
32 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-24 16:01:30
Question/Comment:
I have a 16 yr old son and after 2 long yrs of trouble in school/sleeping in school/sleeping all the time/missing school he was diagnosed with narcalepsy he was perscribed provagil and ritalin. I am concerned with ritalin does anyone have any feedback that could be helpful?
Thank you
43 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-12 23:12:16
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
In many cases, Provigil has replaced Ritalin as the medication of choice for narcolepsy. Discuss with your physician the need for both Provigil and Ritalin. He or she can best explain the need for both medications having your son's medical history and records available for review. It may take some adjustment of the medications to find the most benefit with the fewest side effects.
Posted: 2009-08-18 01:20:17
Answer/Reply:
What are your concerns? Ritalin is commonly administered for ADD/ADHD as well as MS (to help boost energy levels). Ritalin should be taken as directed....if taking a pill that lasts 12 hours, you want to make sure he takes the drug as early in the day as possible. Otherwise, his body will be stimulated well into the evening, which would have an impact on his sleeping pattern. I would suggest a transdermal patch (Daytrana) that can be removed and the effects of the drug end within 2 hours. Research more on Ritalin, Adderol (sp), and my choice, Daytrana.
29 year old Male
Posted: 2009-08-18 13:35:50
Answer/Reply:
My son use to be on Ritalin. He is now 19yrs old and has been on concerta for several years now. The ritalin caused him horrible headaches and he did not sleep well either. His doctor switched him over to concerta which has been a miracle drug for him. Next week he will be moving to attend his first year of college which he earned a full scholarship for. You might want to consider taking him off of the ritalin, did not work well for my son.
40 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-18 14:23:04
Answer/Reply:
I too have narcolepsy. I have taken Ritalin twice a day for 6 years and have had no problems. My dad takes provigil and he too has had no problems. I did not know that they would prescribe them together. It is not a cure, but it does help. It is important for him to sleep on a schedule and get enough sleep at night. If he does not, the daytime symptoms will be worse. Good Luck.
33 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-18 20:56:21
Answer/Reply:
I was concerned too when I put my son on it. Before his doctor would give him the prescription, she gave me information on it and then said do the research on it. If you do that, you will find out that Ritalin isn't as bad as you have heard. She said only when it is misused that problems come about. It's been around for quite a while, which I hadn't realized and if there was a problem the Drug Administration group would sure have taken it off the market by now.
35 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-24 09:52:23
Answer/Reply:
I would not give him the ritalin. It may seem like its doing some good at first but then the dr will start to raise the dose. They will then keep raising it to extreamly high levels if you dont watch them. Then the worst side affect will start to show its self. When the medicen wears off he may become extreamly violent. I know this happens for a fact me and some others in my family and family friends kids all had the same thing happen and trust me we all became very dangerous. And belive it or not all ritalin is is a perscition form of cocain! You can read this in a book called NO MORE RITALIN.
23 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-25 03:22:40
Answer/Reply:
I just wanted to let you know that my daughter (16) has been taking (first Ritalin) and now concerta, which is the longer lasting form for many years, Probably 7 out of 10 years for ADHD. I know it is for a different reason, however, with regular check-ups including MRI's and bloodwork, There have been no lasting side effects. In fact the only side effect she ever had was a very mild loss of appitite. I became seriously ill about 2 1/2 - 3 years ago, I was severely malnurished, unable to absorb any vitamines or nutrients, the illness caused me to lose a severe amount of weight- over 100 pounds. ANYWAY, I was extremely lethargic, falling asleep at work, barely able to drive, and could hardly get out of bed. My doctor put me on 56 Mg of Concerta, and it does help me to stay awake, without the affects of some of the other drugs (like Vyvanse) To me I haven't had any problems with appetite loss, In fact, besides helping me to keep my eyes open during the day, I haven't noticed any differences at all. At one point and time they had my daughter on like 90Mg in the morning and 54 in the afternoon, and at that time she did have some troubles, She was completely unable to sleep, had no appetite, and had severe mood swings! That is something you really want to watch out for!
35 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-27 12:58:53
Answer/Reply:
I took provigil and it worked very well, but I couldn't afford it anymore. My doctor switched me to ritalin and I am having some issues with it. I have narcolepsy and have suffered with depression. It seems that the depression is getting worse. As medication works differently with people, I would suggest you get back with your son's doctor and see if maybe he could only take the provigil. Good Luck.
52 year old Female
Posted: 2009-08-30 21:20:03
Question/Comment:
I just pulled both of my children out of school for different reasons but as I read through the posts I more and more believe that it is because of their different forms of ADD. I knew my son had problems with ADHD as we have always had to do extra things for him like sending workbooks and allowing him to stand up at his desk instead of sitting. On state tests he was always in the 95-100 percentile range. In Middle school he usually made sure he sat alone so he would be less distracted and not distract others. He was still scoring extremely high in reading and math 95-100%, but in 8th grade was in danger of failing for the school year.
My daughter was not hyper but didn't pay attention. She was the type that did her work but never turned it in or would not put her name on the papers. In elementary school, we would put instructions on her desk taped to it on how to her work daily. Now in High School she is in trouble most of the time with social issues and was failing every class. However, she scored quite well on standardized tests.
With my ADD, I work full time, take care of my family, all of the bills, etc. and now homeschool. I take 54mg of Concerta myself and I am a little better but still have so many things in my head. I am wondering whether I should try the meds with my children now and maybe put my son back in public school so he can do ROTC next year.
32 year old Female
Posted: 2009-05-19 21:22:49
Answer/Reply:
I agree that there has got to be more than one type of ADD. My oldest daughter had suffered academically and socially prior to being on Concerta. We went through 5 different doctor's prior to her being diagnosed properly. Finally found a board certified dr. in child phycology. ( I do not spell well, sorry). It took 10 years prior to finding my daughter's current Dr.
Don't give up, I understand your frustration. Call the insurance company and have them do the research for someone who is close in your area.
At this time my daughter is on Concerta 36mg. It has made her into a different person.
Keep the faith.
Susan B.
San Antonio, Texas
48 year old Female
Posted: 2009-05-28 16:07:32
Question/Comment:
I am very happy with the fast-acting 20mg dosage for myself. It allows me to stay focused when teaching far better than without the medication.
41 year old Male
Posted: 2009-04-08 09:46:54
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Patient Comments about
Concerta