Hello all,
I am a 40 year old male, and have been taking Concerta (18mg) for about a month. As a child I was diagnosed as 'hyperactive' but my mother did not want me to take medications(as she was kind of a hippie at the time). So, at this later point in my life I elected to see a psychiatrist and be evaluated for adult ADHD.
I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle, with a good diet of berries, fish and whey protein shakes. I am fairly well-educated but did drop out of Grad school about a year ago due to disinterest and a lack of money. I also exercise about 4 times a week, and intense exercise does seem to help my ADHD symptoms.
My observations about Concerta;
1) It works, even at the somewhat low dosage I take. Not much yet in terms of side effects other than a slightly decreased appetite.
2) Sometime I spend too much time on trivial unimportant tasks, which I would have avoided unmedicated.
3) On the days when I take Concerta I develop a strong distaste to alcohol (not that I was a heavy drinker, but I do enjoy a good beer).
4) I also have no interest in TV or entertainment while medicated unless it is some sort of educational program. Also when driving in traffic I feel the need to use my brain, and end up doing basic math problems in my head using the numbers contained on other cars license plates.
5) The next unmedicated day I still feel a bit better than normal. Is the medication still active after 24 hours?
Questions about ADHD treatment;
1) how long will it take before I develop a tolerance to Concerta? I take it about 3-4 times a week, and it still seems to work about the same.
2) If I needed to choose a second medication to alternate with Concerta, which would be the best choice? I am not really interested in Adderall or Dexedrine due to the apparent neurotoxicity. My psychiatrist seems to be really into Strattera and Wellbutrin, but the feedback I have seen for those drugs has been mixed.
3) Are there any supplements that work well in conjunction with Concerta? I do take Gingko, DMAE, and DHA with some modest success, are they ok to take with other ADHD meds?
4) is it okay to exercise while medicated? I do feel like it, but I do not want to put too much strain on the body.
5) Are the generic time-release ritalins really that much different than the 'high-tech' Concerta?
Thanks for the advice!
AeonFlux