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Name: mommyp3
[ Original Post ]
My 8 yr old just started taking it about 1 week ago. He also takes Chlonidine to help him sleep at night. I just wanted to know if anyone's child has experienced any unusual side effects.
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Name: At Wits End | Date: Aug 8th, 2006 4:39 PM
My 11 year old also takes concerta and it's helped more then any other medication without any side effects. 

Name: Amanda77 | Date: Aug 9th, 2006 8:45 PM
I would watch your child closely on the Concerta. My son was on it for a year. It worked well during the first year with some increases in dose. But my son had two side effects. One has been permenant. 1) he would loose his appetite and it caused his to loose weight. Then the big problem happened. 2) After a year he started having tics. They said Concerta can cause this. They took him off. They stopped for about 6 months or so. After that period they came back with extreme force. It was so bad it affected his work at school, he was falling all the time, he was physically getting hurt. They had to medicate him for them and they seemed to worsen. If he was upset or he was anything but happy he would tic so bad he would get hurt by falling down. The doctor said the first time was the meds but since it came back that ment it was probly not the meds and the meds just caused the inevitable. I do not think that is true. I think that the Concerta caused it the first time and it just never left. Do watch her closely for tics. Some kids are helped by meds some are not. My house old is ard to deal with as my 10 year old had ADHD, Bipolar, mood disorder, ODD and Tics with no medications. Between Strattera, Concerta and Abilify they have caused sleep problems, eating disorder (causeing him to be either over weight, under weight and throwing up after eating), tics, and suicide thoughts. The doctor wanted to put him in a home. We finally said enough is enough. We took him off meds and we home school him and he takes taekwando and cub scouts. We still have problems but no suicide thoughts, no eating disorders. He still has problems sleeping now do to the long term effects from the meds and the tics have almost dissappeared. 

Name: Layne | Date: Aug 9th, 2006 11:52 PM
i believe the tics can happen with anyy simulat med. Also when they are on multiple meds. My son michael started sniffing uncontrollibly. especialy at night. This has passed lately. he is getting older though so he doesnt seem to need as much Ritalin. he takes 25 twice a day we ran out of 5's so I only gave him 20's this week and I think he is the same. we are considering taking him off the 5's. The cost of our co-pay is 20 dollars a month per perscription so it will say us 20.00 a month. Plus why give it if he can get by.He also takes Strattera.That helps with the mood swings in the evenings after the ritalin melt down. 

Name: Layne | Date: Aug 9th, 2006 11:55 PM
Also we didnt have luck on the time release meds. It just wasn't consistant all through the day. The Ritalin is more targeted. I also Like the fact that it goes out of the system after 4 hours. No buildup. This is what I hate about the strattera. i would love to get him off that. The history of liver damage. really concerns us. 

Name: mommyp3 | Date: Aug 10th, 2006 9:21 PM
That is funny you are all talking about "tics". I just started noticing my son licking his lips more often than he used to. Is this a "tic". Also, does the concerta wear off at the end of the day? Because I notice my son is more hyper when he gets home from school. 

Name: Amanda77 | Date: Aug 10th, 2006 10:54 PM
Yes the Concerta is ment to work during school hours. It wears off. 


Name: suzanpump | Date: Aug 16th, 2006 11:09 PM
my son is taking concerta.. he is 15. 

Name: suzanpump | Date: Aug 16th, 2006 11:17 PM
sleeping is what I have noticed.. he cant go to sleep very easy.. he has been on it for about 2 weeks. sometimes he dont want to eat also. 

Name: pookybeans | Date: Aug 19th, 2006 3:01 AM
my step son has been on Concerta for 9 months, we thought it would control his hyperness, outrages, but it only made them worse. This week we took him to Emerg and had him seen by a crisis team we were sent to a child phyciatrist (sp?) where we learned that Concerta is not doing anything for him and that we should take him off and ween him off Seroquel which we found out that he is not getting a strong enough dosage to make any differenc. So today we have stopped the concerta, and I found that my step son was not as hyper today, I know it's only been a day but we are hopeful that we are on the path to recovery. 

Name: pookybeans | Date: Aug 19th, 2006 3:05 AM
suzanpump if it will help you, my step son is still taking Malitone (sp?) a natural sleep aid for the last 5 months and it has worked wonders on his sleeping at night. My step son would be up all hours of the night and friends of ours mentioned that they were using this product on their child and we picked it up and we found it to help. 

Name: leigh1 | Date: Sep 23rd, 2006 12:23 PM
Hi there my 9 yr old son takes 54mg evry morning of concerta and the main side effect he has is a loss of appetite and dosnt sleep that brilliant but it does help him with his behavior,impussivness,and concentration,im in the process of trying 2 change his meds as i dont think there as effective as when he was first on them as he was dianogsed when he was 7 and he hasnt had much of a break on them so i think his body has got use 2 them but as i said they were good 2 start with good luck and hope all goes well for child 

Name: michellefarnham | Date: Sep 23rd, 2006 4:37 PM
My 8 year old daughter is on concerta, and I have noticed that it is not helping yet, she has been on it for a week. she also take abilify at night, but at bed time she still isn't tired so we giveher melatone too. Does anyone know if abilify and concerta seem like a good combo? im thinking of taking her off abilify and just seeing what concert will do by itself. 

Name: fancy | Date: Sep 26th, 2006 2:05 AM
Hi my seven year old has adhd he was tested for it a year ago and three months now hes been on Concerta and he hasnt had any side effects yet but when he was on all kinds of other meds he complained about stomach and headaches alot but this is the first medicine now that he hasnt complaned about anything yet so hopefully it will work for you as well 

Name: parksmomof4 | Date: Sep 28th, 2006 6:32 PM
My 10 yr. old son has been on Concerta for about a year and a half. What I'm finding with him is he seems to "outgrow" his doseage which leads to regression in his focusing and new little "quirks". The other thing is if meds. are taken too late in a.m. he has a hard time going to sleep. 

Name: azmomof3 | Date: Oct 10th, 2006 4:56 AM
my son takes concerta and is doing well on it. He takes it in the morning and is usually wearing off by late afternoon. There hasn't been any side effects that I have seen. What kind of side effects are you experiencing? 

Name: flamom | Date: Oct 10th, 2006 4:15 PM
Hi mommyp3, Concerta did not work for our child but I did hear from a friend about "tics" as well. Careful. Adderrall XR is great but they all seem to cause weight loss. Good luck! 

Name: mabeyyes | Date: Aug 21st, 2007 1:54 AM
My 7 yr old son has been on Concerta for a little over a year he has loss an considerable amount of weight and supplements for weight gain aren't working. I'm haveing my son taken off, it is affecting his health way too much. 

Name: lisa | Date: Aug 28th, 2007 8:34 AM
Good day.
My son (8) is on concerta for a month now. Side effects is not sleeping well, still sitting up after 12 at night and doesn't eat well. Started loosing weight, the doctors said that after 3 months all side effects will be over. I don't know if I like the long term side effects. I have done some research on this and I don't want to do any harm to my son in the long run. I must also say that he much calmer and you can at least talk to him know. There has been some good out of this, I must confess. But still not sure about this medication. Please let me know your views!! 

Name: Michelle | Date: Aug 28th, 2007 1:44 PM
A good place to look at any drug is the Food and Drug Administration website. Just type the name of the drug then type side affects or effects. They get much of their information by talking to a lot of parents. They also do a lot of other kinds of research.
I had adhd and my guardian cured it. Later, I did the same thing with Cadee. I wrote about it here "cure for adhd". Cadee doesn't have adhd anymore, but one time she forgot her lunch, and ate in the school cafeteria. She got vegitables like she was supposed to, however, someone gave her Tropicana Fruit Juice. She thought that it was fruit juice so she drank it. It has high fructose corn sugar. She was adhd for the rest of the day. I gave her bananas which calmed her down so that she could sleep. If I hadn't she would have been adhd the next day too simply because her brain would be going to fast when she is tired. 

Name: Sleep Who Needs Sleep? | Date: Aug 29th, 2007 4:26 AM
Hi Lisa My Son is 6 and we have been on concerta 18mg for 12 days. We switched over from Ritalin 3x daily. My son had major sleep issues on Ritalin 3x and like you were were wide awake at midight. At some points he was literally doing summersaults in his bed at 1:00 am. Since switching to Concerta he has not had the mood swing when the drug is wearing off and his sleep habits have greatly improved. I have set a real routine for bedtime. At 7:30 a relaxing bubble bath with a relaxation foam bath, in a dimly light bathroom then when he gets out I rub him with Lavender and Chamimile lotion from Johnson & Johnson, a quite story in his dimly lit bedroom, then when I shut off the lights in his room I play a ZEN relaxation CD. This has worked wonderful for us. We are now sound asleep by nine pm compared to midnight at the start of August. My 2 boys share a room and my non ADHD son said that music drives him crazy, however he falls asleep instantly after he starts. He says it bores him to sleep. As for the eating, his appetitie has definatly diminished. I leave cut up foods out on the table, and finger foods go everywhere with us in case he decides to eat. When they are right there in site he will pick a bit on the go. He eats a good breakfast and then a good healthy snack about 7:00pm other then that he lightly grazes. Like you said I also notice how much calmer and easy to reason with my son has become. What is a parent to do? 

Name: chazsmom | Date: Sep 5th, 2007 5:30 PM
Michelle, I really need to know more! I recently moved out of the state where my son's Dr. has been, and I ran out of his meds on Friday; no new job yet so no new doc. My boy is happier without the meds, but not doing as well in school. He has lost weight to the point that his rib cage shows on the side and if he doesn't eat lunch at school he gets sick to his stomach, experiences fever and vomiting as well as headaches. I would like to keep him off the meds, so pleas tell me what your guardian did for you that you're now doing for your child. I buy only milk, and 100% juice for him, and when the other kids around him have soda, I make sure his is diet since I was told that caffeine like any other stimulant helps kids like him. Please help me. I know an adult who was on Ritalin as a kid and he has high blood pressure now and still has impulse problems. 

Name: momof8 | Date: Sep 8th, 2007 5:50 AM
I am shocked to here about the tics that the concerta medication can cause. My son 11 yrs. started an eye twitch, then his shoulders and neck it was annoying to all of us. Poor kid it even annoyed him. We called the Dr. and she told us to take him off the meds, We stopped immediately and it does show signs of improvement but is definitely still there. I am scared and frustrated for him! I feel guilty as well because I thought I was helping himand in fact I may have made a decision that will effect him forever. Are there anty meds out there that can help ADD and not cause tics? If so please imform me of risks or benefits.
Thanks momof8 

Name: Terri | Date: Sep 8th, 2007 6:12 PM
My 8 year old has been on Concerta for a little over a year now and has showed no major side effects. He never did have much of an appetite, so we didn't notice any change there, and he is sleeping fine. Actually better in the last year. He had night terrors for a few years, but that has stopped. We like concerta and have been very pleased with it. 

Name: basketlady322003 | Date: Sep 9th, 2007 3:43 AM
we were on 90 mg of Concerta with 120 mg of STrattera and it did nothing - he gained tons of weight - and struggled!!!! Finally went to psycologist to get help cuz pediatrician wouldn't think of changing - he loved them 

Name: Tanis | Date: Oct 2nd, 2007 11:07 PM
My son is 8. He started taking Concerta 2 months ago. His appetite has really gone downhill! Falling asleep at night...OMG. It takes him sometimes 1 1/2 hours to fall asleep. He has also started blinking a lot, like you do when you are tired. 

Name: SpedTeacherMom | Date: Oct 2nd, 2007 11:34 PM
Just a reminder that Concerta and Adderall are stimulants (amphetamines), therefore the weight loss and sleep issues. Crash and burn after they wear off is common. They are also habit-forming. Adderall in particular can exacerbate, or increase, any other behavioral issues your child may have had prior to taking the med. Everything gets processed through the liver, so damage of that organ is always a possibility. Strattera is a non-stimulant and requires a build-up over time (tho' Eli Lilly was required to issue a warning about suicidal thoughts after a study was conducted I think in 2004). Strattera may do nothing for your child as it works on a particular chemical in the brain which may not be the one that your child needs affected. Check out FDA website and American Medical Association website. If your child has another diagnosed behavioral condition such as ODD, it is common that doctors will prescribe a "cocktail" including a mood stabilizer. Melatonin is a terrific natural sleep aid, though I wouldn't go over 2 mg if you're experimenting. Based on my own experience working with kids who have taken any or all of these drugs, the most successful cases have been those in which the family has incorporated a good, consistent regimen at home (sleep at the same time each night, limited t.v. and use of gaming systems, immediate consequences for inappropriate behaviors, reasonable rewards for successful behaviors) in additon to the meds. Unfortunately, since all of these conditions are neurological, you usually don't have only one occurring at a time. They all "live" together often. Please don't simply rely on the meds to get you through, even though you are probably worn down by it all. I'm sure I've repeated some things already shared by the many experienced parents and teachers out there--sorry! I quickly scanned through the other responses. 

Name: nicola ane | Date: Oct 3rd, 2007 12:15 AM
my son thomas was taking concerta and even though it is one tablet in the morning he still was like a zombie so i took him off it 

Name: lovelyyy | Date: Oct 8th, 2007 3:09 AM
i just started taking concerta on thursday and i havent had trouble sleeping yet. I also take Cybolta i actually forgot to take it today and i just took it now and its like 11:05 pm soo i just took it with my Cymbolta i just hope they can mix. Cymbolta helps you sleep and concerta keeps you awake soo hopefully things will be well.
im 16 

Name: Diana | Date: Oct 19th, 2007 1:29 AM
My 6 year old son has been on concerta for about a year, he is taking 37 mg. Our problem is that it does not work until around noon time, his meds are given to him at 6:30 a.m. Everyday the teacher writes in his planner for the am that he was disrupting the class, taking his shoes off, singing or talking and not paying attention but afternoon notes are "Good Job". Today I gave him his dosage at 4:45 a.m. and still he displayed these behaviors. The Dr states it should take affect within 30 min to 1 hour but I heard from the Poison Control center that peak time is at 4 hours. Do you have any suggestions for me. This is his second year in Kindergarden and his education is failing.

I do not know what else to do. Thanks! 

Name: marr22 | Date: Oct 21st, 2007 4:09 AM
i have gone to a seminar about adhd and tic related disorders(tourettes) and found out that these tics come about in spirts but start coming out more at 8 years and then again at eleven years. the older the child gets the more the tic is noticeable. tourette syndrome is hand in hand with adhd and often not diagnosed till the child is older because tics do not start coming out till child is older. im not about to spit out facts as i still have alot to learn, if you want to learn more attend a leaky brakes 101 seminar with dr. ducan mickinnly not sure how to spell last name. or look up cpri(child and parent resource centre) good luck 

Name: nina | Date: Oct 26th, 2007 6:19 PM
my eight yr old daughter has been on concerta for about 10-12 months now and she how lost of appetite and sleep loss. she is on 54 mg a day. but she also has odd with the adhd. but i dont think the concerta helps her at all, i am trying to look into new meds for her, i find when i dont give her meds to her she is less moody towards people, on it she really is agitable. 

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