Adderall vs. Concerta - Side Effects?

[Mom of Teens]

I am in the process of switching my ds14 from Adderall XR to Concerta. The main reason I am switching is that the Adderall seems to put him in a "grouchy" mood. Very short with me and his sister and very argumentative. I am hoping that the Concerta may have a different affect on him.

Also, the Adderall depresses his appetite, and he doesn't have any weight to spare (5'5", 85 lbs).

Has anybody had the same effects on their children with the Adderall? And what are any side effects people have noticed taking Concerta?

Just a side note - we tried Straterra and it was a total FAILURE. My ds is only ADD, not ADHD, so didn't need a reduction for hyperactivity, but we lost any and all focus that he might have gotten from the Adderall. I have read on some posts that the Straterra doesn't help to focus, now I TOTALLY agree.

[finnmom]

Momforteens

My ds8 use´s Concerta, only 18mg at this time and only on schooldays, so my experience is a little limited, but here it goes.

First there was some problem´s getting to sleep, only about ½hour later than usually, I havent seen any real lack of apetite, only breakfast is hard to get down. Other than that, no worrie´s. But as I said, only 18mg´s.

I wish you lot´s of good luck finding out the right med sor your child!

Marja

[jdmom]

We had the weight loss issue with Adderall XR also. I could barely force him to eat!
We are on Concerta now and doing better. I still notice that his appetite is suppressed, but not as bad as with the Adderall. He eats breakfast like he hasn't ate in days. He is 7 and this morning ate 2 waffles, 2 pieces of sausage and 1/2 of an orange. However, in the evenings he doesn't eat as well. I have noticed that the later we eat dinner, the better he eats. So I try to make dinner late, or if that isn't possible, allow him to eat a bowl of cereal or something before he goes to bed.
We tried Strat for 12 weeks and it didn't work for us either. He is ADHD and it did NOTHING for his hyperactivity.
Good luck with the Concerta! Keep us posted on how he does.

[TexasMom]

We tried Adderal for about two weeks but I couldn't stand to be around Steven. He would completely loose it about 5pm and be totally obnoxious, which is totally not like him. Steven is mostly ADD. He's been on Concerta ever since, over a year and a half only on school days and I WISH it would affect his appetite. He's about 10-15 lbs overweight. He started on Concerta at 18 mg at 9-yrs-old and is now 10 and a half and at 54 mg.

[gina1kid]

Mom of Teens,

I know exactly what you are going through. My DS takes Concerta 36 mg. I'm not sure if you will see a difference in the mood with changing stimulants. The stimulants really help only the focus and concentration.

Here's a suggestion which has really help my DS (8) become a more pleasant person to be around. I give my DS Concerta, but also I include vitamins supplments such as Omega 3, vitamin E, evening primrose, Vitamin C, B complex, Magnesium and calcium. But what has really helped his moods are the Omega 3, Vitamin E and Evening primrose.

You might want to checkout the natural alternative section in this website. There are two people who are very knowledgeable about the Omega 3's and vitamin E's. They are Catatonic and OhMama. They help me out with my DS moodiness. I took their advice and it has helped. Please feel free to contact them or read some of their previous posts in that section.

I can't tell you how much of an improvement I have seen in my DS. His moods and grades have greatly improved since taking the vitamin supplements. They are natural supplements that are needed by the body.

Good luck to you.

Gina

[Denise110]

My DD 6 took Concerta for about 4 months. She ate well, slept well, and made a big improvement in her behavior and grades. The only draw back I seen was that she had to have such a high dose for it to work that it caused her to have night terrors.
She's always had nightmares, but just maybe 1 or 2 a month, but when her Conceerta went to 54mg. her nightmares went to 2 to 3 a night. We couldnt figure out what was causing them until Christmas vacation we gave her a break from the med and her night terrors stopped. The doctor still doesn't believe thats what caused her night terrors or he just want admit I was right.

We'll anyway we had her taken off Concerta and she was put on Adderrall XR 10mg. It has now been bumped to 20mg., but no more night terrors. Just her occasional nightmare. I have noticed on the Adderrall that she is extremely whiny, she doesnt eat good anymore, and she is more uncooperative then when she was on the Concerta.

Now I think her body has ajusted to the 20mg. dose of Adderrall Xr. It doesn't seem to be working so good anymore and I'm not willing to up the dose and welcome back the night terrors.

Hopes this helps and GOOD LUCK!