Hello, I live in Japan.

I take 36 mg of Concerta every day, but pharmacies are receiving virtually no stock at all—not the 18 mg, 27 mg, or 36 mg strengths.

In Japan, we first obtain a prescription from our doctor, submit it to a dispensing pharmacy, and then receive the medication from the pharmacy.

My doctor prescribed me 36 mg Concerta a month ago, and I submitted the prescription to my pharmacy immediately. Unsurprisingly, they had none in stock, and they still have no idea when they will receive more. I now have only four doses left.

Every pharmacy I have contacted has told me the same thing: they have no estimated restock date.

Apparently, until a few months ago, pharmacies were receiving about one box of each strength per month. Now, however, they do not seem to be receiving any at all.

Only three medications are approved for treating adults with ADHD in Japan:

• Concerta (extended-release methylphenidate)
• Strattera (atomoxetine)
• Intuniv (guanfacine)

I have tried both Strattera and Intuniv, but neither worked for me. Strattera made my mind feel strangely quiet, which I found uncomfortable, while Intuniv significantly worsened my depression.

Honestly, I am angry with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Pharmacy-to-pharmacy transfers of Concerta were recently permitted as an exceptional measure. However, this is practically meaningless when the medication itself is barely being distributed anywhere.

In my case, only stimulant medications such as Concerta are effective and tolerable.

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) is another stimulant ADHD medication, but in Japan it is approved only for children and generally cannot be prescribed to adults. Adults may continue taking it only as an exception if they began treatment with Vyvanse during childhood and it remains effective after they reach adulthood.

Immediate-release Ritalin (methylphenidate) was previously misused in Japan. As a result, its approved use is now restricted to narcolepsy, and it cannot be prescribed for ADHD.

At this point, rather than continuing to rely solely on Concerta, I would like Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to consider the following exceptional measures:

1. Expand Ritalin’s approved indication to include ADHD.
2. Approve Vyvanse for the treatment of adults with ADHD.

Unfortunately, Japan’s regulations are extremely strict, so I doubt either change will happen.

This has become a serious social issue in Japan. Many people with ADHD say they can no longer function properly in their daily lives because they cannot obtain their medication, and I am one of them.

What is the current Concerta supply situation like in your country? Are alternative medications such as Vyvanse, Ritalin, or other treatments available to you?

Thank you for reading!

Before or after diagnosis? How often ?

I would like to know to what extent Nicotine affects ADHD.

Thanks.

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I completed a Master degree despite how difficult is to focus or read a whole book. I have dyslexia and deficit of attention.
Now in my 40s my focus is getting worse, probably because I also parent alone 2 kids.
So I was prescribed concerta 18mg and should double after second week. I noticed my anxiety and panic getting worse, so I decided not to double. I stayed at 18mg and felt it helps me to focus on my tasks as reading and comprehension.
Unfortunately, this medication brought me panic and anxiety raises. I feel like the world will end tomorrow, that my problems are bigger and I wont make it, as if a stone is weighing me down. All this anxiety crisis only taking 18mg.
I conclude this medication isn’t for me.
Anyone else?
Did the psychiatrist prescribed something else?
Ty

What does it do and feel like

Is it safe to take methylphynidate as a first thing in the morning after waking up??

Usual trap of taking it to see what it does after one year break, it feels amazing for 2-3 days maximum like someone opened a window in my head letting out a very pleasant snowstorm that makes me feel wired and relaxed and motivated. Then it all passes and you can't even tell the med is there other than funny heart tickles from time to time. Wellbutrin put me up through this too by making me feel young again for one day then only making me feel like a burnt robot with fumes through its ears. I'd just take it 2 days every week (concerta) but apparently that's not good for your body.

Concerta feels like the equivalent of sleeping 5 hours, the first hour makes you feel more decent than you normally would otherwise but the crash afterwards makes you feel like a melancholic piece of decayed and burnt shit. I'm still tired and bored without it but more capable to just sit through stuff that doesn't bring me motivation.

This med makes me feel like a frustrated dog chasing its own tail, I either hyperfocus too much on useless things against my will just because i'm "too lazy to stop the flow" or just rot in bed imagining doing stuff but couldn't be arsed to actually do the said stuff. It makes you crave doing stuff more but instead of making you feel like superman like the honeymoon phase you feel like batman watching where his parents died. I'm just so fucking pissed of this med giving me hope all the time just to take it all away and leave me even worse. Why could an adhd med possibly make executive dysfunction even worse?

I tried all doses, 36, 54, 72, the increase in dose makes me feel decent again but then my body registers it again and it's like I didn't change shit. There's a gamble sometimes where drinking hot beverages brings a little spark back but that's too luck based to count on it.

Is there really nothing I can do to not feel like a rotten wet dissociated zombie on the verge of collapsing with or without meds? The ability to feel good is there but I just can't fucking access it. I don't even feel euphoric when it works just not like a sore stiff grandma waiting to die.

Should I just give up on this one? I don't even have other meds and there's really nothing I can do to not be bedbound. No other meds in this shitty country either other than atomoxetine that does nothing but give me chills. I've been taking concerta for 6 months btw.

Sorry if the phrasing is cheeks i'm running on fumes. I'd like to hear some tips and tricks to possibly make this med suit my needs better, stuff like eating protein or not eating while taking it or even taking it with hot water. I just want to make this work.

Title: My experience with Focalin XR crashes, switching to Concerta, and the effects of Lexapro and caffeine

Just wanted to share my experience with ADHD medication in case it helps someone dealing with similar issues.

I initially started on Focalin XR, but struggled with its duration and crashes:

• 10 mg: Started working after about 1 hour, but the benefits were already fading around 4 hours, followed by a crash around 5 hours. Occasionally, I'd get a very weak second wave around 7–8 hours.
• 15 mg: Similar short duration, but much worse crashes. I'd experience heavy sleepiness followed by several hours of agitation and irritability.

After some trial and error, I found a few things that helped:

• Escitalopram (Lexapro): I was taking it in the morning, around the same time as my stimulant. It seemed to contribute to daytime sleepiness and what I initially thought were stimulant crashes. Moving it to the evening noticeably improved things.
• Switching to Concerta: Focalin XR's release formulation simply didn't seem right for me. Concerta has provided smoother, longer-lasting coverage, without the same abrupt crashes. I'm still figuring out the ideal dosage.
• Caffeine: I discovered that coffee could significantly worsen agitation, stress, and irritability when combined with stimulants. I've since started avoiding it, which seems to help.

Overall, things have improved, although I'm still fine-tuning my treatment.

This is just my personal experience, not medical advice. Everyone responds differently to medication, and what worked for me might not work for you. Always discuss medication changes with your doctor.

I've been on 18mg concerta for a year, even though my official dose was 36mg. Would have some shakiness and slightly elevated heart rate, as well as a pretty bad emotional crash when it wore off. I recently started taking the 36mg in the form of two 18mg pills (36mg pills aren't available in my city, Concerta is extremely tightly controlled). I usually take the second 18mg half an hour to one hour after the first one so as to hopefully level out how each pill releases the medication into my body. The first two days were incredible, I was so focused. But around the third or fourth day, I started to experience an elevated heart rate, definitely worse than it had been on 18mg, but I kind of just shook it off as panic attacks. By the 9th day, I was having an extremely strong sensation of my heart pounding, a lot of chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. But I was also extremely anxious that day so once again shook it off as a really bad panic attack. But in the three days after that, I kept experiencing the same thing. I could feel my heart pounding all night, was struggling to stand in the shower, feeling dizzy. It wasn't a constant thing, but it would usually start around 3pm and continue until I woke up the next morning. Last Thursday, I was running late to an event and had to walk really fast so I wouldn't be too late. When I arrived, my heart was pounding harder than I had ever experienced in my entire life. It felt like it was flipping and even skipping beats. My chest felt like it was on fire, but not in the sense that one does after exercising, just the pain from how hard my heart was beating, and sometimes some additional stabbing pains. That night when I was lying in bed trying to sleep, even just moving my body slightly or adjusting my pillow would set my heart rate off again, pounding and flipping. I considered going to the hospital but I genuinely could not move an inch without my heart going wild. I only took 18mg the next day and felt a lot better, just the usual amount of elevated heart rate. Today I went back to 36mg and, while I'm not in pain, I can definitely feel my heartbeat much too strongly, almost like it's beating through my entire body. I'm going to meet with the psychiatrist on Monday, but I just wanted to ask if this is something anyone else may have experienced on Concerta?

I recently swapped from Jornay PM to Concerta, as I felt that Jornay while waking me up wasn't working past like 10 am. With this switch I was hoping Concerta would feel more like Vyvanse(which I was on for about 8 years before I swapped to Jornay for issues waking up) and while it has worked better with my focus, I feel like it works on and off throughout the day. I also feel like I'm having completely different tastes in food, and while Vyvanse just made me less hungry, I feel like Concerta lets me be hungry but then I look at the food and question why I would ever eat it. I also feel like concerta doesn't help with the brain fog as much as Vyvanse did. I also feel like my interests are shifting along with me being more motivated and I don't know if it's the Concerta or just a new time in my life.

Basically: If anyone has swapped meds to Concerta, Do you experience feeling like the med is going in and out of working throughout the day, different food preferences and differing interests?

edit: Along with me swapping from Jornay 80mg to Concerta 54mg I also lowered my Propranolol by 20 mg (By a doctor ofc)

I’m still in the early stages of my Concerta journey. I started on 18mg for a few weeks, now I’ve been on 27mg for another 4. It’s seems to be going ok. Some really great days and some where the stimulant effects freak me out a bit because of my anxiety (eg fast heart rate as it kicks in etc). But I really want to persevere. I’m thinking of trying 36mg but of course it’s my anxiety that’s holding me back!

When I was first prescribed Concerta at the start of the year my psychiatrist put me immediately on 27mg for a week and then straight up to 36mg. It wasn’t the best experience but it was because my body wasn’t ready for that dose so quickly, and I do find I’m sensitive to medication of all sorts.

Just wondering how others with anxiety are getting on taking Concerta?

what do i do? im scared it’ll come up and i’ll have what u get with mushrooms where ur like omg its coming up i feel horrible my heart is racing and its too late what do i do why did i take this, will i have that? not worried about the lonf term just first day.

27mg btw

It only started happening recently(past 4 days, was on break meanwhile and I didn't experience this), I took concerta for awhile, but I didn't notice this before.

Can it make you feel “happy” or, “happier”? Been taking my 18mg dose again since September 22nd.

Dr switched me from Xaggertin 18mg after 2 weeks to Concerta 27mg, after said I got tired early evening. Hated it first few days I was aggressive and did not like it. Now the side effects have gone, lasted a few days , but still not sure I prefer it to Xaggertin- yes slow in and off it but not as amazing focus and ability to switch as easily as I found Xaggertin. Anyone else found this? I have my 2nd titration review tomorrow afternoon and not sure if should switch back or keep going. Dr suspects I may also have autism though not been diagnosed yet waiting to have a my assessment soon. So they are going slowly with doses incase it triggers or negatively impacts possible autism traits.

After months of Concerta titration, I made the difficult decision to switch to Elvanse, and I have zero regrets!

A little context: I titrated to 54mg over a two month period, and eventually took IR 5-10mg late afternoon to extend coverage. I did take 72mg under supervision as I felt Concerta wasn’t addressing my most debilitating symptoms, but led to unfortunate chaos.

I’m now on 50mg of Elvanse and I feel like my life has changed.

I’ll keep it simple and list my pros and cons with Concerta and Elvanse.

Concerta Pro’s:

- Helped massively with emotional regulation
- Helped with focus and concentration
- Helped with quieting the evil negative self talk demon
- helped with impulsivity
- Minimal side effects apart from low appetite, dry mouth and mild jaw clenching- these resolved within the first two months.
- BP and heart rate were unchanged.

Concerta Cons:

- Appetite loss was concerning in the first month, however it recovered.
- Did not remove friction from initiating tasks.
- Felt I had less drive and motivation than without it.

That’s it really. I got along pretty well with concerta, I just felt like it wasn’t targeting my executive functioning.

OH MY ELVANSE!!

All concerta pros mentioned, AND I can actually do the things I need to do. Every small life admin task I’ve procrastinated for months, I managed to complete within the first 5 days of starting 50mg. I’ve been waking up in the morning, taking my lil pill and looking forward to a day of productivity.

Side effects? Pretty much the same but less intense: dry mouth, jaw clenching when dose tapers off. My appetite is lower than without, but I still have hunger cues, just eat less crap.

Hello guys, I've been on Concerta 18 up to 54mg for 5 months, and it's the only stimulant available in my country, so I have no other choices. It helps me focus and understand a little, but it comes with a lot of side effects: I always feel like a zombie, my mind feels shredded, and I get headaches, including at the back of my neck. I also have low energy and sometimes anxiety. I stopped caffeine to help, but now my energy is even lower, and I still have the headache, pain, and zombie feeling. Is that OK?

After being on Adderall and then Vyvanse for years it just stopped working. I started Concerta 3 weeks ago. My dr bumped me to 36mg after being on 18mg for a week. I’ve been on 36mg for 2 weeks now and I’m so tired! Like I sleep through my alarms, I yawn all day long, I feel exhausted, my brain it quiet, focus is questionable, and I can’t bounce from one task to the next easily while working (when I have to switch, it’s like I get squirreled and takes a while for me to refocus). I start iron infusions on Monday for the next 5 weeks because my ferritin is a 10 and I’m having multiple other symptoms. Should I stay on 36mg for 2 more weeks to see if the iron infusions help and my energy/brain fog improve or should I go down to 27mg?

Also, I catch up on my sleep on the weekends so I usually sleep past the “safe time” to take Concerta for the day. Does anyone have any experience with short-acting meds for weekends?

Thank you!!!

Hey y’all. I’ve been on Concerta XR 18mg for just under a year now. Life changing!!! Finally feel at my 100%.

However, Costco just stopped carrying the “Actavis Ph” manufacturer version, and has swapped to “Trigen Lab”. I used Actavis for 1- months, and this sudden swap has left me feeling off.

I’ve noticed the past two weeks, a significant difference in effectiveness, mood stability/smoothness, and most of all inconsistent waves of sleepiness??? Super strange.

I called all my major local pharmacies (Kroger, Publix, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Costco) and they have ALL swapped over to “Trigen Lab” and each pharmacist said I was not the first to call and complain about Trigen.

Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience, and or knows the best way to source a specific manufacturer. Seems like I might need to go private/family owned.

Thanks so much,

Edit: I’m finding now that Actavis Ph is an OROS system where as Trigen is a Non OROS system. So quite literally, it is releasing differently inside my body. I’m going to try and find an alternative OROS based generic, since that seems to be the defining difference i’m experiencing

For me it’s mainly reading and starting other similar long things, I want to read more but my mind sees it as a huge task and it’s hard to make myself start it despite wanting to if that makes sense. It does help me focus better I know that (Concerta is the only Stimulant I've ever taken)

21F I started taking concerta a few weeks ago, and i got my period right when my dosage was upped and i dont feel like the medicine is doing anything.
Anybody else experiencing something similar here while on their periods? How do you compensate for the lack of effectiveness?

Basically what the title says.

I was on Vyvanse for a year went up to 50mg and it just wasn’t working out. I then was switched to Concerta 54mg and today is my 2nd day on Concerta in general. Only thing is that I don’t feel it? So for example vyvanse I felt the GOGOGO feeling but yet couldn’t do anything (executive dysfunction won). Now with concerta I don’t feel it activate so I’m confused.

Vyvanse felt like running until I was out of breath
Concerta feels like a stroll in the park just overall zen

But I’m also transitioning from Lexapro to Effexor… so I GUESS WE’LL NEVER KNOW

TL;DR - how do you know Concerta works for you? Any side effects I should be aware of, how long would you say it lasts, etc.

Started on 27mg of concerta for ADHD, and I’m honestly feeling really conflicted about it.
On one hand, I’ve noticed a genuine improvement in my ability to focus and get things done. My brain feels more productive, which is something I’ve struggled with for a long time.
However, the side effects have been pretty rough, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar.
So far, I’ve been dealing with:
Extreme appetite suppression. I’ve always had some difficulty with food, but since starting Concerta, it’s gotten significantly worse. I can go practically an entire day without eating, and the thought of eating something I’m not specifically craving makes me feel nauseous. Recently, I’ve basically been surviving on drinks, apples, and whatever small amounts of food I can tolerate.
Insomnia. I’ve struggled with sleep previously, but Concerta seems to have amplified it. Even when I’m physically exhausted, I struggle to actually fall asleep.
Physical jitteriness. I constantly feel jittery or overstimulated, almost like I’ve had way too much caffeine. Sometimes it feels like my heart is racing or pounding even when my actual heart rate isn’t particularly high. I can’t hold or pour things sometimes due to the shaking.
Dry mouth and increased thirst. I constantly feel like I need to drink something.
Increased anxiety/restlessness. It’s difficult to describe, but sometimes I feel physically anxious without necessarily having anything specific to be anxious about.
One of the most frustrating parts is that I genuinely WANT this medication to work. I’ve noticed improvements in my ADHD symptoms, but I feel like I’m trading one set of problems for another.
I’m also wondering how much of the jitteriness and other physical symptoms might be amplified by the fact that I’m barely eating throughout the day.
My prescriber has mentioned potentially switching me to a similar medication that isn’t extended-release, and I have a follow-up next week.
Another thing, i have OCD so Whenever I develop a new interest, idea, hobby, goal, or something I want, it goes from a normal interest to an almost obsessive fixation extremely quickly.
It’s not just being excited about something. It feels like my entire brain becomes consumed by it. I constantly think about it, research it, plan around it, and feel this overwhelming NEED to act on it immediately.
If it’s something I want to get, I feel like I need to purchase it right then. If it’s a project I want to start, I need to start it immediately. If it’s something I want to accomplish, I feel like I physically cannot relax until I’ve done it.
Even if it’s completely unrealistic to do it at that moment, I struggle to redirect my attention to literally anything else. Everything unrelated to that fixation suddenly feels boring or unimportant. And then after i’m done with it i feel empty and my brain needs to find something else to focus on

Did anyone experience side effects this intensely when starting Concerta? Did they eventually settle down once your body adjusted to taking it consistently, or did you end up needing to switch medications?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who experienced severe appetite suppression, insomnia, or that uncomfortable physical jittery/anxious feeling.
I really want to find something that helps my ADHD without making me feel physically miserable in the process.