[jossquartz]

I'm 21 years old. I was (finally) diagnosed ADHD two years ago and put on adderall XR. I was taking 40mg a day split into two doses. Long story short, my doctor and I decided that Adderall was no longer as effective as it had been, and instead of upping my doseage we decided to switch to 36mg Concerta.

My questions are has anyone else gone through this switch?

It has been about a week and I find that I'm sleepy all the time and I feel clouded. While I don't have much of an appetite, I am not getting the alertness and clarity I recieved when I took Adderall. I also take a very very small dose of Wellbutrin XL, which I started while on adderall.

Will these conditions improve? After a month or two on Concerta, can I go back on Adderall XR to find it works the same again? School starts in the end of august, and I need to come up with a plan.

[kellbell4]

I currently take 36mg of Concerta a day and have often wondered if the sleepiness was normal. I have ADD (no Hyperness) and fatigue is part of one of my problems. I used to also take Welbutrin XL and it made my mood swings very bad. I used to take Ritalin when I was in high school and it worked over all the best. Not only did I have energy but attention was excellent. Being on ADD medication actually saved my marriage (I'm 32 yrs old). I take it just to keep up with daily life. But I wonder as well if Concerta is the best one although I have researched Aderol and have found the addiction rate is somewhat high.
I have been taking ADD meds since I was 15 and it saved me from alot of heartaches in life!!!

[lorlei13]

I was diagnosed with ADD about 20 years ago. I started on Ritalin and continued taking it through high school. As I got older, I started to metabolize the Ritalin too fast and found that I was having to take a 10 mg pill every 2 1/5 hours. That was when I switched to Adderall. Unfortunately, I did not have the success with the drug that you have had. I was what my sister had referred to as "cracked out" I was very anxious and high strung. Had lost about 20 pounds in a month because I had no appetite. After that, I was put on Concerta. Although it didn't make me "cracked out", I wasn't getting the clarity, alertness and attentiveness that I got when I was on the 10mg of Ritalin. I felt the same things that you are feeling - the unattentiveness and fatigue. I then switched to Ritalin LA which did a little better and stayed on that until the Daytrana patch was released this past June. I have absolutely loved this patch as it keeps me alert and attentive for at least 9 hours. The only side effect that I have found is the skin irritation.

I know when switching to a new drug, a titration schedule must be followed in order to get the dosing right. A higher dosage of the Concerta may be needed in order to get the same results as the Adderall. Of course, I am no doctor and am only offering my advice here. I don't believe that switching back to Adderall will cause any problems but just remember that since you have only been on the Concerta for about a week that the drug may not be completely in your system yet. Unfortunately, finding the right medication, the right dosage and the right combination (anti-depressants and stimulants) takes time. But being honest with your doctor about the effects that you are feeling is the only way that you are going to figure out what medication is right for you. I hope that this helps. Good luck!

[bullfrogstud21]

Hey I'm 20 and im doing the same exact thing with the same sleepiness problem. I was taking Adderall xr and switched to concerta. Did the sleepiness ever go away? Cause I have been on it for aobut 2 weeks and about once a week i have to sleep for a entire day cause I get so drained.