Concerta Dosage

Generic name: METHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE 18mg
Dosage form: tablet, extended release
Drug class: CNS stimulants

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Oct 3, 2024.

Pretreatment Screening

Prior to treating patients with CONCERTA, assess:

for the presence of cardiac disease (i.e., perform a careful history, family history of sudden death or ventricular arrhythmia, and physical exam).
the family history and clinically evaluate patients for motor or verbal tics or Tourette's syndrome before initiating CONCERTA.

Recommended Dosage

CONCERTA should be administered orally once daily in the morning with or without food.

CONCERTA must be swallowed whole with the aid of liquids, and must not be chewed, divided, or crushed .

Patients New to Methylphenidate

The recommended starting dose of CONCERTA for patients who are not currently taking methylphenidate or stimulants other than methylphenidate is 18 mg once daily for children and adolescents and 18 or 36 mg once daily for adults (see Table 1).

Table 1. CONCERTA Recommended Starting Doses and Dose Ranges
Patient Age	Recommended Starting Dose	Dose Range
Children 6–12 years of age	18 mg/day	18 mg – 54 mg/day
Adolescents 13–17 years of age	18 mg/day	18 mg – 72 mg/day not to exceed 2 mg/kg/day
Adults 18–65 years of age	18 or 36 mg/day	18 mg – 72 mg/day

Patients Currently Using Methylphenidate

The recommended dose of CONCERTA for patients who are currently taking methylphenidate twice daily or three times daily at doses of 10 to 60 mg/day is provided in Table 2. Dosing recommendations are based on current dose regimen and clinical judgment. Conversion dosage should not exceed 72 mg daily.

Table 2. Recommended Dose Conversion from Methylphenidate Regimens to CONCERTA
Previous Methylphenidate Daily Dose	Recommended CONCERTA ®Starting Dose
5 mg Methylphenidate twice daily or three times daily	18 mg every morning
10 mg Methylphenidate twice daily or three times daily	36 mg every morning
15 mg Methylphenidate twice daily or three times daily	54 mg every morning
20 mg Methylphenidate twice daily or three times daily	72 mg every morning

Other methylphenidate regimens: Clinical judgment should be used when selecting the starting dose.

Dose Titration

Doses may be increased in 18 mg increments at weekly intervals for patients who have not achieved an optimal response at a lower dose. Daily dosages above 54 mg in children and 72 mg in adolescents have not been studied and are not recommended. Daily dosages above 72 mg in adults are not recommended.

A 27 mg dosage strength is available for physicians who wish to prescribe between the 18 mg and 36 mg dosages.