Concerta Side Effects
What side effects does Concerta have?
Short Term Concerta Side Effects
The information on Concerta’s side effects come from the clinical trails undertaken during the approval process for its use an ADHD medication. It was tested on over 2100 people, some of whom were healthy adults but most were patients diagnosed with ADHD.
In a four week trial of children, the following Concerta side effect were reported. The percentages indicate the number of patients reporting side effects whilst on Concerta and those reporting side effects whilst (unknowingly) on a placebo.
Headache 14% / 10%
Abdominal pain (stomachache) 7% / 1%
Vomiting 4% / 3%
Anorexia (loss of appetite) 4% / 0%
Nervous Dizziness 2% / 0%
Insomnia 4% / 1%
Upper Respiratory Tract Infection 8% / 5%
Cough Increased 4% / 2%
Pharyngitis 4% / 3%
Sinusitis 3% / 0%
Trials on adolescents found a very similar level of Concerta side effects to the trials on children. One notably difference is that a notably increase in accident injury occurring when on medication compared to the placebo ( 6% to 3% ). This may indicate that heightened energy levels and improved concentration may cause adolescents to take part in new, higher risk activities.
Long Term Side Effects of Concerta
Unlike comparable drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall there is useful information on the long term side effects of Concerta. In two trails (one involving just children and the second a mixture of children, adolescents and adults) 6.7% of the patients discontinued using the drug because of side effects with insomnia being the leading cause.
One of the Concerta side effects reported in long term studies was facial tics. After an average of 7 months of treatment one study of 682 children found that 1% of patients developed facial tics. In a second study lasting 27 months, 9% of patients had developed tics.
In common with other stimulant medication there is a danger of patient’s abusing the drug. Patients with a history of drug or alcohol should not be prescribed Concerta. There has also been concerns that long-term use of ADHD medication in childhood may make patients more liable to legal and illegal stimulant use in adulthood.
Sources:
Concerta Product Information [ PDF ]
Find Out More:
Books:
- Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids
- Ritalin Is Not The Answer: A Drug-Free, Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD
- ADHD Medication
- Talking Back to Ritalin: What Doctors Aren’t Telling You About Stimulants and ADHD
- ADHD: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children, Adolescents, and Adults
April 19th, 2007
ADD / ADHD Medication, Medication, ADD / ADHD, ADD / ADHD Treatment
Comments on: Concerta Side Effects
Wanted to know the difference of concerta 27mg to vyvanse 30mg. Thinking of changing childs med to vyvanse cuz concerta is warring off after school .need some advise THank you
Posted by: daw November 12th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Concerta is just an extended release Ritalin. When your child comes home from school they can be given the same mg in Ritalin, which is short-acting. My doctor has prescribed the same for me. It works well. Ritalin is also available in generic and works just as well. Vyvanse, in my opinion, is much stronger. I went from Adderall XR 25mg to Vyvanse 50mg based on my weight of 130 lbs, for a 30-day free trial, and it was a little too much for me. I even reduced it to 2/3 and it still made my heart beat faster. Seeing my Doc today about it. Will let you know more after we’ve discussed it.
Posted by: Miriam Zumstein March 25th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
First off all,try to not make any decision based on the reported results of any med. by a patient who is in essense telling you about their own body chemistry and chemical balance of their mind, not your’e childs. Also it is almost impossible to compare 2 diff.chemicals even when they fall in the same family and have virtualy the same molecular make up. 1 carbon mol. apart can and most often will result in vastly different effects. also as far as getting your child through the day, a second dose(though not neccasarily the same as AM) often works well, as long as it is taken before the first dose weres off, and not to late as to affect sleep. Shorter acting equivelent chems. often have a slightly different effect and can result in a late afternoon to night time crash, very neg.. I’m not a Dr. but i have been pursueing mental health with no consideration of cost for about 8 years. Get a second opinion, unfortunately so many DR.have corrupt brand loyalties.
Posted by: petey, pharmer April 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 am
My granddaughter just had an episode last week of approx. 48 hrs. of continuous vomiting, headache, and her blood pressure was 159/103. She is 14, is about 5′4″, and went from 98 lbs, to 90 lbs. in a few days time. I am very concerned about the long term consequences of using this drug for her. She is Aspbergers. She and her brother who is autistic take Concerta in the am and Clonidine in the pm to sleep. Any comments?
Posted by: Ginger Young April 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Dawn,
You can’t compare 27mg of Concerta to 30mg of Vyvanse. They are completely different drugs. They deliever medication in different ways. Cocnerta releases 22% of the drug within the first hour and slowly release additional drug over the course of the day. If you want it to last longer just increase the dose to 36 or even 54mg. Rule of thumb with these drugs is keep uping the dose until you get the symptom control you desire without side effects.
Posted by: Jack May 13th, 2008 at 11:16 am
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