going back on ritalin/concerta after a break

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I don't know if anyone has any experience with this, but Kai (8) was off his Concerta (18mgs) for 4 days because he had his tonsils out. He was so sleepy from the anaesthetic and then not eating or drinking, so i kept him off it.

 

When i gave it to him again, he was on a total "downer" all day. He just sat on the sofa staring into space. He also kept saying he wanted to die. It was really horrible. The next day i witheld it again, and he was much more perky. Yesterday he was so hyper in the moring that i gave him his Concerta again and he went into a depressed, zombie like state all day.

 

This morning i felt so guilty i didn't give it to him, but he's been like Taz all day.

 

He's had a few breaks from Concerta before, but has never reacted like this. I don't know if it's because he doesn't feel well (i can't really tell with him).

 

My Dad keeps telling me to persevere with the Concerta, but i hate to see him so down.

 

Loulou xx

[darky]

my daughter is on 36mg of concerta and she is nothing like you have described. she was when the dose was 54mg which was too high for her, but that was all the time, zombied like you describe.

it sounds more likely to me its because hes unwell at the momment but im not an expert. it could also be after having a break. i would speak to the perscribing consultant if you are concerned about your sons medication.

personally any medication like this, the pros and cons need weighing up, the benifits against the side effects.

[butterfingersbimbo]

i agree with darky, maybe its cos he has been ill, or maybe its cos he has had med free days? how long was he on it for before he had his tonsils out, was it working well?

 

el tried concerta and it wasnt very good for her, she was very stressy, especially after a while....she then tried strattera which was a total nightmare, but is now on equasym xl which has been the best for her so far. its horrible when they are like this isnt it, talk about rock and a hard place.....saying about the stress tho she is now also on risperdal and things have improved.....so far so good!

[bid]

Just a thought...a general anaesthetic hangs around in your system for quite a while I think...could that be having an effect?

 

The only time my son was 'zombified' when he was on Ritalin (and he was on it for 6 years), was a couple of times in the early days before I spaced it properly with his meals...but then Concerta is the slow release isn't it, so maybe that wouldn't be a problem?? I'm trying to remember whether he was taking it too near or too far from meals, but it was about 9 years ago so I can't, sorry!

 

He was trialed on Concerta when he was older, but it didn't agree with him, so we went back to Ritalin.

 

Good luck, anyway <'>

 

Bid

 

Just to add that by the time he was 14 he decided he didn't need to take Ritalin anymore, and he came off it and was fine, with no return of the uber-hyper behaviour of his younger years...hope that might give you some hope for the future! <'>

Edited November 1, 2006 by bid

[loulou]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your replies. I've tried him on Concerta again today, because he is just so hyper without it. He was charging around the house like a maniac, crashing into everything and "flitting" from one thing to the next. I was worried he'd hurt himself (or me).

 

Anyway, after about 3 hours he went into a big "downer" again, staring blankly into space and talking with a very strange voice. He's been TOO quiet and i don't like it . I don't know why he's reacting to it like this (it's only 18mgs). I'm going to try it again tomorrow (maybe he needs to get used to it again) and see what happens. If he's still this quiet, i'll stop it and ring his Paed on Monday.

 

Loulou xx