Has anyone had any experience with Concerta making their child more agressive? My 13 year old daughter has been on Dexedrine for many years, but she wanted to stop taking it 3 times a day. My doctor recommended Concerta. Within a day she had become very aggressive and by the end of the week she had gotten physcial with two kids on school and was expelled for a day.
I talked to the drug company and they said they didn’t find this reaction in any of the clinical trials. I’ve taken her off it to see if her behavior improves. Has anyone hear of such an experience?
Re: Concerta and aggression?
Greetings Marlene,
According to Dr. Daniel Amen, a pioneer in ADD research, a reason treatment may not work is the use of the wrong medication or the wrong dose of medication. He states that some patients just respond better to one stimulant like Dexedrine or Adderall better than another stimulant like Concerta or Ritalin and that here is no way of knowing in advance which medication in a particular class is going to work best for a person. Of note, the use of Ritalin (which Concerta is just a reformulation of) makes four of the six different ADD types WORSE when used alone. Perhaps this is the case with your daughter.
Blessings, momo
Re: Concerta and aggression?
Have you tried her on immediate release ritalin initally to determine her daily dose before going to the Concerta?
Re: Concerta and aggression?
Hi there,
Just read your reply and was wondering if you knew which four of the six types that Ritalin made worse. Thank you for the info. I really appreciate it!
6 ADD Types & medications
Greetings Kris,
Dr. Amen’s model of 6 Types of ADD is thoroughly outlined at his website www.brainplace.com and in his book entitled Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD (c. 2001). Click on the Interactive Amen Brain Symptom Checklist to complete the questionnaire about ADD. This questionnaire helps to determine if ADD exists and, if so, which type. It will NOT provide a diagnosis but serves as a guide to help people begin to identify problems and get further evaluation for them. From my understanding of his chapter entitled “Medication for ADD Types”, Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin and Dexedrine are typically most effective with ADHD and inattentive ADD. Stimulant (Ritalin) and serotonin (Paxil) medications used separately can make symptoms worse in Overfocused ADD. A stimulating antidepressant (Wellbutrin) typically works better for Limbic ADD. Anticonvulsant meds work better to stabilize symptoms of aggression and mood instability in Temporal Lobe ADD. “Ring of Fire” ADD seems to respond best to a combination of anticonvulsant and stimulant medications.
I would encourage you to thoroughly read Dr. Amen’s website. Most information (but not all) of what is contained in his book is available free at his website. Talk with your doctor about Dr. Amen’s model on ADD. I spoke with a local psychiatrist who specializes in ADD and he indicated his agreement with Dr. Amen’s findings.
If you should have further questions, please feel free to email me direct.
Blessings, momo
Re: 6 ADD Types & medications
Just checked back here and want to THANK YOU for the info! I’ll definitely be going to Brainplace :)
God Bless-Kris
The teaching kids with ADHD section of the bulletin board has some concerta posts that might interest you.