Concerta: Approved For Adult ADHD
Taken once and lasting for 12 hours. Whether you’re six years old or 65.
Sounds like this might be a good idea for a new medication. Well, Ortho-MacNeil thought so. And the result is CONCERTA, a new timed-release drug for not only adults with ADHD, but children as well.
Recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, for adults, this medication has been on the market (as you probably well know) for children for quite a while. In fact, it was the first of the new generation of time-released drugs for ADHD.
CONCERTA uses a relative new delivery system, called OROS – which stands for Osmotic Release Oral System — to help deliver “poorly soluble drugs†to your body as quickly as possible. Additionally, this method unique to CONCERTA gives your system a consistent dosage of the medication over 12 hours. This is good news not only to get the symptoms alleviated fast, but to avoid those ups and downs that often accompany other medications.
Whether you choose this medication is a decision between you and your doctor. I’m certainly not saying it’s the right medication for you. Now, you know it’s approved for adults.
It’s important to realize something that many people don’t: That ADHD does not simply disappear for many individuals when they reach that magical, legal age of 18. In fact, research shows that up to 70 percent of children are still affected with ADHD once they hit adulthood!
Statistics show that adult ADHD affects some 8 million people – or one in 20 of us! – on a daily basis. Those who do have it know exactly what I’m talking about – even if your co-workers or supervisors don’t. For adults, ADHD may get in the way of not only career development, but social relationships as well as personal relationships.
Public health officials generally label a mental health condition a “disorder†and recommend treatment when the symptoms impair your daily life patterns. The fact that you now have the option at least to have your symptoms lessened for a full 12 hours is not necessarily a bad thing!
Options are usually quite desirable!
What is the impact of CONCERTA being approved for Adults?
My experience is that most Psychiatrists who are experts in ADHD were already using this medication for Adult ADHD. However, having this approval (or ‘indication’) for adult ADHD means that more physicians will feel comfortable to use it in adults when it is indicated. This may mean that it will be easier for adults to get the medication that they need.
At this time, the following medications are indicated for Adult ADHD:
* Concerta
* Strattera
* Vyvanse
* Adderall XR
* Biphentin (Canada).
There may be some other medicines approved for adults in the USA. As I’m a Canadian doctor, I’m not sure if there are others. Please share your comments or thoughts below.
Dr. Kenny
Technorati Tags: Concerta, ADD, ADHD, Medication, Adult ADHD
=================================================
Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor
To find get a FREE special report on ADD/ADHD Medication, visit: Medication Mastery
==================================================
Email this post to a friend:
July 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I have been taking Concerta for years, and it really makes a difference in my every day life.
However, it does not last 12 hours for me. If I take my tablet around 7am, I get sluggish around 4PM and can feel that it is out of my system by about 5ish.
I get the best benefits in the morning, and it makes me feel great, productive, and curbs my procrastination!
July 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Hi. I’ve been taking Ritalin/Concerta for about 10 years now and really like Concerta. I finally settled on 3 x 18mg capsules per day “as needed”. Generally, I just take 3 at once but sometimes need to adjust the timing if I’m staying up late. I have a question about Vyanse: do you know if, in the U.S., Vyanse is in the same drug category as Ritalin/Concerta? It’s a hassle for me to get a prescription written for every refill. Since Vyanse is a pro-drug and can’t be abused, is it dispensed like uncontrolled drugs or do I still need the monthly prescription? That alone would be motivation to try Vyanse. Thanks.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hi Craig,
The FDA did put Vyvanse in the same category as the stimulants - i.e. it is still a controlled substance.
Why did they do this?
I don’t know.
So, at least for now, you’d have to get a prescription for Vyvanse in the same way as you do for Concerta or other stimulants.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
July 30th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Concerta was the first medication I tried. It was a dismal failure; at 18mg it wore off too soon, and at 36mg it gave me a week-long anxiety attack.
Dexedrine was next, and it worked really well, but when I started having trouble breaking inertia to go to bed at night, my doctor put me on Strattera instead.
Strattera gave me dyslexia and reading comprehension problems.
After I was dxed with depression as well as ADHD, we tried Wellbutrin for a week, but that made me feel like I was going to die.
So we did Cipralex + Dexedrine for a while. I eventually dropped the Dex and recently went off the Cipralex. (brain zaps=not fun)
The only one I’d ever go back on is Dexedrine. I had little to no side effects aside from the appetite suppressant (which was helpful as I’m overweight), there was no rebound effect, and I think if I had some 5mg tabs to take in the evening, I’d be able to go to bed on time.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thanks. Sounds like a missed marketing opportunity to me.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:09 am
Craig - I believe that Shire, the makers of Vyvanse were very keen to NOT be listed as a controlled substance, but the FDA didn’t cooperate.
I am sure they will try to apply again, or something. We’ll see.
Dr. Kenny
August 6th, 2008 at 1:23 am
oh…nice product..
Does CONCERTA harm to pregnancy women?
Safe or not safe?
August 6th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Regarding Concerta overall: I’m not a doc, but here are my impressions. I think the ingredient in Concerta is the same as Ritalin, just that Concerta has a time-release system. My personal experience is that Concerta delivers a smooth, sustained dose during the day. When I used Ritalin, I felt the effects were less even, plus I had to remember to take the doses during the day. Getting the right drug/dose is tricky. It took me years of trial and error. You also have to check for things like depression which often co-exists with ADD. For that, I take Effexor and went through some psychotherapy. Overall, I’d advise this: (1) Don’t give up. Keep trying and you’ll find something that works. (2) Focus on improving performance. Do you get more work done? Do you get along well with people? Don’t worry so much about temporary effects. (3) Find a doc who specializes in this stuff to work with you over time.
Regarding pregnancy, here’s info from http://www.drugs.com/concerta.html:
FDA pregnancy category C. Concerta may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether Concerta passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Long-term use of Concerta can slow a child’s growth. Tell your doctor if the child using this medication is not growing or gaining weight properly.
Do not give Concerta to a child younger than 6 years old without the advice of a doctor.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Why does Ortho-MacNeil not make a 72 mg Concerta tablet? Any indication that they ever will? Just curious b/c my Dr. recently increased my dose from 54 mg to 72 mg and the price difference is huge since he now prescribes 2 36 mg tablets or a 54 mg + 18 mg tablet. Just curious about that.
Also, is it likely the FDA will approve Concerta for adults higher than 72 mg? My Dr. stated that he could prescribe higher than 72 mg if I don’t see good results from 72, but that my insurance may not cover anything about 72 mg. Thanks.
August 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I take 72mg/d of Concerta but it is so expensive I wonder if there is a more cost effective combination that would deliver a similar or slightly higher dose… I take a 54mg & an 18 mg each AM. The cost of an 18mg pill of concerta is similar to the 54mg pill. 72mg/d costs about $260 US a month!
Do any of the other long acting meds come in a one pill doses that are similar to 72mg of Concerta? Are any of the other long acting med combinations that are more affordable? Have you ever combined a 54mg/d concerta dose with methaphenidate 5 or 10 mg 3x/d dose so a patient can have an adult dose for less cost?
August 7th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Frank and Greg,
- I don’t know if the FDA will ever approve higher than 72 mg for adults with ADHD. This more likely has to do with the company - i.e. is it worth the expense of applying to the FDA to get approval for a higher dose? I don’t know the answer to that…
- Regarding cost of 72 mg of Concerta - it can either be 2 x 36 mg tablets, or a 54 mg with an 18 mg. I think the cost is about the same. When it comes to the ‘new generation’ ADHD medications - in general, each tablet/capsule is around the same price, and it gets much more expensive when you have to take two of them. I don’t have any experience with Vyvanse (because it hasn’t made it to Canada yet), but Adderall XR seems to be better at getting 1 dose to work rather than needing two pills. i.e. Concerta 72 mg may work out to be around Adderall XR 25 mg or 30 mg. You can ask your doctor about that.
THanks for contributing to this blog,
Dr. Kenny
p.s. you can also join great ADHD discussions at http://www.adhdworld.com
October 6th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Concerta: Approved For Adult ADHD | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
Sounds like this might be a good idea for a new medication. Well, Ortho-MacNeil thought so. And the result is CONCERTA, a new timed-release drug for not only adults with ADHD, but children as well….
October 6th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Concerta: Approved For Adult ADHD…
Sounds like this might be a good idea for a new medication. Well, Ortho-MacNeil thought so. And the result is CONCERTA, a new timed-release drug for not only adults with ADHD, but children as well….
October 6th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Concerta: Approved For Adult ADHD | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
Sounds like this might be a good idea for a new medication. Well, Ortho-MacNeil thought so. And the result is CONCERTA, a new timed-release drug for not only adults with ADHD, but children as well….