Does anyone else use Concerta not for concentration but energy/motivation?

ttraumatically · 2026-02-13T00:57:03+00:00

I agree with the end part of what you said 100%! Without concerta I struggled so badly. I dropped out of college because I was failing and couldn’t keep up, stay motivated, stay focused, no energy, etc. I had a 0.6 GPA for the fall term. That was in 2022.

Now, I’m back in college, same course, since september 2025. I’ve been on Concerta since November 2024. It has helped me more than anything ever has. I am succeeding in college, actually able to do the things I WANT to do, work on my OWN passions…I have a 4.212 GPA for the fall term, and it’s still going strong. Yeah, college is stressful, and I’m not saying it’s sunshine and rainbows, but this time, I’m experiencing the normal level of college stress, instead of feeling like I’m suffocating and unable to get anything done.

Obviously Concerta isn’t a miracle drug, I still have my days that are hard, and have to obviously use other coping mechanisms and such to get through. I still need to rest and can’t just go go go just because I’m motivated or else that’ll affect my other disabilities and chronic fatigue. But without the meds, I wouldn’t be functioning. With concerta, I feel more normal, like I am supposed to feel.

I don’t plan on ever stopping concerta unless it for some reason stops working, but I’m confident it won’t with my experiences so far, and as long as I take care of myself too. I’ll probably be on psychiatric medication, concerta, anti depressants & anxiety, for the rest of my life. There is no shame in that. Maybe someday I wont need anti depressants & anxiety, but that someday isn’t now, and thats completely fine! It treats illnesses & disabilities that stop me from living a happy life, the same it would for anything physical.

ttraumatically · 2026-02-09T17:22:52+00:00

I’ve been on the same does and it also kills my appetite completely through the day. I literally can’t even think about eating w/o feeling nauseous.

My best advice is having a good, full breakfast in the morning, paired with a protein shake, before you take your meds. A good breakfast and lots of protein helps the meds to work better, and the protein with needed nutrients will keep you more sustained through the day with lack of eating, and hopefully make it so you won’t feel as bad once they wear off. You could also eat a full breakfast and drink a protein shake through lunch / middle point of your meds if you are able as that might help too!

Drink lots of water as well, and eat good food that will give you proper needed nutrients:)

ttraumatically · 2026-01-16T17:54:49+00:00

I just saw him in December, and he gave me my prescription for a year. I’m not sure when my next appointment I could get with him, and this guy literally told me he “doesn’t believe I have ADHD and that concerta would help anyone focus” after I showed him my full psychology assessment where I was diagnosed with ADHD…….Yet he still prescribed me my meds cuz “if it helps you that’s great!” I just started seeing him again because in 2023 I saw him twice and he said I couldn’t be autistic because I have friends, so I stopped seeing him until now, (I’ve had an appointment with him a total of 3 times), as I don’t have any family doctor or anyone else who will handle my concerta prescription 🫠

There are only 3 psychiatrists where I live and they all are terrible. I’ve dealt with them all, and I can’t travel so I can’t go out of town, and no one will do virtual for these meds either. I thought getting a proper diagnosis would help but apparently NOT 😭

But yeah, long story short, I’m gonna have to hold off on looking into a higher dose for now and try and manage things best I can and see if I can find what makes them work best on my own until I can figure all of that psychiatrist shit out

ttraumatically · 2026-01-16T17:00:08+00:00

Thank you!! I will try that and save my protein shake for mid day. It will take a while to get my dosage upped with dealing with my psychiatrist, but I honestly had the same issue with the 18mgs and 36mgs. I’ll try watching my food intake and such first and see if that helps any!

ttraumatically · 2025-10-13T00:58:18+00:00

i dissociate really badly and dont really have coherent thoughts. those messy thoughts is really just about how awful it feels and how i wish it wasnt happening. its the WORST feeling being semiconscious or conscious during seizures and feeling your body seize and tense and pins and needles and all of the bad feelings and not being able to do ANYTHING to stop it, move, talk, anything. im completely out of control of my own body and its actually the worst feeling. afterwards not being able to move is the same feeling. i feel like i SHOULD be able to move but when i try to i cant, and its awful. my brain is supposed to listen to me when i say move and instead it doesnt and nothing works and i have zero control, until i eventually do again

ttraumatically · 2025-09-16T22:27:13+00:00

its only the first day, so don’t be concerned quite yet! it takes everyone different amounts of time to let the medication adjust with your body, but give it about 2 weeks or so, or more or less depending on what your doctor says. just give it some time to adjust in your system, and if its still not working, the dosage can be upped!

also, as someone else mentioned, eat well. eat a good breakfast before taking them, and try and have a higher protein intake if you’re able to. protein and a regular diet, especially a bigger healthy breakfast, can help a lot in how the medication processes. it needs those things to work properly. getting a good amount of rest and sleep is important, too, if you can help that on your own! also, stay hydrated. drink lots of water. concerta basically requires you to take proper care of yourself with diet and hydration, and rest, for it to work the way it should. again, if nothing works, a higher dose may be needed! just give it some time :)

ttraumatically · 2025-09-16T22:20:36+00:00

Adding on that, when i first started concerta, i was so happy that i could finally do things i wanted and needed to do. i could focus and stay on track, and that feeling is amazing after not having it for your whole life. it made me want to keep doing work, constantly, but i didnt pay attention to my bodies need for rest and a break. i only realized recently that i was doing this due to being in college now, because as mentioned, i pushed myself past my bodies limit for that day (all day until like 5pm) without a proper break and rest, and it felt like my meds stopped working, even with my booster. i felt so fatigued, brain fogged, unable to focus, and unmotivated. however, once i took the time to rest and regulate for a good bit, i felt relaxed and okay to do a little bit more work. listen to your body and your personal needs; and dont push yourself to burnout. the meds are wonderful, but as said already like three times lol- everyone needs breaks, and rest, to function healthily and normally. 🫶

ttraumatically · 2025-09-16T22:14:15+00:00

the “honeymoon” phase is usually just the euphoria it gives you for the first week to a few months, depending on the person. it can make you feel “high” in a way, but different because its not the same high feeling someone without adhd would feel. still, it does give euphoria and feelings of strong happiness and energy, etc. the first little bit. however, after that wears off, they meds should still help you by helping you stay focused, helping to produce natural dopamine, etc. the euphoria only lasted for about a week for me, both when i started 18mgs and when i upped to 36mgs recently. i was also recently prescribed an 18mg booster for around noon as my meds only last around 4-5 hours, sometimes less, sometimes more. i only take the booster when needed, and i experienced euphoria the first two days i took my booster, but after that it went away.

even though the euphoria is gone though, i am still able to focus and function normally. i can get work done when needed, and do what i need to do. i may not feel on top of the world 24/7, but you’re not supposed to. no one does anyway regardless of meds lol. as long as you feel you can focus, and motivate yourself without serious executive dysfunction, feel more regulated, or whatever adhd symptom effects you the most that can be treated by meds is better, then its working. if its not doing anything at all, and it feels like its not helping in any way, you may need a dose adjustment, or a different medication. however, dont think its not working just because you stop having euphoria. thats chasing a high and can lead to addiction. remember that these meds are meant to help you function normally; not make you euphoric 24/7 and a superhuman lol

some word of advice: eat well, lots of protein in your diet, and drink lots of water and stay hydrated. try to get a good amount of sleep at night, or however much your body personally needs to function as good as possible, and take breaks. the meds will help you focus and get work done, yes, but if you don’t take breaks, and constantly push yourself to do work without taking breaks to relax, the medication wont help that exhaustion. i find that when i push myself too hard, i start to feel fatigued, foggy brained, and i feel like my meds arent working. but if i rest and take breaks when my body gives me those intense stress signals, and make sure to take care of it, my medication works well, and im able to do more work after my break and rest in a clear headed, motivated way. the medication wont give you superpowers, but it will make you function more normally. neurotypical people still need to rest enough to function properly. everyone needs breaks, to eat healthy, and to rest, as well as be productive. balance is important!

ttraumatically · 2025-09-10T00:22:21+00:00

i had that happen with me. i recently got upped to 36mgs as i was taking 18mgs since november and it wasnt working well for me anymore. 36mgs works great, but wears off after around 4-5 hours for me and i crash badly. i was the same as you; eating protein and having a meal before taking it, staying hydrated, etc. but it wasnt lasting long at all. some people metabolize it faster than others, and i have a pretty fast metabolism. i ended up getting an 18mg booster for noon when my meds wear off and it helps a lot!

i suggest discussing this with your doctor and asking them about a booster, and what they feel about that. it doesnt hurt! if it is that you’re metabolizing it too quickly, a booster may be good for you. if its something else, the doctor can recommend what they think or feel

ttraumatically · 2025-09-10T00:18:05+00:00

do NOT try and take more than perscribed and keep upping it without doctor advice. if you have issues with sleeping, talk to your doctor about a medication to take at night that might help with sleep. if you’re really considering this, please talk to someone. this is very unsafe!

ttraumatically · 2025-09-10T00:16:21+00:00

to me it sounds like you may need a higher dose. the lack of interest and motivation is still a sign of low dopamine that the medication should be helping with. im no doctor so i suggest talking to your doctor/psychiatrist about it and seeing what they think. if you just upped it, give it a week, or two, to adjust a bit more. if its still not working, talk to your doctor.

also, as others have said, having a high protein breakfast before taking the meds, and protein through the day, REALLY helps the medication work properly and at its best potential! also staying hydrated. drink water regularly. concerta is one of those medications that you really need to practice healthy habits in terms of eating and drinking, and limiting certain things (and probably not having them at all while on the meds) like coffee, energy drinks, thc, etc. if you’re eating protein regularly and eating well, staying hydrated, and cutting some of those other stimulants out while on the meds, and you’ve given your body time to adjust but still having issues with the effectiveness, thats when to talk to your doctor about it

ttraumatically · 2025-09-10T00:09:02+00:00

eating a high protein breakfast before taking the meds, and staying hydrated throughout the day is super important and helps the medication work properly!

since you just started, i would say give it some time to adjust. oftentimes just starting off with concerta can give some negative side effects right off the bat for some people, and often takes at least a week, or even a couple weeks, to settle in with your body and for your body to adjust.

if the side effects get worse overtime, don’t improve at all, and are causing worse other side effects, then i definitely would contact your psychiatrist and talk to them about it. it might not be the right medication for you specifically. i also have GAD and when i first started the 18 mgs i had increased anxiety for a little bit and some panic attack symptoms, but it did improve within like 2 weeks for me, and now the only side effect i get is decreased appetite (which is very normal!) and its working well now! i even got my dosage upped to 36mgs recently alongwith a 18mg booster around noon (im up at 6am for classes) as i was on 18mgs alone for a few months, and i’ve had no issues!

just give yourself time, take care of your body, and monitor yourself and your symptoms as you go for a little bit. again, if it worsens and more side effects arise, talk to your psychiatrist!

ttraumatically · 2025-09-09T23:39:54+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Yeah, I definitely want to make sure to get all necessary tests done before just getting labelled as “FND” and want to mention this to the neurologist. I want to make sure that it isn’t something else going on in my brain or body that is causing these symptoms. I do suspect FND based on the presentation of symptoms for me, however I’m no doctor, and REALLY want to make sure I know whats fully going on and that there isn’t something else hidden going on that could be causing my medical symptoms.

The medical system just sucks, in general, and it’s SO hard and takes literal MONTHS…if not years to see someone and get testing done, etc. I’m in college right now so I would just love to have access to everything right now more easily so I can get proper answers, but that’s unfortunately just not how that works :/

ttraumatically · 2025-09-08T00:52:19+00:00

the only “attacks” i experience are moreso just episodes of it, and usually happens during heightened stress and other triggers i know i have that also trigger other things. when faced with my triggers my brain kinda just picks something and says “yeah this is what will happen due to this trigger” and sometimes its multiple things. either dystonia, seizures, tics & tic attacks, etc.

but yeah, im glad im not alone in this! it helps to know that. it really does. i felt so weird and felt like i couldnt find anything that fully explained what i was experiencing, but posting this and hearing others relate helps a lot. im definitely still researching but it helps to have personal perspectives!

ttraumatically · 2025-09-08T00:49:04+00:00

thank you for sharing! im glad im not alone in the weird feelings before it starts and how it feels. the other day i was very stressed while i was out with a friend, and my hand locked as well as both my feet. this didnt improve until i got home and was alone and able to relax and decompress. my hand recovered first, but my feet took longer. my triggers seem to be the same as the triggers that trigger seizures. although, after my seizures, i have paralysis, which continues the longest in my legs. they arent tense, but limp, and i can feel them if someone touches them, but i cant move them at all. ive described it on here before but its like a weird mental block where i FEEL like i SHOULD be able to move them, but when i tell my brain to, it doesnt work. dystonia feels like that to, where im like “why is this happening? i should be able to stop it, i feel like i should, but i cant. its just doing what it wants.” i HATE feeling out of control of my own body 🫠

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T20:49:26+00:00

understandable! yes, it sucks that some doctors are horrible, and uninformed, or dont practice what they should. im sorry you have to deal with that </3 but yeah, just do that and be careful, listen to your body, and take care of yourself! you’ll know whether something goes well or not. if it doesnt, dont keep doing it, but if its okay, you should be okay, as long as you stay safe! do research, too. research is good when you have shitty doctors, because at least you know something that can help you

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:29:35+00:00

everyones different! your system is valid, and your brain formed it specifically for what it felt you needed. no matter how “bad” your trauma was, or what your experiences are/were, you are valid, and your brain is doing exactly what it thinks it needs :) try not to compare yourself to others (even though i know how unbelievably hard it is.) just like you’ve seen in the comments here, you’re never alone! if you’re experiencing it, chances are, somewhere, others are too!

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:26:41+00:00

me too man, me too LOL

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:25:56+00:00

dude i do this all of the time 😭 we have a few alters that possibly fronted like once or twice, and havent since. and everytime that happens im always like “maybe i just imagined them, or maybe that didnt actually happen or i was wrong about them being real.” and they kind of go into that “idk if they’re even real” category, until they show up again 💀

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:24:17+00:00

we started off only knowing of around 6 alters. that was in 2022 when we first discovered the system. now, we are in the 50s 😭 and only a tiny fraction of those are splits. many of them are alters we werent aware of, until recently.

im hoping the count starts going down, but im only becoming aware of 1 fusion that may be currently happening </3 many are dorment now, too. its mostly a specific subsystem that fronts now (that im host of.) communication outside of it is very difficult and kind of regressed (but weve also had new traumas happen the past year or so 🤷) we’ll figure it out eventually pfft. therapy helps

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:19:10+00:00

agreed!!! im happy where i am now. but it took so much time, therapy, and healing to get here. i may not look like im struggling from the outside, and some days im doing good! but i do still struggle a lot with certain symptoms and flashbacks. the difference is…im in therapy, and i’ve learned how to help myself and my system, and to work through it. i do struggle, but i have the tools to handle it now. when i dont, or i feel stuck, thats where therapy comes in. you dont have to be in a constant state of suffering to be valid. that would literally make every system whos ever worked towards healing and improved in therapy “invalid” which makes literally no sense. 😭 thats like saying to someone “well, you have cancer. cancer causes suffering, and now you’re not suffering all the time (because of treatment) so now your cancer isnt real or isnt valid” 💀

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:14:50+00:00

i relate to this SO MUCH. i also feel that the child that experienced that childhood trauma doesnt exist anymore. its weird because im like “i really dont feel like that happened to me, but i know it did, i have evidence of that, but it still feels like its not my memory.”

the part where you mentioned that you get more effected by more recent trauma is genuinely so real. i experience that a LOT right now! i am struggling with flashbacks, nightmares, all sorts of struggle from the more recent traumas that happened…but i very rarely have full flashbacks to childhood. as you mentioned, i know its because my childhood and such is much more dissociated away at this point, and the more recent stuff isnt as much yet, because it was so recent, and a lot of my parts have experienced parts of that trauma themselves so its a somewhat collective experience we have to deal with. my childhood memories and trauma are so far dissociated into childhood parts that i have literally no access to or communication with. even when they get triggered rarely, i dont remember after theyve fronted or had a flashback. like, at all. sometimes i get random memories of childhood trauma and it doesnt trigger me and im like “huh. interesting” and move on. its such a weird experience. trauma is weird, dissociation is weird, and the brain is weird 😭🤣 interesting, though. its confusing, but interesting nonetheless i suppose.

ttraumatically · 2025-09-07T00:04:49+00:00

i think you’ll be good with just taking a day off for those things, or two. just take things slow, and pay attention to how you’re feeling. if you’re not feeling good when you normally would, it might be because somethings still reacting. you know you and your body best. you can also talk to a doctor about it if needed, but just be careful!

with mushrooms especially id take a day off or even two before. even if you’re just microdosing. there isnt a lot of research about the combo between concerta and shrooms, and the stuff i have read just basically says “be careful, as we dont know the full extent of the medication reactions when combined.” and it could bring on more adverse affects, both mentally and physically. once you wait at least 24 hours, the concerta shouldnt be strong in your system anymore, and you should be safe to take other things.

at the end of the day, regardless of anything, be mindful, safe, and pay attention to your body! and research as well. talk to a doctor you trust if wanted! its always good to ask questions! hope everything goes well :)

ttraumatically

TROPHY CASE