Concerta Mood Swings, Hair Issue, Fingers, Concerta, Eyebrows
Posted over a year ago
My son is on concerta and has done much better ifocusing in school. I do see mood swings when the concerta wears off and he has been running his fingers through his hair and just told me he is pulling at the hair. Has anyone else experienced the hair issue with this?
Tkmangham - I thought I was the only one. My daughter takes concerta and just had the dosage upped. She has started pulling her eyebrows out and her hair. I didn't know if that was a side effect of the meds or what.
Masterc - Hi my name is Ed and I live in Connecticut.
I'm a male and I'm 17 years old. I take 72 Mg of Concerta daily. I experience many unwanted side-effects. The strongest most prevalent ones are being depressed and very anxious and moody. I find myself constantly throughout the day running my fingers through my hair and scratching at my scalp even though it does not itch. I pull my hair as well which makes it fall out occasionally. I hate the way this medication makes me act and feel but I can't seem to do well in school any other way. I maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and I am on the honor roll but I wouldn't be if I didn't take Concerta. It does help me concentrate and do better in school but it comes at a heavy price. Although I have been taking it for about two years I have only started looking online to see what other people had to say about it and what they felt. It makes me feel better when I realize that there are other people experiencing the same thing that I am. When I take concerta I also find myself to be much less social with people at school and at home. Here are all the negative side effects that I know for fact are associated with my Concerta usage:
- Depression (especially after school)
- Feelings of withdrawal from my family and girlfriend
- Anxiousness
- Nervousness
- Loss of appetite
- Scratching my scalp and pulling my hair (even though it does not itch)
- Cottonmouth or Dry Mouth
- Increased cases of manic stages which lead to panic attacks
- Chapped or dry, cracking lips (Lip Balm doesn't help)
- Stomach Pains
- Headaches
- Loss of interest in hobbies and fun activities
- Less energetic (more likely to sit in my room and waste time)
- More likely to argue with my girlfriend (Not my parents since they are content that I am studying and receiving good grades)
I have been noting these things for quite some time now but people that I speak to about it don't seem to take it seriously. My doctor refuses to understand the side effects that I describe to him and my parents don't see a problem with it as it only helps my academic ability. I continue taking it because my parents are very strict and punish me from any activities that I enjoy on the weekends if I don't perform well enough in school. I also take it because I enjoy doing well in school and I want to be able to get accepted to a good college; without some sort of medication my A.D.D. would prevent me from doing so. I wish that I could try other A.D.D. medications to see if they help me perform up to my ability in school without these harmful mental and physical side-effects. This has been a very stressful time in my life and I know it can be resolved, somehow.
If anybody has any advice or is or has experienced the same thing, please let me know.
My email is: eddie.bonessi@gmail.com
Thank you for reading this and I would greatly appreciate any sort of feedback regarding this issue I am experiencing...
Asoldierssweetheart - I am CONSTANTLY running my hands through my hair and picking at my scalp and now that you mention this same problem I am starting to think the concerta is the cause of my problem. I started taking the medicine in elementary school (love the medication by the way) and I started this bad habit around the same time.
Poohbear06112002 - My son is also on Concerta and he has actually been pulling out his eyelashes and his hair. I asked his doctor about it and he told me he has never known of anybody doing that because of the meds. I wasn't sure but after reading some of these stories I believe it does. I have noticed he does it more during school when he has even more to worry about thoughout the day.
Bsharper236 - HI.. i AM VERY INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT THE OUTCOME WAS. MY 14 YR OLD STARED CONCERTA A FEW WEEKS AGO AND UPED HIS DOES TO TEH 54 MG.. I HAVE NOTICED HIM MESSING WITH HIS HAIR AND TONIGHT I QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT IT AND HE SAID IT FEELS LIKE HE HAS SAND IN HIS HAIR SO I ASKED HIM TO LET ME SEE.. OMG HE HAS THESE TINY SORES ALL OVER HIS SCALP WHERE HE HAS BEEN PICKING AT HIS HAIR.. I'M CALLING DR IN AM THIS IS INSANE
Wahneda - Hi. .my son has ben on Conserta for 4 years.in the last month.i noticed a Bald Spott i asked him what happend he said he pulled his hir out i asked him y he would do that and he told me he dident know..he went to Bible school with his dad for 2 weeks and i got a call form him telling me that he did it again . im unsure why he's doing this now after 4 years ..im going Back to the Doc:s office First thing Monday morning to see whats causeing it.
Dajana - I'm a 14 year old female , I've taking concerta for approximately 5-6 years . I hate taking the medication it makes me feel REALY anti-social, im very rude to people , and I CAN'T eat! When I was on 54mg I was 125 , when I stopped taking the medication I gained about 20lbs because Im 145. NOW about the pulling the hair, I also do that. I pull my eye lashes. & its only when I take the medication. But I know I need to take this medication to keep my grades up. Good luck on finding another medication for your children.
Dajana - I'm sorry to hear about your children . I don't know if it makes ppl more OCD like. I'm 14 and I take the medication, I've been on it for maybe 5-6 yrs . Without this medication I'm EXTREMELY hyper, out of control , and I cant concentrate on my work. When I take this, I BLOCK everyone and everything out until that task is complete , and usually OVER THINK the whole situation. But about pulling out my hair, Whenever I take concerta I pull my eye lashes, which I happened to do today. ;[ I was on 54, then went down to 18 but i wanted to be more concentrated, and I took a 36mg today and its horrible. GOOD luck on your kids though.
Wings63 - i am a 47 year old woman, have taken 72mg of concerta for about 6 years now. If i'm not picking the scabs that have formed on my scalp, I was picking out the imaginary ingrown hairs on my thighs - to a point that I was very, very ashamed to be seen in a bathing suit and it has left bruises/scars. i do think this behavior is a bit OCD but hate the thought of trying something new....it's too traumatic to go through the whole process of finding something else that works.
Can hypnosis help?
Smithies - Hey everyone I'm 19 and iv been on concerta for about 5-6 years now, When I was 6 I got put on Ritalin for my add, ever since then iv been pulling out my hair, the last few years though I haven't been pulling my hair straight away, it's been more of a twist/ nott.. Then pulled out, iv also noticed that some days I have trouble getting to sleep, I like the fact that it does help me concentrate, and without it I make simple errors at work ( lack of concentration ), just though I should post this... Always thought it was just me that did it. Glad to know I'm not alone :)
Thenick - My son is 12. He was diagnosed with add in first grade. We didnt try medication until 4th grade. We've experimented with diet restrictions, avoiding dyes and food additives, making sure he gets 10+ hours of sleep a night, tutoring to learn academic strategies...All trying to avoid medication. We had him on several diff doses of Ritalin and while it helped him focus, his personality became flat. He didn't want to take it because " he wasn't fun" when he took it.
He has Bern on concert a for 7 months and he still has his personable personality and can focus on his school work. He is so much happier with his own ability to succeed academically.
But- when under more stress than usual with school and sports, he has pulled out all of his eyelashes and part of his eyebrows. We talked through it. I photographed his eyes and gave him a print out to look at when he felt the urge. His eyelashes haven't grown back from the last time and he pulled part of both eyebrows out tonight.
This is clearly related to heightened anxiety on the concerta. He goes from a child w out a care in the world (off medication) to caring so much that he worries himself into a state where he pulls his hair out.
We will experiment with other option over the summer if this side effect persists.
It does break your heart as a parent. Damned if you do, damned if u don't.
Sarah0226 - My son just started on Concerta last week and it really does seem to help control his ADHD and his focus on everything. But I have noticed that he does seem to withdraw from active conversation, activities, and that when the meds start wearing off he has massive mood swings. Also his appetite seems to have diminished a little. i haven't noticed any hair pulling or scalp scratching but want to thank everyone for their opinions and experiences. He was on Vyvanse to start and was manic and almost bipolar and wouldn't eat ANYTHING. It helps to know that there are places to go to hear what other people are experiencing and to know what to look out for.
Aquena - I'm 41, have been on Concerta for 6 months. I started compulsively scratching my scalp (I have no reason to do this) and picking at it. I told my Psychiatrist, and he said that concerta CAN have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) effects. Since I need my concerta to function otherwise, he told me to manage it behaviorally by wearing a hat or gloves or holding objects in my hand. So, if your doctor is not truthful or know the side-effects of this drug, I would seek other advice. As for the young male above who is depressed, please seek treatment for your depression in addition to your Concerta. If anyone has any negative side effects from ANY medication, please advocate for yourselves and seek the proper treatment. All doctors who prescribe medication shoukd be aware of all contraindications, side effects and latest studies on any medication they prescribe. If your doctor is ignoring you or "hasn't heard of your side-effects before". Then I would seek other professional advice from a proper physician or Psychiatrist in the case of Concerta. Good Luck to you all.
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