Concerta - Day 4

Yesterday was great. Sure, I wasted time on something unimportant, but I was completely focused on that task, which is a start. And, generally speaking, I felt a lot of energy and focus throughout the day.

Today feels okay. I have been productive so far. But I haven't planned my day, which I need to do to make sure I don't spend too long on any given task. As the psychiatrist who prescribed Concerta said, medication can't make decisions for me. That's my job.

But I can confirm that sleep helps a lot. I'm pretty sure that more sleep (slept 7 hours) would have given me even more energy and focus. Although, this is true regardless of Concerta's influence.

Concerta - Day 3

Sleep helps tremendously. Last night, I slept over 9 hours and, today, I felt very focused. In fact, I still do, I assume because I took Concerta later than usual, around 10am.

My brain seems to be on fire today. I had a few good ideas and made several interesting connections, which is unusual, although perhaps usual on 9 hours of sleep. The only downside I noticed is that I spent a long time working on something unimportant. I got so absorbed. And I was fascinated with myself for being so focused and able to solve problems.

So, the lesson is to focus on what's important. And, first, to set a daily agenda!

Tonight, I will try to sleep at least 7.5 hours so that I have enough energy tomorrow and can see if sleep helps as much as it seems. If tomorrow isn't productive, then Tuesday I will try another 18mg.

Concerta - Day 2

I definitely feel a slight buzz, for lack of a better word, this morning. Now, I have had coffee, but coffee doesn't feel like this, at least as far as I can remember. I feel a pleasant, slightly energetic feeling.

And I definitely feel focused. I'm not veering as much as I usually do or getting caught in diversions and, after, wondering where the time went. It feels good.

Then again, it's not even noon yet. I still have nearly a whole day ahead. As usual, I'll report back later if I feel any different or notice something else.

Oh, and I did not take piracetam this morning. But I did last night before bed. It seems to intensify dreams and, since Concerta has worn off by then, there isn't fear of negative interaction.

Also, holy crap, it's October!

Concerta - Day 1

This morning, I started Concerta, 18mg, at 7am. It takes around an hour to kick in. I found this fascinating explanation of how this complicated, extended-release pill works. You might need to read it a few times. Brilliant!

I haven't felt much of anything yet. I might be feeling more focused; I'm not sure. Of course, last night was one of the worst nights of sleep I've had in a while. Before bed, I drank more than 8oz of water mixed with casein protein to help rebuild muscle after last night's workout. Bad idea. I woke up three times to pee, from 2-4am. I tend not to sleep well, anyway, when I'm nervous about something, as I was last night about starting Concerta, so I don't expect to see much benefit from Concerta today.

Oh, I decided to take a low 1g dose of piracetam around 8:30am, as a precautionary measure. I've read that suddenly stopping piracetam can lead to headaches. And, as a rule, I think it's best to stop anything gradually but also as quickly as possible. Also, again, Medscape shows no adverse effects of combining piracetam with Concerta. Yes, I realize that I have not attended med school and that self-treatment can be harmful, but I have also taken a lot of time to educate myself about both substances and I am doing what I think and feel is best for my body and brain and emotional stability on a Friday with poor sleep.

I will continue to post any observations I have about the effects of Concerta today. My guess is that I won't feel much, but who knows? It might just work!

Update at 11:17am
So far, I've noticed:

• More attention to background noise
• Slightly less focus
• More sensitivity to sound

My guess is that the first two are symptoms of poor sleep. I could use a nap. But I suspect that I might feel even more tired without Concerta. I feel somewhat more alert than I would expect to be.

Sensitivity to sound is unexpected, although this could also be an effect of poor sleep that I've never noticed before.

Concerta

This morning, I went to see a psychiatrist about ADD. She told me that I definitely have ADHD (I distinguish between ADD and ADHD because, by her facial expressions, she seemed to clearly suspect hyperactivity, along with impulsiveness and risk-taking) and prescribed Concerta, 18mg to start. Unfortunately, at the CVS pharmacy, I was told that Medco, which handles my prescription insurance, requires the doctor to fax back written authorization specifying that Concerta has been prescribed for ADD.

She said I can take another 18mg pill after 2-3 days if I don't see improvement. I asked about side effects and how I would know if it's working as well as when I've taken too much. She said side effects include loss of appetite and sleeplessness, I will know it's working if I can focus for extended periods (although, she pointed out, deciding what to focus on is my call), and I will know it's too much if I feel jittery and/or a racing heart, conditions that shouldn't last more than about half an hour.

I told her that I am taking piracetam, which I gather from her expression she had never heard of, and 5-HTP, which she clearly had. After prescribing Concerta, she told me to stop taking everything else. I assume vitamins are okay.

I also asked about caffeine and she said that it's okay but I might not want as much of it, since the attention-enhancing effects of caffeine will hopefully be replaced by Concerta's. I will take her advice. But I feel compelled to mention that WebMD's Medscape website indicates that I should expect no adverse reactions when combining Concerta with piracetam. So, it might be okay to take both, but I will play it safe and maybe try a lose dose of piracetam with Concerta later if Concerta helps. I think each works on a different pathway or mechanism in the brain.