Posted by Bekka H. on April 2, 2002, at 1:13:48
In reply to Re: 10 mg Dex bid = ?? Dexedrine Spansules-3 Beers, posted by Hattree on April 1, 2002, at 13:59:31
> > > If only they made Dexedrine in a Concerta-like formulation.
>
> What do you mean by that, Bekka? How are they different?************************************************
Hi Hattree.
How ya doin'? Even though dextroamphetamine is better for me mood-wise than methylphenidate, Concerta is the smoothest, most consistent, and most sustained of all the stims I've taken. I haven't yet tried Adderall XR, although I am curious about it. The main problem I have with Concerta is that it doesn't peak for about 6 or 8 hours, but that's true of most of the sustained release preparations. I have a problem with that because I'm not a "morning person," so I find I do better with immediate release meds in the morning, just to overcome my morning inertia. I'm like a big SLUG in the morning!
I haven't taken Dex Spansules in quite a while, but I might re-try them soon. When I did take them, they felt very inconsistent. I'll have to double check this, but I think I remember reading that the Dex Spansules release the med twice throughout the day. In other words, there are two "pulses" of the med being released, and that's it, instead of true sustained, continuous release.
I've also tried Metadate CD. That's also methylphenidate, but yet another sustained release version marketed by a different company from the one that makes Concerta. Metadate CD was better for me in the morning because it has an earlier peak, but it pooped out after about 8 hours, and the last few hours were horrid for me. Ritalin causes very bad rebound for me, but on immediate release Ritalin, the rebound is quite precipitous and is soon overwith. On Metadate CD, however, even though I felt good early in the day, once the blood levels start to decline (at around 5-6 hours), I go through several hours of sustained rebound instead of getting the rebound overwith all at once. That's just how I responded. Others may do well on it. On Concerta, I didn't have much rebound at all. It lasts longer, and I'm not aware of too much wearing off or rebound. For me, Concerta lasts about 10+ hours. For others it lasts 12 hours.
I have several problems with Concerta:
1) It's not as good for my mood as Dex.
2) It peaks too late in the day to help me with my morning inertia.
3) It's available in multiples of 18mg, and I find that 36mg is not enough for me, but 54 feels like too much.Other than those three problems, I would say that Concerta feels like the best "designed" medicine I've ever taken.
poster:Bekka H.
thread:100525
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020327/msgs/101406.html