My son is on concerta and has done much better ifocusing in schoo...

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.

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...

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.

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.