My son developed an eye twitch while taking Concerta

[MommaMichele630]

My son developed an eye twitching while taking Concerta.  I immediately removed him off the medication and am wondering if the twitching will subside with time?  I feel awful that this is happening and would like to try and help him.

[jbrookes]

how long did it take for your heavy blinking and ticks to go away my daughter is on concerta and kids in school are starting to make fun of her!!!!

[Jdeg]

Thank you so much for that.  Its rare to hear from a person with add/adhd with their expieriances with the medicaions. I wanted to take my son off of concerta, due to ticks, but now you've given me something else to think about. This means more research for me but its worth it when it comes to my son.

[Jdeg]

Thank you so much for that.  Its rare to hear from a person with add/adhd with their expieriances with the medicaions. I wanted to take my son off of concerta, due to ticks, but now you've given me something else to think about. This means more research for me but its worth it when it comes to my son.

[shelb05]

I used to think the way you do about teachers and my son. However, one day he started crying and asked why he couldn't learn like other kids. When I talked to him I realized that he meant he couldn't pay attention. Honesty, I didn't want him pulled into the "resource room" as you suggest - this is for kids who have bigger learning issues. My boy just had no attention span. After several months of working with meds (I suggest you see a psychiatrist - NOT your regular doctor) he found the right one and did better.

Funny thing, his older brother found out he was ADD at age 19 when he couldn't study in college like his roommates. He takes ADD meds and told us that if he had been on them in high school he would have done way better and would have more scholarships with fewer loans.

Don't be a cop-out and blame the teachers. Be a parent and take care of the problem.

[Sandman2]

   Nice comments.  I agree with you.  Although all kids and all stim meds effect kids differently - so sometimes it takes some experimentation to find the right one.  So, I probably would have suggested talking to the doctor and finding a better fit - med wise.  But, kind of think she will try a different route for awhile.

[Sandman2]

   I hope that you are doing more for your child then just stopping meds.  Frankly, the schools are not going to be to helpful without some guidance by you.  I suggest you buy the book, "The ADD/ ADHD Answer book," by Susan Ashley.  It will give you lots of non medicine ways to help your child at home and at school.  

[Jessibelll]

Hi, I am 16 years old and have been on concerta for almost a year. I know all about the ticks because I got the same thing, even blinking, clearing my throat, and rolling my eyes constantly. My mom and I were worried about this at first, but I stayed on the meds. The ticks eventually went away along with all the other side affects. I have no permanent damage and to be honest I am so glad I stayed on the concerta, i am focused and my head is more clear than it's ever been. If you give it time the side affects do wear off and eventually your child may not even have to take it anymore(:
As for just stopping it, I would highly go against that. You should not feel stupid for trying to help your child, my mom felt the same way until she saw that I was getting better. Just stopping the meds can have very bad withdrawals, I would know. And I do agree that we shouldn't rely on medication, someday I hope to be med free. But medicine is to treat the symptoms until the cause is found and cured. Treating the symptom is just as important.
Hope this helped and I wouldn't completely mark out concerta because of some ticks. The ticks go away and the results are fully worth it, at least with my experience.
Hope this helped(:

[wits26]

I agree with you sonyaincanada my son has been on concerta for 2 months he has been blinking and squinting a lot - I was told they are actually ticks. I am so angry at the moment that I was stupid enough to give Concerta to my son because his grade one teacher had troubles keeping him focussed. I will not be giving him anymore meds for ADD. If the school system has issues then they need to deal with it. THe problem is that some old school teachers dont want to offer differentiated instruction" or Resource" to help kids wo arent AKA normal or usual they want to squeeze them into a box so to speak so then their job is easier.
Parents in Canada say NO to medication and let Teachers work for their ridiculous amount of money they recieve. Its there job to teach everyone not just the easy" kids.

[sonyaincanada]

My son has tried Ritalin, Dexodrine and Concerta. All have made him tic, but the concerta tics seem to last longer. He has been off for two weeks and although the neck jutting out has stopped, the clearing of the throat has not.  I have removed him off all medication and am convinced the pros of the medicine DOES NOT out weigh the cons. Be careful parents! Make sure you do your research before placing your children on medication.

[mistyo2]

I would love to talk to you more about ADHD. My son is 9 yrs old and has been on Concerta for several months now. His tics are making my husband and I very nervous. My son is starting to get upset that someone at school will see him and make fun of him, he has asked me to stop taking the medication and I have told him I will talk to his doctor this week. I am considering taking him off of it and I am worried he will suffer in school with his grades and socializing. He was diagnosed at 5 and I have been thru two doctors because they don't tell you everything they should!! Any help would be appreciated!!

[Melissa0116]

I am glad it lessened a little, that is a good sign.  It will take the body and him time to get rid of the habit of the tick as well as to clear the body of the medication.  He is used to feeling the tick so he may still feel the urge to do it.  Also, if he has any anxiety whatsoever; he may still do the eye twitching.  My son; when he gets upset; still does the clearing of his throat and we have to tell him about it so he can try to stop.  This usually helps.  Give it some time and let me know how he is doing.  I know that it is really hard to see your child go through this.  I understand and know how you are feeling.  I am just happy that you pointed this out and posted the information so that others can be aware of the side effects of these meds.  I wish I would have found this site back when my son was diagnosed with ADHD so that I would have been more aware of the problems associated with the meds.  Doctors do not explain this and statistics do not help either.  Good Luck and GOD BLESS!

[MommaMichele630]

hi melissa - it has seemed to lessen but not much!!  Im hoping you are right!

[Melissa0116]

Yes, this tick will definitely go away.  My son had a similar thing happen while he was on concerta.  He started clearing his throat constantly.  After about 6 - 8 months off the med, he was back to normal.  He then went on Adderall and lost over 40 lbs, extremely thin, and also the ticks continued.  I ended up putting him on Vyvanse 30mg extremely low dose and he has been doing fine.  He has been taking Vyvanse for 1 year.  I took concerta and ended up going off due to severe headaches.  Also, just something that you may want to read is a book called The IQ Answer- Maximizing your child's potential (Family centered action plans to help children struggling with: ADD, Learning disabilities and low academic performance)  by Dr. Frank Lawlis and another book he wrote called The ADD Answer.  He gives specific vitamins and food that children with ADD and ADHD should take to help with the symptoms.  Any questions please let me know.  

Melissa