Do you have experience with Concerta? If so, please tell us about it here.
15 Replies to “Acne: Concerta Side Effect?”
I started taking 36mg of Concerta and didn’t have any problems with acne, but as soon as I increased to 54mg I started breaking out on my face and chest. It was a lot of little red pimples with whiteheads. I’m using cleanser that has salicylic acid, but it’s not helping.
I have been talking concerta 54mg for about 3/4months now, my concentration is incredible and my days are way more productive since taking it. I’m 17 and female, since taking the medication I have been getting breakouts, a couple of pimples and whiteheads and got more each week I would now say I have acne, since taking the medication. The whole way through school I was always complemented on how clear my skin was (and was something I took for granted) my sister has incredibly clear imperfection free skin and so did my mother in her teens and now. I now hate leaving the house and socializing due to my acne but I need to keep taking the medication so I can continue to do my studies as I am at a crucial stage in my life with my school work, so to me, not taking the medication isn’t an option but continuing to get acne is absolutely killing my self esteeme, my dad got up close to my face last night and goes what’s wrong with your skin. The second I got to my room I cried and cried. My self esteem is so low.
I’m feeling so stuck because I need to continue to take the medication but these side effects are terrible.. Especially when having acne is something I’ve never had before letta loan even having more than one pimple on my face was something rare! To me prior to taking the medication
My life has hit an all time low
I took a low dosage of concerta since 2nd grade, until i switched to a high dosage in 6th grade this is when acne started. it left my face in 7th grade and moved to my back. 8th grade it spread to my chest, then in 9th grade it began to leave scars. i now have horrible scars covering my back and chest. I stooped concerta in 9th grade, but had to take another medicine to get rid of the acne. my chest and back is peppered with horrible scars, my self esteem is horribly low, but I have started concerta again, to help my grade. i am getting acne again on my legs, but i figure my chances to get a date are already as low as they will go, but I need my grades. i figure my chances of getting a date is as low as it can get, and i need to focus on grades, but it seems to me that you have can choose. grades, or look and self esteem. the scars are awful, but so are bad grades. Acne isn’t the only side effect of course, I am also paranoid, and have trust issues. When there is a strange taste in water, the first thing that I think is that it has been poisoned. I constantly think I am being followed, but now I just ignore those thoughts. But it can get scary, when you think that God is trying to kill you ( I had a week of that, it was awful) I honestly think that i am forever alone, and will never get a date. my body is scared, my mind is twisted and I am most likely insane,but I NEEED good grades. this is up to you, but just know that you have been warned. I really hope that this helped, I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went had go through without knowing what they are getting them selves into. Your post was a year ago, there is still time.
Bridgette, I just stumbled across your blurb while trying to figure out some information on acne breakouts and ADHD medications. In some ways I can definitely understand your hardships between the medication & the breakouts, I’ve been having similar issues myself, I use a treatment called ” TAZORAC” it’s very powerful for spots or you can mix it with a non scent moisturizer like lubiderm, It’s not on shelves or anything I get mine from a local place that does facepeels ect. But I’m sure you can get a prescription from your doctor, it’s fantasic definitely worth looking into 🙂 also I gotta be honest and say that the minor side-effects of my concerta dose is by far worth it, the positive definitely outweight the negatives especially in the long run, school is breeze now, I’ve been able to control my impulses, I’m not half as frustrated with others around me, my thinking is controlled and logical.. Basically for a person with many characteristics of ADHD the medication is a blessing especially in the long run, and that’s a huge part of understanding you mental state of mind for now, you have to outweight the pros / cons, so just try to stay positive abit of acne really sucks but I bet your kickin ass with your grades 🙂 so just remember that the adjustment really takes time, months actually !! So be patient and don’t worry, you’ll come around in many ways soon enough and be riding that high !! It actually took me 2 times to realize that the medication was worthwhile !!!
I’ve been up all night reading about the different types of meds for ADHD, the side effects and benefits. I have tried concerta and dexedrine and I don’t get very much side effects or target effects. The way it’s explained to me is I’m what they refer to as a high metabolizer. The enzyme CYP2D6 metabolizes any foreign or unusual substances that enter the cell. Medications usually have a CYP2D6 inhibitor so the enzyme doesn’t continuously dispose of the meds. Being a high metabolizer means I need a much higher dose to get the required effects. I started real low on conceta and within a week I increased my does to 108 mg. Being 125 lb’s and on 108 mgs is walking on dangerous territory, considering your body is receiving a good chunk of that, which my body doesn’t. After 2 weeks of Concerta I switched over to Dex and yesterday was my third time trying that out. I started at 5 mg twice a day and I would up the dose every time by 5 mg. Yesterday afternoon I tried 20 mg and I still go nothing done. Interestingly, the target affects begin to kick in usually around the time the medication has worn off. I was able to study several times on 90 and 108 mgs, but only 8+ hours after I’ve taken the pill. The difference that I noticed was the Dex has kept me up for 2 consecutive days, whereas with the concerta I would wake up several times at night and go back to sleep. I’ve been up for a little more than 24 hours now and before then I slept 2 hours the morning after having not slept all night.
On top of all this is pimples. I’m not one to look often in the mirror, usually when I wake up to wash my face and before going to bed is when I would look in the mirror. Every so often I might get 1 pimple here and there, but that’s it. I have never in my life gotten 3 pimples on my face at the same time, ever! I easily got a dozen pimples on my face in less than 2 weeks. And for some unusual reason, there’s is very little information on acne and amphetamines or methylphenidates.
I don’t know what did it, but after I read this post I decided I don’t want to go through with this anymore! I haven’t even been trying this whole thing out for less than a month now and it hasn’t been consistently either. And reading about people who have been taking these drugs for 8-20 years of their lives didn’t scare me enough. I’ve had ADHD my whole life and just 2 years ago I was diagnosed. I’ve been managing for 25 years without it and I’m sure I can finish up this last year and graduate without it as well!
Bridgette, you’re only 17, so young and fresh and have your whole life ahead of you. It’s far much better to take whatever time you require to accomplish your goals on your own and stay healthy rather than finish everything at the expected pace and destroy yourself! “The second I got to my room I cried and cried. My self esteem is so low.” Nothing is worth your happiness, not even life itself! Just remember, “The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph!”
I took concerta when I was younger like bcack in high school. I’m almost 26 and went back onto it the 54mg and since then having big breakouts and they are super annoying. Most are on my chin and on my neck (all around). I normally only breakout around the time of the month and stress times but not having either of them right now. It’s aggravating and thinking of changing meds ag
I started taking 54 mg of conerta back in August. I loved being on concerta but a month into taking the pill I broke out horrendously. The concerta caused me to start picking at my skin and by mid september my pimples turned into infections. By November, I realized that concerta was causing my severe cystic acne. I started drinking water day and night and the acne calmed down some what. The healing process for my acne infection was horrible, I had to wear bandaids over my face to class for two weeks, I was constantly being asked if I had contracted herpes on my face. It was a really embarrassing experience, I have always had beautiful skin, so this experience has definitely humbled me. I am a junior in college and my GPA last semester was a 4.0 due to taking concerta. During christmas break, i completely stopped taking the pill, but once january rolled around I knew i had to start taking it again. I went back to taking it everyday, but my skin broke out after the first week and a half. I am completely off the pill now. The negative side effects of this pill are not worth it. My attention span since being off the pill has gone back to being horrible, but I’d rather not have horrendous skin at such a young age, and I do not want my face to scar. I wish there was something I could do about my ADHD.
I’m 16 and I have been taking concerta for 10 years at the most. I started out on 18mg and eventually moved up to 36mg. then all of a sudden they jacked me all the way up to 72mg, which happened when I was 13. It wasn’t until then that I started getting acne, and it was tiny blackheads and pimples EVERYWHERE! For other reasons they lowered me down to 54mg when I was 14, but the acne just lingered. It’s been two years since the doc put me on 54mg, but the acne is worse than ever!!! But hey, you know what, things like that are only temporary, and in 10 years thats not going to matter anyway. You’ll get through it , trust me. It won’t last forever.
I started taking Concerta 36-54mg (depending on time of year and school) sophomore year of high school.ive always had acne spots here and there but Sophomore year of college I started getting huge cysts everywhere and i attribute it all to concerta. My doctor didn’t believe me but when I went on drug holidays over winter and summer breaks my face would clear up for the most part. Instead of taking the drug every single day I started taking it every other day and weaning off of it because I couldn’t take the breakouts it caused me!!!
i have the same red pimple on my chest, i have one theory that it may be the lactose i am no doctor but i know that milk has lactose in and drinking milk can cause acne. if this is any help. if any one knows how to get rid of them would be hugely grateful!
My son is on 36mg in the morning and 27mg in the afternoon of taking concerta, he went to camp and only took his meds onces, my Question is he broke out wirh what looks like acne…is this normal??
I was prescribed to 37 mg of Concerta for the entirety of last month. I had horrible side effects anyway, not to mention the breakouts it caused on my face. I thought about my regimen and nothing was different except for the Concerta. My face was clear before starting Concerta. I was able to return back to my Adderall yesterday and I already feel so much better. I’ve never had a breakout this bad since I was in middle school, which was well over a decade ago. I also got a scaley patch of dry skin at the top of my forehead? If you’re breaking out like I did from Concerta, then there’s definitely an ingredient or ingredients in it that you’re allergic to. I would not recommend Concerta to anyone.
I started to take Concerta a few months ago at the age of 30 just being diagnosed with adhd. Concerta made a massive difference to me especially with my concentration and mood.
However a few months in I have bad acne which I haven’t had since I was a teenager. The Concerta is the only thing that has changed in my life in the last few months and after reading this thread makes sense.
I went private for my adhd treatments and am not overjoyed at the thought of trialling another medication for seven months and how much this will cost.
To everyone above who has experienced acne due to Concerta how long did it take for the spots to clear after stopping Concerta? It’s so bad that I have started to become self conscious for the first time in my life And it’s really affecting my professional life. Any tips?
ok so im 14 and I just started taking concerta 54 mg and after about 2 days my face started to break out with blackheads everywhere someone please help me asap
I started taking 36mg of Concerta and didn’t have any problems with acne, but as soon as I increased to 54mg I started breaking out on my face and chest. It was a lot of little red pimples with whiteheads. I’m using cleanser that has salicylic acid, but it’s not helping.
I have been talking concerta 54mg for about 3/4months now, my concentration is incredible and my days are way more productive since taking it. I’m 17 and female, since taking the medication I have been getting breakouts, a couple of pimples and whiteheads and got more each week I would now say I have acne, since taking the medication. The whole way through school I was always complemented on how clear my skin was (and was something I took for granted) my sister has incredibly clear imperfection free skin and so did my mother in her teens and now. I now hate leaving the house and socializing due to my acne but I need to keep taking the medication so I can continue to do my studies as I am at a crucial stage in my life with my school work, so to me, not taking the medication isn’t an option but continuing to get acne is absolutely killing my self esteeme, my dad got up close to my face last night and goes what’s wrong with your skin. The second I got to my room I cried and cried. My self esteem is so low.
I’m feeling so stuck because I need to continue to take the medication but these side effects are terrible.. Especially when having acne is something I’ve never had before letta loan even having more than one pimple on my face was something rare! To me prior to taking the medication
My life has hit an all time low
I took a low dosage of concerta since 2nd grade, until i switched to a high dosage in 6th grade this is when acne started. it left my face in 7th grade and moved to my back. 8th grade it spread to my chest, then in 9th grade it began to leave scars. i now have horrible scars covering my back and chest. I stooped concerta in 9th grade, but had to take another medicine to get rid of the acne. my chest and back is peppered with horrible scars, my self esteem is horribly low, but I have started concerta again, to help my grade. i am getting acne again on my legs, but i figure my chances to get a date are already as low as they will go, but I need my grades. i figure my chances of getting a date is as low as it can get, and i need to focus on grades, but it seems to me that you have can choose. grades, or look and self esteem. the scars are awful, but so are bad grades. Acne isn’t the only side effect of course, I am also paranoid, and have trust issues. When there is a strange taste in water, the first thing that I think is that it has been poisoned. I constantly think I am being followed, but now I just ignore those thoughts. But it can get scary, when you think that God is trying to kill you ( I had a week of that, it was awful) I honestly think that i am forever alone, and will never get a date. my body is scared, my mind is twisted and I am most likely insane,but I NEEED good grades. this is up to you, but just know that you have been warned. I really hope that this helped, I don’t want anyone else to go through what I went had go through without knowing what they are getting them selves into. Your post was a year ago, there is still time.
you can try lactase, the enzime to see if it helps
Bridgette, I just stumbled across your blurb while trying to figure out some information on acne breakouts and ADHD medications. In some ways I can definitely understand your hardships between the medication & the breakouts, I’ve been having similar issues myself, I use a treatment called ” TAZORAC” it’s very powerful for spots or you can mix it with a non scent moisturizer like lubiderm, It’s not on shelves or anything I get mine from a local place that does facepeels ect. But I’m sure you can get a prescription from your doctor, it’s fantasic definitely worth looking into 🙂 also I gotta be honest and say that the minor side-effects of my concerta dose is by far worth it, the positive definitely outweight the negatives especially in the long run, school is breeze now, I’ve been able to control my impulses, I’m not half as frustrated with others around me, my thinking is controlled and logical.. Basically for a person with many characteristics of ADHD the medication is a blessing especially in the long run, and that’s a huge part of understanding you mental state of mind for now, you have to outweight the pros / cons, so just try to stay positive abit of acne really sucks but I bet your kickin ass with your grades 🙂 so just remember that the adjustment really takes time, months actually !! So be patient and don’t worry, you’ll come around in many ways soon enough and be riding that high !! It actually took me 2 times to realize that the medication was worthwhile !!!
I’ve been up all night reading about the different types of meds for ADHD, the side effects and benefits. I have tried concerta and dexedrine and I don’t get very much side effects or target effects. The way it’s explained to me is I’m what they refer to as a high metabolizer. The enzyme CYP2D6 metabolizes any foreign or unusual substances that enter the cell. Medications usually have a CYP2D6 inhibitor so the enzyme doesn’t continuously dispose of the meds. Being a high metabolizer means I need a much higher dose to get the required effects. I started real low on conceta and within a week I increased my does to 108 mg. Being 125 lb’s and on 108 mgs is walking on dangerous territory, considering your body is receiving a good chunk of that, which my body doesn’t. After 2 weeks of Concerta I switched over to Dex and yesterday was my third time trying that out. I started at 5 mg twice a day and I would up the dose every time by 5 mg. Yesterday afternoon I tried 20 mg and I still go nothing done. Interestingly, the target affects begin to kick in usually around the time the medication has worn off. I was able to study several times on 90 and 108 mgs, but only 8+ hours after I’ve taken the pill. The difference that I noticed was the Dex has kept me up for 2 consecutive days, whereas with the concerta I would wake up several times at night and go back to sleep. I’ve been up for a little more than 24 hours now and before then I slept 2 hours the morning after having not slept all night.
On top of all this is pimples. I’m not one to look often in the mirror, usually when I wake up to wash my face and before going to bed is when I would look in the mirror. Every so often I might get 1 pimple here and there, but that’s it. I have never in my life gotten 3 pimples on my face at the same time, ever! I easily got a dozen pimples on my face in less than 2 weeks. And for some unusual reason, there’s is very little information on acne and amphetamines or methylphenidates.
I don’t know what did it, but after I read this post I decided I don’t want to go through with this anymore! I haven’t even been trying this whole thing out for less than a month now and it hasn’t been consistently either. And reading about people who have been taking these drugs for 8-20 years of their lives didn’t scare me enough. I’ve had ADHD my whole life and just 2 years ago I was diagnosed. I’ve been managing for 25 years without it and I’m sure I can finish up this last year and graduate without it as well!
Bridgette, you’re only 17, so young and fresh and have your whole life ahead of you. It’s far much better to take whatever time you require to accomplish your goals on your own and stay healthy rather than finish everything at the expected pace and destroy yourself! “The second I got to my room I cried and cried. My self esteem is so low.” Nothing is worth your happiness, not even life itself! Just remember, “The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph!”
I took concerta when I was younger like bcack in high school. I’m almost 26 and went back onto it the 54mg and since then having big breakouts and they are super annoying. Most are on my chin and on my neck (all around). I normally only breakout around the time of the month and stress times but not having either of them right now. It’s aggravating and thinking of changing meds ag
I started taking 54 mg of conerta back in August. I loved being on concerta but a month into taking the pill I broke out horrendously. The concerta caused me to start picking at my skin and by mid september my pimples turned into infections. By November, I realized that concerta was causing my severe cystic acne. I started drinking water day and night and the acne calmed down some what. The healing process for my acne infection was horrible, I had to wear bandaids over my face to class for two weeks, I was constantly being asked if I had contracted herpes on my face. It was a really embarrassing experience, I have always had beautiful skin, so this experience has definitely humbled me. I am a junior in college and my GPA last semester was a 4.0 due to taking concerta. During christmas break, i completely stopped taking the pill, but once january rolled around I knew i had to start taking it again. I went back to taking it everyday, but my skin broke out after the first week and a half. I am completely off the pill now. The negative side effects of this pill are not worth it. My attention span since being off the pill has gone back to being horrible, but I’d rather not have horrendous skin at such a young age, and I do not want my face to scar. I wish there was something I could do about my ADHD.
I’m 16 and I have been taking concerta for 10 years at the most. I started out on 18mg and eventually moved up to 36mg. then all of a sudden they jacked me all the way up to 72mg, which happened when I was 13. It wasn’t until then that I started getting acne, and it was tiny blackheads and pimples EVERYWHERE! For other reasons they lowered me down to 54mg when I was 14, but the acne just lingered. It’s been two years since the doc put me on 54mg, but the acne is worse than ever!!! But hey, you know what, things like that are only temporary, and in 10 years thats not going to matter anyway. You’ll get through it , trust me. It won’t last forever.
I started taking Concerta 36-54mg (depending on time of year and school) sophomore year of high school.ive always had acne spots here and there but Sophomore year of college I started getting huge cysts everywhere and i attribute it all to concerta. My doctor didn’t believe me but when I went on drug holidays over winter and summer breaks my face would clear up for the most part. Instead of taking the drug every single day I started taking it every other day and weaning off of it because I couldn’t take the breakouts it caused me!!!
i have the same red pimple on my chest, i have one theory that it may be the lactose i am no doctor but i know that milk has lactose in and drinking milk can cause acne. if this is any help. if any one knows how to get rid of them would be hugely grateful!
My son is on 36mg in the morning and 27mg in the afternoon of taking concerta, he went to camp and only took his meds onces, my Question is he broke out wirh what looks like acne…is this normal??
I was prescribed to 37 mg of Concerta for the entirety of last month. I had horrible side effects anyway, not to mention the breakouts it caused on my face. I thought about my regimen and nothing was different except for the Concerta. My face was clear before starting Concerta. I was able to return back to my Adderall yesterday and I already feel so much better. I’ve never had a breakout this bad since I was in middle school, which was well over a decade ago. I also got a scaley patch of dry skin at the top of my forehead? If you’re breaking out like I did from Concerta, then there’s definitely an ingredient or ingredients in it that you’re allergic to. I would not recommend Concerta to anyone.
I started to take Concerta a few months ago at the age of 30 just being diagnosed with adhd. Concerta made a massive difference to me especially with my concentration and mood.
However a few months in I have bad acne which I haven’t had since I was a teenager. The Concerta is the only thing that has changed in my life in the last few months and after reading this thread makes sense.
I went private for my adhd treatments and am not overjoyed at the thought of trialling another medication for seven months and how much this will cost.
To everyone above who has experienced acne due to Concerta how long did it take for the spots to clear after stopping Concerta? It’s so bad that I have started to become self conscious for the first time in my life And it’s really affecting my professional life. Any tips?
ok so im 14 and I just started taking concerta 54 mg and after about 2 days my face started to break out with blackheads everywhere someone please help me asap