ahem.

"There is no body of evidence available from controlled trials to indicate how long the patient with ADHD should be treated with CONCERTA®. It is generally agreed, however, that pharmacological treatment of ADHD may be needed for extended periods.

The effectiveness of CONCERTA® for long-term use, i.e., for more than 7 weeks, has not been systematically evaluated in controlled trials. The physician who elects to use CONCERTA® for extended periods in patients with ADHD should periodically re-evaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient with trials off medication to assess the functioning without pharmacotherapy. Improvement may be sustained when the drug is either temporarily or permanently discontinued."


So just to clarify: the treatment of my disorder may require long-term pharmacological treatment. However, we have no idea if these pharmacological treatments continue to be effective over a long-term period of time. In fact after 7 weeks (that's not even 2 months) effectiveness is clinically unknown and purely anecdotal.

I have been taking 36mg of Concerta every single day for the last 6 years of my life. Six years. Concerta is a sustained-release compound methylphenidate. It's more or less an amphetamine. That's speed, for the lamens out there.

I just feel like, what is the point? What is the point of all this? Telling me my disorder doesn't exist. Telling me my treatment options are unsafe.

I have no options.