Today I took my last dose of Concerta 18mg, which is the lowest dose of my titration course, and marks two weeks on medication. Tomorrow, I will start on the 27mg tablets, so I wanted to share how my first two medicated weeks have been.
I have actually finished a book! This may not seem like a huge thing to most people, but for me, it’s a massive achievement. It has been so long since I have picked up a book and have been able to just sit and read it uninterrupted, and actually finish it without losing memory of the plot, characters, or which paragraph I’m on when I’ve read the page six times. I decided, after watching the film last week, to read The Odyssey, which I can tell you is not particularly easy to read given the dialect in which it’s written. Considering that it’s somewhat translated from Greek, and much of the language used is very repetitive throughout the book, I found it gripping and felt it was difficult to put down at times. Before watching the film, I had only known as much as my partner told me about the story and the characters involved (he’s a Greek history/mythology nerd), and given how long the film was, I found that I was able to sit all the way through it without becoming bored, agitated, or fidgety.
The past week, I have also given serious thought to learning how to drive, I have actually said the words, “I want to learn to drive” which is very unlike me! I had always feared that my brain wasn’t focused enough to be a safe driver, thinking I would be too easily distracted or too quick to anger or too impulsive to be behind the wheel of a large moving object. However, over the last couple of weeks, my brain has never felt more clear of distraction or impulsivity. I have been able to concentrate on one thing at a time. I’m even able to write these blog entries much easier because my fingers just write what my brain wants to say without my mind becoming distracted by other things and slowing me down.
I have also found that I’m not as quick to anger as I was before taking medication – and if I do feel any level of anger, it is proportionate to how others might react in a similar situation rather than being explosive and “over-reacting”. I feel like I have more patience for things, like my son’s tantrums and outbursts, or stress at work. Unfortunately, the lack of patience for stupid people cannot be medicated, it seems…
I have significantly cut down on the use of my vape and the consumption of caffeine, and I have reached by ten thousand step goal on each day I have been off work. Thus, I feel more active and more alert. I have been told by someone that I look much better than I did the last time they saw me, which is always a nice thing to hear.
I have still found it difficult to fall asleep since my last update, and still wake regularly through the night. This is something I will be raising in my first review as (though the medication gives me the energy I need for the day) I currently don’t have restful nights of sleep.
I am looking forward to finding out how the 27mg dose will differ from the 18mg. I am due to take these for the next two weeks, so I will surely update my blog again before the fortnight is out. All I can say right now is that this medication has already changed so many things that I can’t even explain, and I hope that my quality of life will only improve as I continue on the medication.
Leave a comment