The Protein Myth!
Hello everyone. I've (35 M) started Concerta two years ago. It helped me a lot and made a huge change in my life, but the road was not easy and smooth. For some reason, I am sensitive to Concerta. In the first year, I could not increase the dose beyond 18 mg because of the side effects (very horrible anxiety). Now I am on 45 mg. It is still not optimal and the only way to make it "work again" is taking the weekends off.
I wrote this background for you to understand the urge to optimize my dose through other means like diet etc. However, I've found that the biggest myth (for me) is eating rich-protein meal in the morning. There are no scientific studies supporting this idea, but it is running like fire. For me, it is the opposite. After 2 years, I've learnt that the best thing for me is to take it on an almost empty stomach (light breakfast). So, when I eat rich-protein breakfast, I feel more tiered and less focused. I wonder if it is true and I am the outlier or is it some placebo effect?!
My friend told me that this idea can be biased because people who are like me will not talk about it, so I am only hearing the positive stories. What do you think? If you are taking Concerta, is protein really helping you?
Also, water doesn't matter. It doesn't make any difference at all!
I will add more about my experience:
- Days off is the biggest reset.
- Empty stomach (or light breakfast).
- I tend to believe that sugar has bad effect (sometimes it increases side effects and decrease beneficial effects!)
- Timing is important. It should be regular. I also feel early time is much better.
- Stress is the biggest enemy. It flips the focus to some kind of anxiety.
- Productive schedule. When I am productive this boost the positivity.