Hi Joanne
It does seem very strange that they have an e number in the drug and the fact that they don't seem to have their maths worked out on the dossage for your son !!!!
However, my son did change quite happily from Ritalin to Concerta. He was on 30mg Ritalin then went onto 36mg Concerta (he was 15 yrs old then). It's a while ago now but I am fairly sure he had to have 18mg for the first week before going up to the 36mg tablets therafter. It did take a little while for him to re-adjust to the new medication but not too long.
I kept my son's diet additive free (and free of other foods that he could not tollerate) from when he was about 4 yrs. It became harder as he got older, especially once he started secondary school and had access to the school tuck shop and other shops on the way home from school. As a mum you just know when they have eaten something that they shouldn't have !! Some things I found he started to get a tollerance for (in small doses) ie: tomatoes and a few small peices of fruit occasionally, which would have sent him completely hyper when he was younger. Maybe he learnt to tollerate the small quantity of E321 in the Concerta?? I am not sure. The Concerta definitely helped my son, did not make him Hyper and it was much easier for him to only have to worry about 1 tablet per day instead of 3. Perhaps the dosage is not quite right for your son as they have dropped it down 7mg or maybe he is just settling down with the new drug?
Sorry I can't come up with anything more definite for you. Hope you get it sorted for him soon.
Good Luck
Anj

Hi Anj,
Thanks for your reply,his consultant phoned me back yesterday and has agreed to him going on 36mg as of today. This morning i gave him the 36mg of Concerta and the difference was amazing,he was much calmer,not fighting with his sister and sat peacefully for an hour and half while on computer, and you could have a conversation with him.
His consultant explained that 18mg of concerta was = to 15mg of Ritalin, which explain how he had been for last 3 days,he was used to 25mg Ritalin, and 36mg of concerta is = to 30mg Ritalin.
Anyway sanity has once again resumed and he is happy as i have let him play outside today,no way was he going out there yesterday lol.
Dayle is due to start high school in sept and he will stay on packed lunches as school dinners contain far to many additives and E numbers. I just wish the goverment would change how school dinners are done, cause i have heard many a teacher say that in the afternoon the kids in there school seem so much worse.

Anyway many thanks for your reply,and i wish you continued success with your son.
Not sure i am looking forward to Dayle hitting his teens lol just have to see how it goes.

Thanks
Joanne ( who is much today )

hi my son started on 18mg concerta and at first he went worse when went back they increased it to 36mg this was amazing when i could get him to take it he was only 11 he seemed to have so much concentration but his agression was worse i took him back and they increased it again to 56mg and put himon risperodol he is so much better i can compromise more with him and he knows how much better he feels i do worry about the dose but am assured it is not harmful