"my 7 and 11 yr old children take 18mg and 36mg respectively. the 7 yr old also takes a 5mg methalin tab at about 3pm because she melts into a screaming pile of shattered emotions otherwise.  actually, that&#039;s how she was all the time before she started taking concerta. the 11 yr old recently increased his dose because he&#039;s getting older and bigger.  he was singing/humming/noise making in class again (which is what clued me in to a higher dose. he started taking concerta because he couldn&#039;t access information when doing homework. the information was there, he just couldn&#039;t concentrate long enough to access what he needed. very frustrating for him. he isn&#039;t hyperactive like the other child, so he was diagnosed at a later age. side effects: sleepless until 12am."