Is Concerta and Prozac safe to take together?

[zoeg]

Hello! I'm 15 and female, for context. 

I've heard a lot of people say that concerta and prozac can cause cancer or Alzheimer's. I took 30-40 ml of prozac for about 2 years and have been prescribed 50 ml in the past 1 year. I started taking 27 ml of concerta maybe about a month ago, and I suppose it has helped, but I'm really scared of the side effects. I have asperger's syndrome as well as anxiety and ADD. (Yeah, a lot, I know)

I noticed that ever since I started concerta, I've been slightly paranoid about car crashes. I also sometimes wonder if there's side effects to my medication that my doctor isn't telling me about. I think I've always had pretty shaky hands, but I've been noticing it more since starting prozac. 

I'm just very worried that my meds are clashing and will make me sicker in the long-run, and I can't find any recent articles about this. Thanks! 

[healthy11]

Zoeg, first I'd like to welcome you to our forum. I'm one of the moderators, but unfortunately I don't have first-hand experience with Concerta/Prozac. Since our forum is strictly "volunteer," it's difficult to tell how many other members familiar with that medication combination will see your post and respond directly. I did find this conversation on another forum: www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128951

As far as your concern about car crashes, I'm wondering if the Concerta is simply helping you to be more attentive to your surroundings, and the reality that a lot of 15 and 16-year-olds are starting to take driving lessons and getting their permits and licenses, so it IS a rather scary time (for parents, too.) In some ways, I worry more about teens who think driving is fun, and a "rite of passage," or a "means of freedom," rather than a privilege that comes with responsibilities. There are plenty of kids who wait until they're older to learn to drive, and that's okay, too.

While it's not what you initially asked, I thought this information might be helpful to you, too:

www.popsugar.com/moms/Dad-X-Plan-Help-Teens-Escape-Peer-Pressure-Situations-43236330 mentions a way to help teens get out of potentially difficult social situations, with a minimum of embarrassment. The example given is one where a young person might find themselves at a party, for example, where underage drinking is taking place. Some kids might feel peer pressure to "join in" or else get teased for not being "cool," or not want to ride with someone who has been partying, etc. As an alternative, one family's solution is to have a pre-arranged code (texting just the letter "X") to a parent or older sibling, who then calls the teen back, using a pre-rehearsed script:

When the phone is answered, the conversation goes like this: 'Hello?'
'Something's come up and I have to come get you right now.'
'What happened?'
'I'll tell you when I get there. Be ready to leave in five minutes. I'm on my way.'
At that point, the teen tells his friends that something's happened at home, someone is coming to get him, and he has to leave. In short, he has a way out; at the same time, there's no pressure on him to open himself to any social ridicule.