I had gastric bypass in 2009. I have been on Ritalin IR 20mg twice a day but they wear off so quickly. However I don t want to take more than 2 per day. We are now doing an experiment where I m going to take a 36mg Concerta in the morning and then a 20mg IR Ritalin when it wears off. The Concerta is much more expensive, I don t have health insurance so unless it worKS wonders I ll just have to go back to only the IR. With gastric bypass most ER meds don t get the full effect. I know I ll get the first dose but who knows about the rest. I have had the Dr tell me I m more likely to get more of medication if I take it on a full stomach but the pharmacist said the exact opposite and I really don t know what s the best way to take it in terms of food to hopefully get as much out of the dose out of it as possible. Any suggestions?