When to take Ritalin? | ADHD Information

Your doctor should have told you how often to take your meds....unless you didn't obtain the pills from a doctor. In either case, I would probably recommend taking an extended release or sustained formula. You won't have to deal with the peaks and troughs of the medication and should get a more consistent "outcome" As far as the quick release, you should be able to tell when you are in need of the next dosage. Pay attention to how long it typically takes for your medicine to start working and how long it seems to last. Then, figure out an approximate schedule; taking your second dosage with enough time for it to "kick-in" before your previous dose has worn off. I still highly recommend a longer-acting formula and would recommend you talking to your doctor about it.

Thanks for the info. The prescription is legal :)
My dr. told me twice a day, in the morning hours, which for me is about 11am and afternoon - around 3-4 I think. I'm on a kinda reverse schedule and stay up until about 3-4am, so mine is a bit different than most people.

It just seems that 2 doses aren't enough to last all day. I definitely see what you mean about the highs/lows of Ritalin, only 2 days now and I think I have a pretty good feeling of how it's doing (and it's working GREAT when it works). My doc did mention the longer lasting versions, but I think he wanted to try these short-acting ones first just to see a) if it even worked, and b) to see how much it would take to be effective. I think on my next visit he'll probably give me an extended release one is my guess.

Any opinions on what extended release versions work the best and what I should ask for? Seems there are lots of choices. Also, I've read about many posts that say generic forms of these specific meds aren't as effective - is this usually true? I'm on a bunch of other meds and of course would like to save money; but not in place of being effective. How many times a day is a normal dosing of one of the longer-acting meds taken (twice daily it seems to be...about 6-8 hours apart?).

With my current twice daily schedule, it just doesn't seem to cover the hours needed. I'm just a bit afraid to ask for more since it's a controlled substance, but it doesn't seem like it'll work very well without at least 3, probably 4 doses a day. Is there any way past getting a completely new prescription each month? Or do I have to go see my dr. *every* month now to get a new prescription? What a pain :)

Do they ever hand out like 3 month prescriptions instead? Sorry for the thousand questions, I'm just completely confused with this new ADD thing. Thank you all, hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks :)

Hi just wanted to say that Medication works differently on individuals - my son has been on medications for 7 years, here in New Zealand we have very limited funded medication Ritilin / rubifin .

my son  now 14 takes 40 ml ritilin SR but still requires a 10 ml instant @ midday, he recently tried Concerta which is unfunded here in NZ - I had heard such great feedback that we gave it a go - unfortunatly it just wasn't as affective so we have returned to Ritilin.  He obviously has a very quick metabolism and his need for medication can also be dependent on the different daily stresses - on days of high stress he will increase his meds and on less stressful days he will decrease - over the years he has become the best at juggling his med needs

good luck

I know that every 4 hours I have to take my ritalinWhat is a normal schedule for adults (not in school) to take Ritalin with a twice/daily prescription? Is 4-5 hours inbetween enough/too much? Thanks again I am not sure, but I know when I started my son on Dexamphetamine , the doctor said its affects start to wane after 4-5 hours - so it sounds about right.

Sorry I haven't checked the forum in awhile!! I don't know if you're still curious, but I'll respond just in case. Unfortunately, they do not hand out 3 month prescriptions because it is a controlled substance. Although it would be soooo much nicer if they did!!

As for the extended release formulas, they only need to be taken once a day, which is why they are so convenient!! You just take them in the morning and they are on a time-released formula so that you get medication throughout the day. Because you are currently on ritalin and not adderall, I would recommend going with an extended release form of methylphenidate. There are a variety of choices, like you said, however, Concerta is the longest-acting. If you were to take Concerta, you would only need the one dose. However, there are also other "long-acting" formulas to choose from, but typically don't last quite as many hours.

Generic forms of ritalin and adderall are available and also cost much less. Many people do say that they aren't quite as effective or reliable as the Name-brand drugs, which is why many choose to just stay with the more expensive. I am personally on Adderall XR and there is not a generic form available for it, so for me I guess it's not really a problem. Although, I have been on generic forms of both adderall and ritalin. In the end, it just came down to what worked best for me, and it just happened to be the Adderall XR.

Hope things are going well! Sorry it took so long to respond to your questions.