Just started Ritalin | ADHD Information

I've just been perscribed my first drug to treat ADHD today.  I've been given 10mg pills and I'm supposed to start off by taking two of them once a day for a week and then increasing the daily dosage by two pills every week after that if I don't see results.  I've taken one pill a few hours ago and I noticed the difference within 10 minutes.  I haven't day dreamed once since I took it and now I'm able to concentrate better than I ever have before.  I also feel much happier and I don't notice what people around me are doing all the time like I used to.  Now I feel perfectly comfortable.  It's great really.  But I'm wondering if I should ask my psychiatrist to try different drugs after I meet her in a month since Ritalin is the only drug I've tried so far or should I just stick with it because it works.  I might get even better results with other drugs.Once you see what works (dose and duration), you might look at a sustained release form of the med so that you have to remember to take it less often and have fewer ups and downs. For instance, concerta is the same med as ritalin but lasts about 10-12 hours and has a pretty smooth delivery. Taking it slow during this titration period can eliminate or lessen potential side effects. It also allows the body to adjust before moving to the next dose and is very effective for finding the best dose for your needs. If the methylphenidate works for you, I would stick with that class of med, but it is all up to you and your doc. [QUOTE=vickie]Once you see what works (dose and duration), you might look at a sustained release form of the med so that you have to remember to take it less often and have fewer ups and downs. For instance, concerta is the same med as ritalin but lasts about 10-12 hours and has a pretty smooth delivery. Taking it slow during this titration period can eliminate or lessen potential side effects. It also allows the body to adjust before moving to the next dose and is very effective for finding the best dose for your needs. If the methylphenidate works for you, I would stick with that class of med, but it is all up to you and your doc.[/QUOTE]

He perscribed the quick release form of Ritalin which is the methylphenidate.  I found that after a few hours the effects wore off and now I'm back to the way I was.  I can see the benefits of having a longer lasting form of Ritalin but does longer lasting mean weaker?  As in will I have less concentration with the slow release form of the drug than I would with the quick release form?
the slow release is not "weaker". As Vickie states fr many it is "smoother", meaning less ups and downs. However, just because you have no side effects from regular release and it works well, that does not mean the extended release meds will work the same, but longer. Each med in each delivery system just metabolizes differently. You wont know until you try it. It does beat taking multiple times a day if it works though! The long acting Ritalin are Ritalin SR(8 hours), Ritalin LA (10 hours) and Concerta (12 hours) is also methylphedinate. My daughter did best on Ritalin LA.

I started on short-acting methylphenidate about three weeks ago.  This is in addition to Wellbutrin and Prozac, which I was already taking.  I had a similar response as you: worked like a dream!  NO side effects other than a little bit of dry mouth.  It felt like it was correcting a chemical deficiency and I was suddenly in balance.  I had to play with the dose for a bit until I found the one that worked the best.  That actually ended up being 10mg 3x day.

Yesterday I went back to my doc and I am switching to a longer acting form.  The main reason for this is to avoid dosing multiple times during the day.  I remember to take the meds, but timing them with meals can be problematic since I eat lunch when I can, and that can be 11am one day and 2pm the next.  I am staying within the methylphenidate family, but will be taking Focalin XR, which is DEXmethylphenidate.  My doc had a coupon so we decided to try this before Concerta.  He said Focalin is about twice as potent so my dose is cut in half (becomes 15mg once a day).  Can still take short-acting methylphenidate in the morning and afternoon if I need a little something extra.  Today is my first day on the Focalin so we'll see how that goes.

In general, I think that if something works well for you, don't mess with it.  The reason being that as time goes on, you may end up needing to increase the dose or switch meds if they lose effectiveness.  This does happen.  I figure that the more NEW options I have later, the better.  Sometimes it seems that people who jump around trying different meds have trouble with them working later.  This is not a general statement.....but it has been an issue for some.

One thing to warn you about: after a week (or few days) you will probably notice that the methylphenidate does not have as "strong" an effect - or at least you don't feel any sort of rush/abrupt calming that you get now shortly after taking it.  It is still helping.  My husband has been paying attention to how I have been doing and thinks it is certainly still having positive effect.  It still gives me the ability to control my thoughts when I need to and that is what I want.  My mind still wanders around, but now I can make it shut up and focus on the task at hand when necessary.  I am working hard at learning this skill since I have never been able to do it before.  It is easy to slip back into old habits.  I try to catch myself and come back to focus.  The meds didn't "fix" the results of being ADHD, it just fixed the part of my brain that gives me the choice to focus when I need it.  I still have to make that choice.

Good luck to you and I am happy that the meds are working well for you!!