I hate Ritalin | ADHD Information

Hi, I am 19 and recently I've been diagnosed with Adult ADD. Last monday I was prescribed Ritalin tablets, each 5 mg. I do like the calm and somewhat focused feeling that I get after about 1 hour it kicks in, but after about another hour or so I get this completely terrible rebound which makes me feel irritable, kill my motivation to do anything, and makes me drift completely into myselof. I have to take it three times a day. But the good and calm and concentrated feelings aren't felt the same after the second and the third dose, it might get me to the point of alertness, but I feel more agravated and withdrawn. Fortunately, I have an appointment in one week, and I hope that he will switch me. I am thinking about Adderall. From all the information that I have researched so far, Adderall seems to be the smoothest and the longest acting drug, I'd really like to try it out. 

An extended or sustained release med. may be the way to go....it helps eliminate the peaks and troughs of the immediate release-and you don't have to take them as many times throughout the day!

There are a variety of extended and sustained release meds that people can try so if you decide to go that route, don't give up after just one med...It's also possible that a different methylphenidate would work better for you, but trying the adderall is not a bad idea. Some people respond more positively to one, perhaps that is adderall for you.

I've been taking adderall and adderall xr for a few years now and find that they work well for me. I typically don't get too irritable-haha and when I do, it's probably not because of the adderall lol. Do make sure that you're getting enough sleep and eating enough...that will make your "come-downs" a little easier!

Good luck and keep us posted!....and feel free to post or pm--we'll do our best to answer your questions!

Hi,

I actually found ritalin to be more effective for me, as opposed to adderall xr so far.  Although, I'm sure you know that everyone is different but I just felt more "clear headed."  How long have you been taking ritalin and have you considered increasing the dose?  BTW, I'm going to give adderall xr a little more time but I don't feel as clear headed as I did with ritalin.  Of course, it's all about personal preference related to our body chemistry. I would first try increasing the dosage before trying adderall but of course that's just my opinion.  However, MANY people find adderall more effective!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to give my opinion on the subject matter. My son has taken both Adderall and Adderall XR and neither worked as well as the Concerta, he is now on Ritalin and he is experiencing some of the same effects of the Adderall's, for those who are wondering why the switch from Concerta if it was working so well... My son's system breaks the meds down extremely quick and he is only 12 so his physician and I both agreed that we needed to try something that would last for longer periods of time since he is still in school. The time release meds work well however he needs something that will not break down so fast.  The problem with the Concerta was that his Physician was concerned how rapidly he had to keep increasing the mg to accommodate him breaking the meds down so rapidly that within a 3 hour period of time he would need another dose. So you may want to try Concerta or some other time release med that will allow you to not feel irritated when coming down.  

I know in some way concerta and Ritalin are in the same family. My son was so much more different on concerta he didn't do as well as he does on Ritalin. I'd be interested to know why they have such a different affect! Unless I'm badly mistaken, Concerta is the same drug as Ritalin (methylphenidate).  Concerta is a SR formula.