# Ritalin



## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

Maybe ask the dr if you can start out with half a pill first or take one half of the pill in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Let us know how it works out.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2008)

I think Ritalin has something in it thats like speed. I wouldn't recommend it if your easily affected by caffine. It could make you anxious.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

I'm on Ritalin right now and it works amazingly. (I'm affected primarily by derealization, the same 2d world you describe, and the Ritalin takes it right away.) Also, it improved my concentration and working memory (some people call it short-term memory) to the point where I can almost say that I'm no longer adversely affected by the DP/DR.

On the same note, caffeine makes things terrible for me, but Ritalin doesn't. Bare in mind that they're different drugs, so don't expect the same results. Also, not that I'm recommending this, but I've found that I get improvements from all amphetamines (Adderall and Dexedrine) as well as cocaine. But don't do coke, that's just a bad idea. Basically, all dopamine agonists help me. (I become dizzy after taking the instant release Ritalin, so I've switched to an extended release version called Concerta. Same drug, just a different mechanism of delivery. Waaaay more expensive, but I somehow ended up with multiple drug plans, so its all free for me!  )

Just follow your doctor's directions, and I really, really hope it works as well for you as it does for me.


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## bark (Nov 7, 2005)

Bad idea!!
I have the same problem with concentration, and derealization and thought I maybe had add so maybe trying Ritalin might help......Wrong! It's a stimulant and people with dp/dr are very sensitive to stimulants. I started having panic attacks even after 5 mg's of ritalin. This was 6 months ago and I'm still in the process of getting over the attacks.


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## BobBasker (Oct 27, 2007)

Damnit, i hate that. The post above me says NO WAY DON'T DO IT, then the post right above that says DO IT IT WORKS MIRACLES. I realize they're just personal experiences and everyone is different but this is the reason i'm so afraid to take anything. I've been prescribed vyvanse (time release adderall), but i sold them because i was so afraid to try it.


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## medo (Dec 19, 2006)

Ritalin has some nasty side effects like PSYCHOSIS.


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## J. (Apr 2, 2007)

amlangela,

That was exact the samething i was wondering. I had 1 tablet of a friend of mine to try, but i didnt take it, because of the possible side effects.
If you do try it, let me know what the effects are?


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2008)

Go buzz eyed to get rid of your 2d world for a little while; who knows... maybe you'll snap out of the 2d world if you went around buzz eyed forever ever?


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

BobBasker said:


> Damnit, i hate that. The post above me says NO WAY DON'T DO IT, then the post right above that says DO IT IT WORKS MIRACLES. I realize they're just personal experiences and everyone is different but this is the reason i'm so afraid to take anything. I've been prescribed vyvanse (time release adderall), but i sold them because i was so afraid to try it.


I know this is frustrating. I've tried more drugs than I'd care to remember before I discovered what worked for me. I know that we're not all the same, so what works for me won't work for others. In the OP's case, she's under the supervision of a medical doctor so I'd very much recommend trying Ritalin. And if that doesn't work, there's an entire pharmacy to explore.



medo said:


> Ritalin has some nasty side effects like PSYCHOSIS.


Please don't fear-monger. When properly taken, methylphenidate is well tolerated by millions of people world-wide, including myself. While you're at it, you may as well start warning people about other things that have side-effects, like LIFE itself!


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## J. (Apr 2, 2007)

Absentis, did you have visual snow? 
And what where your vision symptoms?


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

J. said:


> Absentis, did you have visual snow?


Did? Unfortunately, I still do, but it' has never been severe. It's more like a shimmer rather than discrete dots floating around. And really, I only notice it when I concentrate on it, so it doesn't bother me much. Also, the amount of visual snow I have remains constant regardless if I've taken Ritalin or not.



J. said:


> And what where your vision symptoms?


The objects in the external environment looked unreal. (I know that's a poor description, but hey, its exactly how I experienced things.) Also, this was accompanied by everything looking flat and two dimensional. Also, many objects seemed very bizzare. Kinda like if you repeat a word over and over until it loses meaning, except this occurred with my vision. Fluorescent lights were terrible, but when I'm on Ritalin they don't effect me.

Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.


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## moonDust (May 18, 2005)

amlangela said:


> Btw, this is all on doctors prescription.


Your doctor prescribes you with Speed and Cocaine? can i get an appointment?


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

Ya you can actually. Just go to one of the million psychiatrists in the world and they will give you all you want and more.


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## J. (Apr 2, 2007)

any news yet on the ritalin topic?


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## DRyan (Jan 19, 2008)

I get a high on adderall, very motivated, very excited and optimistic for 2-3 hours and then i crash and feel the opposite. The dopamine in these types of drugs can do wonders... but for me the adderall was too quickly released into my brain and depleted soon after. Good luck.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

J. said:


> any news yet on the ritalin topic?


I'm also curious.

/bump


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## illusivlea (Apr 2, 2008)

Excuse my ignorance, but is Ritalin prescribed for dp to calm mind hyperactivity? I've only ever heard of ritalin being prescribed for ADHD. Is dp therefore kind of like an ADHD of the mind, or sometimes linked to adhd?

I have taken ritalin recreationally and I found it to have the opposite effect on me than what I anticipated (Calming rather than energising).

We had to call the cops on one of our friends once. Normally when he is drunk he is ok, but someone for some stupid reason soemone had given him ritalin and he ended up ... picking up tables and alot of other extreme and innappropriate behaviour. I wouldn't imagine that this would be a normal reaction but I think on top of the excessive alcohol consumption it might have been the ingredient that pushed him over the top?


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Okay, there are a few misconceptions that need to be cleared up.

Ritalin affects everyone the same way. It increases synaptic levels of dopamine regardless of whether or not you have "ADHD". Ritalin's behavioural effects may be a little different, however, but neurologically identical. Everyone can experience the speedy effects of Ritalin, although some require more of the drug that others. This is why some people think that a distinction exists between ADHD and non-ADHD people, but this is only at therapeutic doses. Go higher and everyone will get tweaked.

"Who has less it will give more and who have more will give it less." --- Is plain wrong. Ritalin doesn't modulate neurotransmitter levels.

Ritalin doesn't calm someone's mind down. Rather, it increases neural activity in the areas that allow a person to inhibit their thoughts/behaviour to allow them to better concentrate. It helps to think of the mind as a car. Instead of slowing down the car, it just gives the car better breaks.

Also, Ritalin (or any dopaminergic agent) mixed with alcohol is a bad idea. Its the perfect recipe for behavioral disinhibition mixed with motivation.... So people get really excited to do stupid things.

// Thank you psychopharmacology class!


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## J. (Apr 2, 2007)

What was the effect on your visual snow?
im very intrested since your symptoms are almost the same as mine.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

Ritalin will make just about everyones concentration better unless the stuff makes you too jittery to concentrate. It doesn't just improve the focus and concentration of people with ADHD it does it to everyone. People with ADHD get the same effects as everyone else from ritalin.

The same thing applies to amphetamines such as dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) and adderall (mixed amphetamine salts). Amphetamines are much more recreational then ritalin and can be very addictive for some people. These drugs are strong dopamine agonists which is why they improve concentration better then ritalin for alot of people and it's the reason they produce alot more euphoria then ritalin.

These drugs have major drawbacks. What goes up must come down and this is especially true with amphetamines. When it wears off you can become really depressed, agitated and fatigued. This is especially true if youve been over doing it on these drugs. Your brain gets depleted of dopamine and norepinephrine and this can cause awful depression as well as other mental problems especially over time.

Ritalin is less likely to cause problems then amphetamines in the long run although to be honest i don't know all that much about ritalin. Amphetamines can cause nasty side effects over time thats for sure. Some people i know have been on ritalin a long time (over 10 years) and they seem to do well on it.


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## Ludovico (Feb 9, 2007)

Ritalin is an powerful synthetic stimulant in the same class of drugs as methamphetamine. Stimulants, particularly strong ones are notorious for causing both anxiety and addiction. Anxiety is a the primary cause of Depersonalization. If the comparitively small amount of stimulant found in a cup of coffee or redbull has a strong psychoactive reaction in you, this may not be the best option. Most DP sufferers find an entirely different class of drugs called anxiolytics (or sedatives) to be much more effective in relieving the symptoms of DP. Its important to remember that anxiolytics are highly addictive as well.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

^^^ Ritalin is nowhere near as strong of a stimulant as methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is used to treat ADHD in america under the brand name desoxyn interestingly enough. But it's really prescribed, supposed to be not very good because the dose is too low and tolerance builds fast with amphetamines and is outragously expensive.

Ritalin is not a amphetamine and doesn't act on the brain like amphetamines do. It acts more like cocaine actually but is nowhere near as euphoric.

Not all stimulants are the same some cause anxiety in some people while others won't. Ive never taken ritalin or amphetamines but i have taken cocaine and my reaction to it is much different then my reaction to caffiene. Caffiene in even moderate doses can cause alot of anxiety and panic attacks in me. The worst one i ever got was from caffiene actually and i was convinced i was going to drop dead. Good cocaine had never made me jittery and it's effects are somewhat mellow. Crap coke on the otherhand makes me jittery and edgy as hell.

But i do agree that i would save these group of drugs as one of the last resorts. Benzodiazepines would be a much better and safer option but again they don't work for everyone.

Disclaimer: Cocaine is very bad for you and can cause addiction, health problems, death and worst of all repeated use can turn you into a brain dead jerk who can't shut up and who nobody likes. It's also very over rated so avoid.


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