# Ritalin



## 1Ak (Nov 23, 2009)

Have any of you that have serious DP, ever tried ritalin?
When I use it when I play a game or something requiring strategy and thinking it makes my heart beat really fast and have panic attacks, other times when I just sit there, I daze off and think about nothing, what about you?


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## peachy (Feb 9, 2008)

i've tried adderall and adderall xr. i used to love it cause it gave me a sense of self and made me interested in doing things but now i realize the crashes are too bad to be worth taking it in the end. i only take it when i have a big paper to write. do you like the ritalin? do you experience any side effects or crashes from it?


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## 1Ak (Nov 23, 2009)

Yeah, whenit starts to wear off sometimes, depression, or anger.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

I take Concerta (an extended release form of methylphenidate) and it is awesome. Granted, I usually only take it once or twice a week, and mostly when I need to get up early and need to focus; for instance, back when I was in uni, I had a 8:30 AM organic chemistry lab that I couldn't get through without methylphenidate. Every lab I took in uni required working fast while paying close attention to detail, hence the utility of MPH.

Taking this drug mitigates my cognitive symptoms (like poor short-term, "brain fog", lack of attention and low energy) to the point where I could finish my undergrad, and am now able to work. (If anyone is following my life, I'm taking a year to work on improving my academic CV by getting field-specific experience, and plan to begin graduate studies in Fall of 2010. At least, that's the plan.)

My view on the use of nootropics (so called Smart Drugs) is fine as long as it is used in moderation, and have a legitimate reason. For instance, MPH is prescribed to some cancer patients to improve cognitive function and give energy, and prescribed alongside an antidepressant to get a person up and about.)

Stimulants aren't for everybody in this forum, since they can have many adverse reactions including DP/DR, but for those of us who use MPH/l- & d-amp without incidence it is an effective means of treating DP/DR.


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## 1Ak (Nov 23, 2009)

Yeah, nicely said.

I wish I had some right now..


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

My doc wont give me any stimulant like Concerta Ritalin Adderal etc because I have anxiety in my diagnosis. It sucks because I really think I could benefit from them at times. Especially since I do not respond to antidepressants and I feel like my brain is working on 0.5% of its capacity, bordering on unconsciousness. And I mean, its not like I dont have Klonopin Xanax etc for anxiety.


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## 1Ak (Nov 23, 2009)

Yeah, I think I have depression now also... I'm not sure.

I act happy around people.. but when I'm alone my true self comes out... I fall apart, keeping everything bottled up inside... I found while im on most types of drugs this goes away.


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## KJE33 (Nov 11, 2009)

it just made me extremely agitated and thats about it


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## nabber (Feb 13, 2009)

Would mixing adderall with an ssri, mood stabalizer, benzo's (and ambien at night) be smart? I thought about adderall in the morning with my 1mg of klonopin to get me going. I feel sedated all the time, I don't have much drive anymore.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

nabber said:


> Would mixing adderall with an ssri, mood stabalizer, benzo's (and ambien at night) be smart? I thought about adderall in the morning with my 1mg of klonopin to get me going. I feel sedated all the time, I don't have much drive anymore.


Well, my psychiatrist sees nothing wrong with that combo. Actually, all that and toss in a narcotic and that's what I'm on at the moment.


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

a narcotic?


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

oxycodone


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## nabber (Feb 13, 2009)

Absentis said:


> nabber said:
> 
> 
> > Would mixing adderall with an ssri, mood stabalizer, benzo's (and ambien at night) be smart? I thought about adderall in the morning with my 1mg of klonopin to get me going. I feel sedated all the time, I don't have much drive anymore.
> ...


I have my monthly checkup this week and I'm going to ask for adderall. If it can get me out of the dumps i'm really excited about it. I've felt overly sedated for over a year, to the point where if i'm not at work I'll sleep for fourteen hours a day, and have no desire to get out and enjoy all the fun things in life.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

nabber said:


> I have my monthly checkup this week and I'm going to ask for adderall.


Unless you have an excellent relationship with your doc, s/he may see your request as drug seeking behaviour, especially if you ask for an amphetamine by name. You may want to try something less potent first then work your way up. For instance, ask for modafinil or wellbutrin(as either one isn't viewed as recreational) in order to foster the idea that you're open to any option that will help you. Going straight for an amphetamine may cause your doctor to revert to mistrust taught in med school.


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

I have forgotten the html-code for making links like that Absentis, care to enlighten me?


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Inzom said:


> I have forgotten the html-code for making links like that Absentis, care to enlighten me?




```
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil]modafinil[/url]
```


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

lol, and here I was thinking along the lines of A=HREF and that kind of thing, man I really need to brush up on my HTML/XHTML. And with brush up I mean learn all over again.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Take a look above the area in which you're typing your response. There's a row of buttons that supply the appropriate tags for modifying your reply. Place your cursor over the buttons and the code should appear. (There's no need for memorizing anything, haha.)


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

Oh really there is a row of buttons that supply the appropriate tags for modifying your reply? I hadnt noticed after my 1000+ posts  just kidding, and tnx for the tip.


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

Btw Absentis, would you agree with me that it was lack of judgement and/or lack of knowledge and possibly even misconduct when my psychiatrist prescribed me Lyrica (Pregabalin) while also having me on Klonopin (Clonazepam) and possibly Xanax, Oxazepam, and Valium (I dont remember if I was taking these at the time) as Pregabalin greatly potentiates benzodiazepines and other CNR-depressants? I had to go to the ER. I am asking because I just recently found out about this fact about Lyrica/Pregabalin and I have always wondered why I had such a severe reaction to it.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Hey now. People tend to ignore things they see a lot by unconsciously filtering out this "background noise", so I figured a reminder wouldn't hurt. *pouts*

As for that drug-drug interaction, I must confess I didn't know anything about pregabalin so I had to check a drug reference. I could only find it in my newest one (Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses 11th ed. if you're interested) so there's the possibility that there was ignorance due to its recent approval because it'ss hard for docs to stay current. The reference clearly warns that there is an increased risk of CNS depression when taken with benzodiazepines, but this could mean anything from a single person in clinical trials experienced it, to a substantial amount of people in the clinical trial experienced it. One would need to look at the FDA data to find out how much of risk it is.

The monograph doesn't state that the combination is contraindicated, however, so there's room for a physician's discretion. Kinda like mixing a benzo with alcohol. It usually ends up fine, although recommended against for good reason since there's the possibility of a blackout. (I learned that lesson the hard way). So your doc may have deemed the therapeutic value outweighed the risk.

The most telling element occurs at the pharmacy. It is a pharmacist's job to prevent patients from taking contraindicated medications, and so they won't dispense medications with bad drug-drug interactions. So if you filled all your prescriptions at the same pharmacy it would have been flagged if it was truly a bad combination. At the very least they should warn you about potential interactions (like how they may place "Do not mix with alcohol" stickers on narcotics) or give a verbal warning.

So I don't think this was a case of medical malpractice because it isn't contraindicated. Ignorance? Perhaps. If you weren't warned at the pharmacy, then the knowledge simply wasn't available to your prescribing physician. All too often the medical community finds out about the harmful effects of drugs after they've caused harm to patients.

Wait a sec, I just re-read your post and saw that she had you on four benzos? I hope that's not the case.


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