Anyone on ritalin please help

[Trixieandkatya]

Sorry I'm posting here for traffic, as I feel like I won't get an answer if I post elsewhere, and I'm really feeling such a state at the moment.

I was recently diagnosed with ADD and prescribed medikinet, which is basically the same as ritalin, both methylphenidate. My DS also has ADHD and has been on the same meds since september with no problems.

I took my first dose yesterday, 5mg of the fast reacting stuff, one in the morning and again in the afternoon. Initially I felt high, fast heartbeat, rapid breathing then it calmed down and I felt amazingly clear and focused and was able to engage with DS in a way that would previously have left me exhausted. Great. But this only lasted for a few hours after this I felt more and more tired, I crashed so heavily when it wore off, and worst of all I have the most awful headache and jaw pain which will not go away.

I'm now sitting here in tears, wondering if the doctors made a mistake, feeling awful for giving this stuff to my child, scared to take another dose and just feeling hopeless really.

If any of you are taking, or have taken ritalin or similar, did you feel like this? Is it something that improves with time?

The meds have different effects on different people. Medikinet xl is the slow release one and might be worth discussing with your prescriber if your side effects continue.

Methylphenidate lasts, from memory, about 4-5 hours hence needing a top up. But it starts working a lot quicker than the slow one and therefore the 'crash' when it wears off is a lot more obvious.

Slow release will have a slower drop in your body.

Also, remember this is a new medication for you and you are now helping your system get more of the focus it needs, whereas you've been without that for so long.

It's definitely the fast release, it's the same as DS, it starts working after half an hour. I generally do have quite a low tolerance for drugs. I'm wondering if I should try half a dose. My DP reckons I should keep taking it to get used to it, but I really don't want to take any more, I feel so awful.

I take 20mg Medikinet 2 or 3 times a day, depending on my schedule.

If fast release isn’t suiting you, ask for slow release.

You should have been prescribed enough to take it 2 or 3 times a day.

I wouldn’t give up after just one dose.

Also, lay off caffeine, drink plenty of water and make sure you eat.

It does take a few days to get used to. There's nothing wrong with dropping to half a tablet per dose for 3 days, though.

@MyGorramShip I've been prescribed 5mg 2-3 times a day, my neurologist told me to start this weekend and observe how I felt on it, how long it lasted etc. I took 2 5mg doses.

Does caffeine affect it a lot? I don't drink loads, but I do love tea and coffee. I usually drink coffee at weekends but didn't yesterday, I did have tea though.

Why are you on the same one as your ds? I have ADHD and have been put on a slow release tablet from Elvanse. My psychiatrist said slow release was better for adults to avoid the crash you describe

Elvanse is extremely expensive and so the NHS usually tries methylphenidate first.

Caffeine effects people with ADHD in general so it’s better to avoid it; I limit myself to 2 cups of tea a day now.

I'm not in the UK, me, my DS and my DP (who also has ADHD, we're a family with it, which is a whole other thread...!) see a neurologist. She did talk about the slow release medikinet as an option too, I think she wanted us to just try this out intiatially and just sort of test the waters.

My DP has ADHD and I have ADD, he was unofficially diagnosed as a child and given ritalin although it apparently wasn't legal at the time ( back in the 80s, different country dont ask...) he hasn't had any adverse effects and not noticed much difference.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

I started off at 5mg of the fast release, three times daily and titrated up to 10mg three times daily.

This did well, as I was working in a sedentary job, with plenty of opportunity to make drinks and snack at the desk.

When I started a physically strenuous job, with very restricted access to food, drink and toilets, the 'crash' which came at around 10am was horrific.

My employer actually had to introduce a morning tea break for everyone to accommodate me.

Before that, there was no break between 0630 and 1200.

I explained the situation to my prescriber, who prescribed 20mg Medikinet XL twice a day and it solved the issue.

Medikinet XL has to be taken with food - solid food, no junk, otherwise it hits me all at once and the 'crash' is twice as horrible.

Protein, some fat and a little carbohydrate (protein smoothie, piece of fruit) suits me well at 0430 (when I remember to fit the lid on properly and don't shower the kitchen in chocolate smoothie mix).

There's no need for a tea break anymore, but as my boss has introduced it, he's enforcing it. Which is awkward.

Ah okay, I was replying to another poster.

I have Combined ADHD and my DD has Hyperactive ADHD and ASD so we are a fun house too (along with a teenager and a toddler)

Thanks for your replies everyone, not feeling quite so terrible as before now.

Just felt really disheartened and depressed because getting this disgnosis has been such a big deal for me, it's like I finally have an answer for why I've struggled so much in the past, and while I know meds are not a magic solution I really wasn't expecting to feel like this on them.

I'm taking half doses today and taking care to eat and drink enough, and I'm going to talk to the neurologist about trying the slow release meds.

Methylphenidate is great and awful in equal measure in my experience. It really helped me, but I had to stop taking it because I felt as though I was going to have a heart attack. I was on propranolol at the same time and even that didn't help the side effects.

I miss the methylphenidate because it made me feel normal and I even read some books whilst I was taking it.