Help me!
I a a 17 year old guy and have been on Ritalin for ADHD for about a year now. The first 6 months I was taking a too lower dosage and it was only getting me high. But I got my dosage put up and things have been good and I have been able to concentrate in class. But the problem is that as soon as I get home I need to do homework and study (i am in my final year of high school now) and there is alot to do. Yet I procrastinate and the meds ware off after school. I am not sure whether it would be wise to take more to keep me going after school because I a already taking 60-70 mg for the schooltime. How do I cure this procrastination?

Whey protein shakes always give me a boost! The amino's are absorbed within around thirty minutes...

Darth,

I can't tell from your description if you're taking an extended/slow release of Ritalin, or just the regular version of the med. In either case, you might want to mention it to your doc, and perhaps he can help adjust your meds :)

I a taking the normal variety 10mg (not slow release). Here is what I usually take:

8.00 AM 30mg
11.00 AM 20mg
1:00 PM 10mg

I used to take about half this but it only ever got me high but my doc changed it so I get a higher dosage and it works during the day just fine. My problem is that I can't do my homework afterwards because it wears off and I am not sure how safe it would be to take say 30mg more bringing my daily dosage to 90mg.

It sounds like the meds are not getting you through day. This is something that you should really communicate to your Doctor. Tell him/her just what you have told us.

You might also want to ask the Doctor about longer acting medication like Ritalin LA and Concerta.

NZ health policy only covers a generic brand on ritalin and another brand of slow release. Nothing else. I did try the slow release but it never worked for me. Quite an annoying situation really.

So the only medication out there to treat ADHD in New Zeland is Ritalin? I was just wondering, is Wellbutrin available? It has also shown to help with the treatment of ADHD. But again, please talk to your doctor. There has got to be a solution for you!

Along with checking with your doc about your meds, another possibility may be structure. School is always going to be more structured than home, so with or without meds you need to learn how to structure yourself at home so you get things done. I started taking meds this summer and I live in the most unorganized, unstructured home in the world. I realized that I haven't full developed skills like the knowing the proper sequence of how to do such and such, or prioritizing, etc. So long story short, I learned that meds only go so far, and part of it is...hmm, ok I lost that thought. Do you know what I mean though?

You also might want to think about scheduling some down time when you do get home from school. A full day of school is very draining for people with ADD. You may actually need a good hour to just relax before starting homework or starting to worry about doing the homework.

Take a break when you get home. But don't start your homework after your medication wears off. Sometimes I do that (because I have a HUGE procrastination problem) and then I can't concentrate at all when that happens.