This is just my experience, everyone reacts differently...

Ritalin: more euphoria, very short acting maybe 45 minutes, more anxiety, deosnt release serotonin, pounding heart, very fast acting, spikes is steep

Adderall: Euphroia, longest lasting of all three, pounding heart not as bad as ritalin, find myself very angry, more paranoia on the backside, a little more focus, but a little more jittery

Dexedrine: no poudning heart (this is the best thing), feel more normal, not quite the euphoria as the other two, slow acting, doesn't last as long as Adderall, crash is less out of the three, Still getting used to Dex an seems to like i'm getting better, doesnt appear to cause anxiety or paranoia like the other 2..

Conclusion, I like and dislike each 3 for differnet reasons...I'm going to stick with Dexedrine because I feel more normal without the euphoria spike and less pounding heart and activation of nervous system....

These are the theoretical reasons I asked my doctor to switch me to dextroamphetamine. He agreed with me. When I start taking it in a few days I'll post back my experience.

By the way, how are you aware that methylphenidate does not release serotonin? I'd like to see a link please. Is it your understanding that amphetamines release serotonin to some degree that exceeds methylphenidate?

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>: J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1999 Oct;291(1):19-30.</TD><TD align=right>Related Articles, (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pubmed&from_uid=10490882)<SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.2><!--var PopUpMenu2_LocalConfig_jsmenu3Config = [ ["ShowCloseIcon","yes"], ["Help","window.open('/entrez/query/static/popup.html','Links_Help','resizable=no,scrollbars= yes,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=n o,menubar=no,copyhistory=no,alwaysRaised=no,depend =no,width=400,height=500');"], ["TitleText"," Links "]]//--></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.2><!--var Menu10490882 = [ ["UseLocalConfig","jsmenu3Config","",""], ["Compound via MeSH","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pccompound_mesh&from_uid=10490882'","",""], ["Substance via MeSH","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Display&dopt=pubmed_pcsubstance_mesh&from_uid=10490882'","",""], ["Books","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=10490882&dopt=Books'","",""], ["LinkOut","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=10490882&dopt=ExternalLink'","",""]]//--></SCRIPT> Links (javascript:PopUpMenu2_Set(Menu10490882);) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<DD>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/egifs/http:--highwire.stanford.edu-icons-externalservices-pubmed-free-jpet-free.gif (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/lofref.fcgi?PrId=3051&uid=10490882&db=pubmed&url=http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=10490882)
Escalating dose-binge treatment with methylphenidate: role of serotonin in the emergent behavioral profile.

Segal DS, Kuczenski R.

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. dsegal@ucsd.edu

Our previous studies indicate that exposure of rats to an escalating-dose, multibinge pattern of amphetamine or methamphetamine administration results in a unique emergent behavioral profile and concomitant regionally specific dopamine response patterns in the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen. In the present study, we explored the generality of these effects by using an escalating-dose, multibinge treatment with methylphenidate (MP), a stimulant that, unlike the amphetamines, produces no increase in serotonin transmission. Furthermore, MP exerts many of its effects through dopamine uptake blockade, in contrast to the amphetamines that primarily release dopamine. The results showed that MP administered according to an escalating-dose, multibinge regimen produced the expression of the emergent behavioral profile. This pattern of behavior was also evident in these animals in response to 2.5 mg/kg acute amphetamine after the last MP binge exposure. Consistent with previous evidence, neither acute nor multibinge MP treatment produced a significant serotonin response. In contrast, a regionally specific dopamine response alteration was observed during the course of this treatment. Caudate-putamen dopamine exhibited a pattern of increasing response during an acute MP binge but pronounced tolerance developed to this effect after multiple binges. By contrast, the nucleus accumbens dopamine response did not significantly change during the acute binge and exhibited a slight incremental pattern to the injections of the final binge. These findings, along with the effects of other stimulants, are discussed in terms of a possible role for serotonin and for the differential changes in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens dopamine responses in the emergent behavioral profile. The similarity between the effects of MP and the amphetamines provides further support for the multibinge-induced behavioral profile as a possible animal model for stimulant-induced psychosis.

PMID: 10490882 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]</DD>

So maybe that's why methylphenidate turns me into a grouch. ;)

The chemicals in your brain are always fighting to remain level(equal). Taking a med to increase on level will **** off the others (chemical levels). I hated methylphenidate because of the rebound and it only seemed to work for an hr. it had 3 stages. 1st stage - lots of energy, 2nd stage - focus, 3rd stage - coming down, 4th stage - waiting the for the next dose to bring me out of the hell. So i only got one hr to focus, but everyone is different. Dex seems to be much longer lasting. Adderall was not good for me because of the L amphetamines.