Hello,

I posted the thread below in the Ritalin forum, but I've not gotten a response. So, I figured I'd try a more general venue.

I'm currently taking 20mg Ritalin LA in the morning and 2-3 10mg doses of ritalin throughout the day. I started out taking only Ritalin LA and really didn't notice anything. My psychiatrist suggested we supplement that with fast acting ritalin. I am noticing the effects of the ritalin about an hour after I take it. Unfortunately, when the "high" goes away, it seems to create a sense of anxiety or even despair. Further, the "high" doesn't seem to last all that long - generally less than an hour. I've read that ritalin and dexedrine are essentially the same chemically. Has anyone had any experience with both of them and would like to comment on the differences?

What exactly is Ritalin XR and how does it compare to Ritalin LA? Might that be something to consider to help level off the effects the ritalin is having?


Thanks!
Michael

Hello:
Im new to this board and I caught your post. Im not a pharmacist or anything, but I will try and explain it to you as my doctor explained it to me. I, too, was diagnosed with Adult add . We have tried a couple different combinations trying to find one that works without alot of side effects. The search is still on, but im trying to deal with the current dosing and give it some time. Anyway.. My doctor told me that Ritalin LA is a longer lasting form of Ritalin that is supposed to last 6-8 hours. Ritalin LA is also available in the generic form as methephenidate CD. Ritalin XR, on the other hand, is an "extended release", which means that the medication is released in intervals as opposed to just simply lasting longer. To my understanding, Ritalin XR is not available in generic whereas Ritalin LA is. If you look up the definition of either medication in a PDR, they both say basicly the same thing. Now again....I could be wrong on that explanation- just telling you what my doctor told me. Hope this helps :)

Michael,


I also take a combination of Ritalin LA and fast acting Ritalin. My own experience has been the Ritalin LA ( 20mg) is not as effective (strong?) as 20 mg. of the fast acting Ritalin. However, I prefer the Ritalin LA because, like you, I find the fast acting kind to kick in and wear off too suddenly.

My solution has been -- with my doctor's approval -- to increase Ritalin LA to 40mg. and then to supplement this with fast acting Ritalin (10mg) which I break in half. So I start out with Ritalin LA (40 mg.) and when I feel it wearing off (usually later in the day) I take 5mg. of regular ritalin, then another 5 mg. about an hour later. By staggering the dosage this way, I find the medication to remain consistently effective.

I hope this doesn't sound as confusing as I think it does! It sometimes takes awhile to get just the right dosage, but I really like the combo of Ritalin LA and regular Ritalin. Of course, discuss any dosage changes with your doctor, first.

Good luck!

Kyla