Hello everyone! This forum looks to be a goldmine of information, and I'm glad I found it. I look forward to sharing with you all.

So here I go: Last year, I was diagnosed with ADD. I had been tested for it as a child and the doctors suggested my parents medicate me, but my father was rather anti-drug at the time and he declined. I wish he hadn't (and so does he). In any case, it certainly explains a lot of my struggles up until this point, and knowing that I have a condition does help my self-esteem a bit ("No, you're not just lazy and stupid.")

My doctor and I experimented with methylphenidate (sp?) in various doses and forms (Concerta and Ritalin). We saw mildly promising effects (increased focus, less distraction, less procrastination), but the side effects were just awful. Nauseau, headaches, a full body sensation I can only describe as 'hot and yucky,' and some difficulty sleeping.

Due to finishing school and starting a new job, there was a three month lapse in my insurance coverage, and thus, a three month lapse in treatment. I had some of my medication left over, and I tried the last dose we came up with (10mg methylphenidate 4x/day). It's been a week, and nothing is different. I get a slight burst of focus after taking a dose, but inbetween is just misery.

The impression I got from my doctor is that he wanted to try different doses of methylphenidate, but if that's going to be the decision then I don't want it at all!

Sorry for being long winded here, but I'm getting desperate. I just started a graduate course this summer, but since it's only one online course, I can handle it without treatment. But I'd feel more comfortable if I were taking something that didn't make me feel like the walking dead, especially when the Fall semester starts and the real work begins.

Any suggestions? Did anyone else have the same reactions?

There are other medications besides methylphenidate. It is possible that one of them might be more helpful. Is the problem with the methylphenidate that it doesn't help much, that it has too many side effects, or both?

While Adderall's effects and side effects are pretty close to Ritalin, it is possible that the new "non-stimulant" (pseudo-stimulant is a better term) Strattera might help. There are other medication options as well, but they are less likely to be helpful and more likely to carry side-effects.

The most important thing is to be able to communicate well with your doctor. If you're concerned about your prescription, tell him about it, and tell him specifically why you're having issues, what specific things are happening. It is important for him to have all available information in order to make the best decision. I can't tell you what medication to try, I'm not a doctor. Different people react in different ways to different medication. While it is possible to generalize and say "X% of people react like this," there's no way to know for sure how it might affect you, especially without knowing your full medical history.

It was unclear whether you'd restarted your insurance yet or not, but in this situation, it might be worth paying out of pocket to see the doctor if it's just for one or two visits before your insurance kicks in.

First, welcome to the forums. There's a lot of support to be had here, it's done a bunch of good for me, and I hope you'll find some support here too.

Second, I know what you mean, about meds. I'm currently unmedicated, by my own choice, because my psychiatrist and I hadn't been able to work out the ideal drug/dose relationship yet; my problem was less side effects, and more just not having much effect. I'm also moving shortly, relatively long-distance, so I'm going to have to start over with a new shrink at some point, but I'll wait until I have troubles again, probably. But now I know what to look for, where before I didn't even know I had ADHD.

The problem with ADHD and meds is that the issue is complex and specific to every patient. Some drugs work on some people, others on others. You may feel nothing on a drug that works great for lots of other people. This is normal, though frustrating.

Ideally, you find a does that gives you enough of a boost that any side effects you get are more than worth it. If the side effects are bothering you, then clearly that drug isn't for you. I can't recommend any other drugs to try; that's your doctor's job, but I'd definitely suggest asking about other options, since the current ones aren't working out.