hi, i know i already sort of asked the same thing in another post,but i really didnt get an answer.for the last two weeks, ive been in horible pain.i am trying to figure out what happened,and whats going on.it is either that the steroid shot wore off, or i also started taking ritalin ir, the same time.please, does anyone know ,can ritalin, or any other central nervous system stimulant make your pain worse??or can anyone say from experience, that being on stimulants does not make you feel your pain any more,please respond,someone!

I don't think that it would intensify arthritis pain. I know that Adderall can raise cortisone levels, which would actually help arthritis problems, but I don't know about methylphenidate's effects on cortisol.

On the other hand, I imagine that ADHD meds might intensify pain caused by peripheral neuropathy or other neural problems. You need to see a doctor to figure out what is causing the pain in the first place. Nobody here can diagnose that, especially since you don't mention where the pain is or what type of pain it is. "Pain" in general can be caused by a number of different conditions, some of which can potentially be life-threatening.

As I said, in general ADHD meds will not increase pain levels, but without knowing what the problem is, it's impossible to say for certain. First you need to figure out what is causing the pain in the first place before anyone could tell you whether the Ritalin is causing it. Of course, one possible solution would be to stop taking the Ritalin and seeing if the pain goes away, but again, I would speak to a doctor first before doing anything.

How long since you had the steroid shot?

hi, thanks for responding, and the info on what you said about adderall raising cortisone levels, thats the kind of info i was looking for.im not asking anyone to diagnose my pain, i already know why i hurt. well maybe not exactly what is causing the most discumfort, but i do have three herniated disks,degenerative disk disease,and severe osteroarthritis,along with siatic nerve pain, the whole way down my leg.all i was trying to find out,was if ritalin played any role on making this pain hurt more.i did notice, when i was on the adderall, it didnt hurt as bad, but i felt so drugged up on the adderall.thats why i switched to ritalin, i was sick of being tirerd, and just feeling drugged up all day.now, my mind is awake, it just seems my back pain is out of control, i just wanted to see if anyone else noticed this kind of problem before.

I started taking Ritalin eleven years ago. I was put on a drug trial for one month and then reported back to the prescribing psychiatrist. One of the physical changes I noticed when a dose was wearing off is that my muscles would ache, very much like how I felt when my anti-inflammatory med wore off. The doctor hadn't heard of this symptom before, but told me he would look into it. This muscle reaction went away eventually, just as it did when I stopped the arthritis meds. I have had osteoarthritis for several years.

I just thought of something else re: joints, pain, arthritis and stimulants. Last year I had surgery to attempt to repair my shoulder which was severely damaged from osteoarthritis. I was told I must continue to take my Ritalin and Wellbutrin before and after surgery, but I was to stop taking all herbals and vitamins two weeks before surgery.

When my son had reconstructive surgery on his knee, he left his Ritalin at home. The surgery was done in another town and the hospital called to ask me to bring his meds up to the hospital as they did not have any on the premises and they felt the Ritalin would help him with post-surgical pain management. Because the medical staff knew enough to ask, I drove thirty miles in a blizzard, at night, to deliver Ritalin to their patient.

Yeah, I've heard of a few studies using Ritalin as an adjunct to opioid painkillers in cancer patients, but that may have more to do with counteracting the sedating effect of the high doses of painkillers used, plus counteracting possible cognitive impairment from both painkillers and "chemo-brain."

My personal experience has been that high enough adrenaline levels, whether due to Adderall or exercise or both can make it easier to ignore any pain, at least during sparring matches. On the other hand, I could certainly imagine ADHD meds making you notice the pain more for some people, while others might find that it prevents them from hyperfocusing on the pain.