I am on the generic one and my Doctor prescribed me 20 MG twice a day. She is not and ADD doctor but I was practicaly pleading that I can not focus and I have been doing 10 things at once and completing 90% of all the jobs in my life. My business is on life support and my home life is a mess in regards to organization and keeping on track. This I feel is mostly ADD related now that I have taken the time to read about ADD. I have not heard one good thing about Ritalin because I was ignorant and did not reaserch it before making an opinion. Its like being labeled, you don't want your kids to be labeled as ADD because that usually means haveing a hyper kid who gets into trouble and fails. I wish I looked into this sooner as I realize that I was wong for so long. I am 36 and I am sure that my 9 year old son has what I have.

I have ADD and want to get my life in control. I don't think drugs are the cure but I do feel they will help me get the controll to be able to develop positive habbits to get me organized and keep focused on the task at hand.

I hope to take this forum for all it has and learn from others mistakes and sucsesses. I will try and share my progress to give back to this forum as well.

Now for the Ritalin.

The first day I took 2 10MG pills only at 09:00. By 10:30 I was in what I would call a very focused state. I felt like I could take on what ever was thrown at me but I also had the focused ability to not sway from the current task at hand. I completed everything I touched and it felt great. I had so much drive and it was really wierd as to the clairity I had. I did feel the effect ware off after about 5 hours but did not take the second dose as perscribed.

The second day on it was the same and I only took 20 MG total at 09:00. I think I am going to try 10mg at 09:00 and at 13:00 tomorrow to see if there is focus without the euphoric feeling. As I said as long as I can focus and be able to make positive habbits that happen every day that would make me so happy. I don't care if I fail at a task, but I do care if I fail because I did not give it my best shot.

I am keeping tabs for my doctor to analize as she is in the dark about this. There are no doctors to see in Toronto for adult ADD. I have mixed feelings about seeing one unless I can't get this in control. I like my Doctor and will work with her until she feels I need to see someone else.

Oh by the way, I am not keeping this to myself. I am letting everyone I deal with know that I am on this. I am not ashamed of this. Why should I be ashamed that I am a really bright guy but has and overactive brain? I can't wait to unleash this baby on the world. Besides it would be nice to have some feed back from my peers that know me well.

So far I am a beliver in this medication. It has only been two days but with some help from my wife, my doctor and from people on here I am sure I can beat this. Or at least mangage it to a point where I feel control.

Regards,
JD

I have taken Ritalin myself, ADD/3, and I gotta say that to me, 20 mgs as a first dose seems a little high. Usually a patient startes low and then titrates up (for more on that process, see HERE (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34796) and feel free to print and take to your doctor, please).

IMO you might be a lot better off trying the staggered dosing, at least at first. Then again, if you get 5 hours from an IR medication you are very lucky and probably a slower metabolizer. Slow metabolism is one thing you will need to add into your calculations when determining optimum dose (I myself am a very rapid metabolizer and thus need a lot of boosters after my initial morning dose, no matter which stimulant I am taking).

I think your attitude is great! No reason to be ashamed and your observation about your son is quite wise. :)

I myself have ADHD children and they are fantastic people; we really "get" where the other ones are coming from. HTH...Good luck to you and to your son, and keep us posted.

ADDsinceIwas3,

I am starting my 10 MG's next week and I wanted to know if you have yet to have any side effects on the dose you are taking. Sleeping problems, loss of appetite, anything? I am also from Toronto and while I have not looked into a specific ADD doctor for adults, my family doctor at St. Mike's Hospital has dealt with ADD and Ritalin before. Possibly you need to at least find a family doctor that has experience in this - if you can't find a specific ADD for Adults doctor.

Your positive attitude says alot!:D

I have only been on Ritalin tx. for a little over a month; I could'nt be happier!! When we FINALLY realize that we are ADD/ADHD.....the tension is released and we can step back and take a deep breath.

Good for you not to be ashamed; we are who we are and who is to say that the next person doesn't have issues. Everyone has struggles in life, it is just a choice if you choose to deal with it or not. By you getting yourself on track, you will be better able to provide your child with support. You will have a connection of understanding one another, by helping yourself you are helping your family.

I love Ritalin and I hope it works out for you. If you have a good relationship with your doctor, then this could be a learning experience for both of you. If ADD doctors are hard to find in your area; then your doctor will be able to learn so much from your case and be able to better help others down the road. I guess even doctors have new things to learn; making you the "guinea pig". Just kiddin;)

Telling your friends and close family members is a good idea; however maybe try not to tell everyone close to you and see if anyone notices a difference?:rolleyes:

Keep us posted on your progress!!

Kim:)

Well day 3 was good. I spread out my dose to 10 mg at <st1:time minute="0" hour="9">09:00</st1:time> and 10mg at <st1:time minute="30" hour="13">1:30</st1:time>. I got the same rush as the previous two day but with out the euphoric intensity. I am going to keep doing this dosage if I keep getting the results I want which a clear head that can hammer through the day while keeping focused on the task at hand. I still catch myself swerving off course and acting on impulsive thoughts but I notice a huge difference by being able to notice this and stop myself. By impulse I mean typing a response to an email and when I am half way though or finished and doing a once over the ADD brain will kick in and make me think of another customer. This though will have me minimize what I am doing to switch to another window and proceed to make a call.

<o:p> </o:p>

I now see this and am able to go back and finish the email, print it out, file it and move on to the next task. I don’t have four emails on the go anymore.

<o:p> </o:p>There was a question about side effects. There is a definite rush when taking this medication. I would start off at a lower dosage and would work this out with your doctor. Be truthful to yourself as I think this stuff can be addicting. The fist day was euphoric for me with mild crashing feeling as it wore off. I still did better at the end of the day during the time it was wearing off anyway. Other than that I noticed no loss of appetite or lack of sleep. Today was cool because it was not a huge high but clarity through out the day. Not sure if I am going to go to 5mg and 5mg or stay at 10 and 10. I think I will try the 5 and 5 as I would rather do less if I get the results I want.

<o:p> </o:p>
I will learn as I go.

Sorry about the happy faces. I did not preview as I just cut and pasted the text from MSWord.

Thanks for telling us about your progress when taking the Ritalin. I have just started also (lower dose at the moment) and are interrested in how you experience it.

Don't be sorry for the sminling faces :p

I have been taken off Ritalin.

I finaly got to see a doctor in Oakville, Ontario by the name of Dr. Anthony Laws. He has ADD too which I think helps understand what we go through.

Anyway he started me off by stopping the Ritalin and prescribing me 36MG Contera once a day. I did this for a week but I felt a bit dozy and not really with it. There was some other mild side effects which I did not really like but was unsure if it was the drug or if I was tired. This drug is also a bit of a pain because it has to be taken so early in the morning as it is has a 10 to 12 hour span so you don't want to take this at 11am. One week later I told him I did not get the clarity like I did with Ritalin. So what he did was prescribe me with 54mg and a 36 mg combined as we both felt that the dose did not work. I tried this for a day but it was too intense and I droped to 54mg only once a day as I felt I should try this out first as I want to feel right and find the right balance. One week on 54mg a day seemed to get the results I am looking for but I am not sure yet as it is way too early to tell. The Concerta does kick in slow and lets off gradualy but does keep a balance throughout the day. There was a difference in my body with a slightly elevated heart rate and a butterfly feeling sometimes, and wierd sort of downing effect near the end of the Concerta time frame.

After my third visit, Dr. Laws and I have decided to stick with the 54mg for now as I could not give a proper evaluation to my current progress as there have been too many outside influences that have hindered me from being able to properly diagnose or give an accurate detail of how the week went. This is do to work and afterwork life for the past two weeks which have had me stopping at 11pm every night.

I do find that there is still progress in my overall attitude. Am I properly medicated at this point? I am not sure but with time and proper monitoring I will be able to find the right mix for me.

Ritalin and Concerta have the same effects for me but Concerta is a once a day pill which does make life easier for taking.

I will let you know how things go from here, somewhere on this forum.

Regards,
J

Nice to read your update!:)

Good to know that the Concerta is working as well as the Ritalin....with the added bonus of once a day dosing.:D

I am happy that you are happy!! Keep us posted....I'm curious.

Kim:)

Have you tried Daytrana? It is a patch, and you can adjust when to remove it.
My doc got me 30 patches (3 different sizes) for free with a promo from Shire.