I was diagnosed with Adult ADD in my early 30's 10 years ago. My wife read an article on ADD in a magazine and said it was like reading an article on me. All my life I had all the classic symptoms. I was tested finally and they said it was highly likely that I have ADD.
At the time I couldn't get anyone to prescribe me traditional meds like Ritalin. Everyone wanted to try an antidepressant on me. So I've been on Zoloft, Paxil, etc.

Some time after that I wanted to quit smoking so I was put on Wellbutrin for the multiple use of stopping smoking, depression and ADD. It helped the smoking great, the depression mostly, and at first I thought I noticed a difference in concentration. I took that for several years.

Finally here I am in my early 40's. I was talking to my MD and it seemed like I slipped into more depression. He suggested I go to a psychiatrist to discuss my meds. I did and he agreed that my problems seem to be depression and the ADD. We agreed to tackle the depression first by adjusting the Wellbutrin. That seemed to work and then he prescribed me Stratterra for the ADD. The first dose of 20mg was ok but the 2nd dose of 20mg would give me awful cold sweats and insomnia, It was a side effect that was intolerable, especially in the summer. So I went down to just the one dose and it was tolerable except it didn't do much for the ADD. I went back to the Psych and he thought we should ditch the Strattera and head right for Ritalin. Today, he prescribed me 10mg in the morning and one in the afternoon for starters and told me to stop the Straterra.

I took my first Ritalin dose about 30 minutes ago. I am not sure what to expect. Should I expect anything the first day besides side effects? I suppose time will tell but I have had so many "i *think* it's doing something" moments with other meds, I think this will be just another one of those. Sometimes I read things like "you will just know" and of course the internet is filled with horror stories and false info on Ritalin. Any tips or advice would be most welcome!

I took my first Ritalin dose about 30 minutes ago. I am not sure what to expect. Should I expect anything the first day besides side effects? I suppose time will tell but I have had so many "i *think* it's doing something" moments with other meds, I think this will be just another one of those. Sometimes I read things like "you will just know" and of course the internet is filled with horror stories and false info on Ritalin. Any tips or advice would be most welcome!I'm a tad concerned that you are already posting thirty minutes after your first dose. :D

I knew very little about Ritalin when I started taking it so I had no expectations. Thirty minutes after taking the first pill, I felt like I had just had a good cardio workout - that mellow, calm, feeling. I remember noticing that the nagging self-talk stopped and my heart didn't palpitate when the phone rang. I never really "got" the improved focus until I was at work and the lightbulb went on that I wasn't asking people to repeat directions in spite of being in a noisy, distracting environment.

I do remember being put on only 2 - 10mg tablets per day for the first week and, in hindsight, I think that wasn't a good idea. My son was started right off with 3 doses per day and didn't notice any rebound. I, on the other hand, really noticed when the first pill was wearing off during the first few days because I would save the second dose for the afternoon.

Banders, this is a separate Ritalin forum, if you are interested.
http://www.addforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27

i'm not sure if i noticed right away.. a few years after the fact.. i can definately see the differences ritalin has made in my life..

I used to stubble on words because my mind worked faster than my mouth.. lose words.. lose alot of my thoughts..

Now not so much

When I took my first Ritalin it was like someone lifted a foggy cloud off of my mind and everything was clear and made sense.

It sounds like you're going through the typical trial and error of ADD meds.
I suggest reading any book by Dr. Amen. He gives some great explanations of how neurotransmitters work in your brain. It's fascincating how the human brain responds SO differently in everyone to different meds.

I'm not sure I'm noticing anything after two days. It's just so hard to tell what is what for me, ya know? *Maybe* a short window of time about an hour after I take the 10mg I felt more focused. I am pretty certain that around 4-5 hours after the first dose today, I felt like I was back to my usual "mind worked faster than my mouth" as missadhd put it and just blabbing to my coworkers about any old thing. I took my second dose and got pretty involved in a project and actually solved a problem that I've been working on for a few weeks that seemed hopeless.

"read a book", that's funny! You mean skim through one and skip to the index right! ;)

Oh well, this does feel more promising than anything else so far. Maybe the doc will increase my dose here in a few weeks when I see him again.

"read a book", that's funny! You mean skim through one and skip to the index right! ;)I thought everyone did that. When I have a new non-fiction book, I go straight to the index.

Hello there banders! Welcome to Ritalin world. I myself started on Ritalin earlier this year. I started at the typical 10 mg twice a day. Then after 2 weeks, doc bumped me to 20 mg twice a day. Then a month later he bumped me again to 60 a day. 2 in morning, 3 at lunch, one late afternoon. Why so much? Because I kept having "rebound" as the doses would wear off. I felt tired and useless, daydreamed about naps. :rolleyes:


So what I am getting at....is if Ritalin does not work for you. There are other options. After several months of adjusting Ritalin dosages...my doc started me on Adderall. The first day I could tell a MAJOR difference.

It's weird that Ritalin made me a zombie :faint: and Adderall gives me major improvement. :D My house is clean, my checkbook is balanced, my work is done on time and sometimes early.

So give it some time. You may eventually be boosted to a higher dosage. And it usually take 2 weeks to see full effects of how the meds will work. Your body has to realize..."Hey you want me to be productive, eh?" :p

I swear I feel like I'm getting nothing from Ritalin so far. If it works, it is only briefly. Could this be because my dose is so low right now?

Everytime I go through this with a med I just think that maybe I don't have ADD and I am just stupid. I was always under the impression that you get benefits from Ritalin right away

i highly encourage you to wait. the first time, i was like, ehhh (shoulde shrug), and it took a while for me to just learn how to use it. I am way more productive with medication. And, now I find that I have spent hours working and not surfed the web aimlessly, yet once again. awesome.

Some drugs even though are clinically shown to have effect within one week, they can still take 4 - 6 weeks to see full benefit. That's why it's suggested to wait on average at least 2 months before fully evaluating the drugs effect. Stay with it and best of luck.

I swear I feel like I'm getting nothing from Ritalin so far. If it works, it is only briefly. Could this be because my dose is so low right now?

Everytime I go through this with a med I just think that maybe I don't have ADD and I am just stupid. I was always under the impression that you get benefits from Ritalin right awayIt could be that the dose is too low for best effects. You said you felt a brief window of clarity, and that reminds me of when I started out with Concerta, before I titrated up. Has your doctor given you a schedule for titrating up or do you have to wait until the appointment? Any chance that a call to the office will get you the green light to up the dose a bit?

As far as I know, the effects of Ritalin are immediate. Its got a very short half life and does not need to build to any type of blood level to take effect. Its normal to feel the dose wear off by 4 hours, Ritalin is a short-acting medication. The estimated time for a dose to be effective is about 4 hours from start until it wears off entirely.

You don't report anything like rebound issues and that's really great! A lot of people experience rebounds.

Some drugs even though are clinically shown to have effect within one week, they can still take 4 - 6 weeks to see full benefit. That's why it's suggested to wait on average at least 2 months before fully evaluating the drugs effect.
I am thinking maybe we have discussed this before, or a similar issue regarding stimulants? Stimulants do not require building a blood concentration to be effective. The effects tend to be immediate, allowing for time for the med to dissolve and enter the bloodstream, of course. Ritalin is not something that takes a week to have effects, and 4 to 6 weeks to see results from any stimulant is ludicrous. They just don't work like that.

I think you are confusing me a little bit C~F. I never said it would take 4 - 6 weeks to see *any* effect, it may take about a month for *full* benefit. While there may be no "build up", it still takes time for your body and brain to adjust to a new medication just like the ones that do require a building up. I hope that helps to clarify what I'm trying to say. Yes I agree, that effects are more immediate and should be seen in less than one week, but even on a Concerta DVD I got once, one kid didn't feel effects till almost 2 weeks into treatment so it can take some time for some people.

Just to refresh your memory that was regarding stopping of the drug and not on the titration process.

I think you are confusing me a little bit C~F. I never said it would take 4 - 6 weeks to see *any* effect, it may take about a month for *full* benefit.Are you referring to the titration process then? That will take approximately as long as it takes for each individual, in steps up as the doctor dictates, to reach full benefit. That amount of time can and does vary from person to person, from what I have heard.

If that's not what you meant, then maybe you'd like to explain what it is you mean when you say a month for full benefit, in the interest of not confusing the OP. As far as I can determine? Once you reach optimum dose, you have found the full effects that suit your personal makeup. That is my own personal experience with stimulants, and I have tried many. They all worked out to the same pattern: titrate up, find correct dose that gives full benefits and thereafter use that dose.

If you are not relating your own personal experience, would you please share the source of your information? Again, I think its a good idea to offer the OP any information we can to help him along the way.

Just to refresh your memory that was regarding stopping of the drug and not on the titration process. Actually, I did remember exactly what the situation had been. I was trying to be kind by not mentioning that directly.

Crazy Feet, you are very correct on many points. If this individual is starting Ritalin, within 3-4 days if there is no benefit noted, then he should be titrated up. When I hear the thread starter saying things such as I'll just wait till my appointment and it seems this happens all the time when I try a med, it frustrates me b/c this can lead to noncompliance and giving up.

Of all meds used to treat psychiatric conditions, the stimulants have the advantage that one does not have to wait and see if a therapuetic effect takes place. By wait and see I mean like the typical 4-6 weeks that it takes for various other psych meds to produce a therapuetic effect. Typically, stimulants will take effect fast- especially IR Ritalin, within 30 minutes I believe.

So first time Ritalin taker, call your doctor or the nurse, explain what's happening, and ask if it's ok to titrate (increase your dose). I don't recall what you said your starting dose was, but if you are currently taking say 5mg twice day, then the logical next step would be 10mg twice a day. What you REALLY need to do is twofold: Find the right amount of milligrams that helps with your symptoms, then pay close attention to how long it last, b/c often IR (immediate release) is taken 3 and sometimes more times a day.

For instance, lets say that 10mg IR produces a fog lifting and overall good benefit. But for the sake of titration of dose you may even attempt 15 mg to see if an even better benefit is noted. Here you will either say wow 15mg is great OR man these side effects are a little too much. Keep in mind these milligram amounts are just examples and this has to be done in accordance with doctors orders. Best of luck.