i was on dex for two weeks and it did nothing so today the dr. switched me to ritalin which i start tomorrow. he didn't seem entirely hopeful that the ritalin would work since the dexedrine didn't and i'm not either. dexedrine seems to work for everyone on the planet but me so i'm worried that nothing will work. have any of you experienced this?

yeah..I switched from dex to ritalin...then I switched back...then I combined the two, because with the right combo, I am really good ;-)

thanks for your reply :) did the dex not work for you? what happened with the ritalin on its own?

Poor you. Usually people do it the other way around. LOL

haha i KNOW. also i'm going from 25mg of dex to 10 of ritalin (to start) which is like going back to the first day with dex. kind of a backslide in my opinion but i'm not the dr. clearly. we'll see. i'm really frustrated by all of this though.

i have gone between both at different periods in my life because their effects are so different with me, I can say that med-wise I am definitely "Dexedrine dominant" as far as preference and ability to be on long term, but at times Ritalin for a few months is necessary. You may notice it having a different effect, also expect to need around twice as much ritalin.

25mg of dex did NOTHING though (actually that's not true, it fixed my impulsive eating but otherwise made me depressed and miserable).. what are the chances do you think of ritalin working if dex didn't when it seems to be so effective for everyone else?

Milligram to milligram DEX is more or less twice as strong. So if you are starting at only 10mg this is a small dose and it will not last very long if it is short acting.

When you took DEX at 25mg was it IR, 10-10-5 (three times a day)?

With Ritalin IR look to take it at least three times a day. Make sure to ask your M.D. about titrating your dose. You should know within about 45 minutes of taking the first 10mg Ritalin if it's working. And hopefully your doctor will be available to you to give you the ok to increase the dose if needed to find your best dose.

Good luck

thanks for your reply :) did the dex not work for you? what happened with the ritalin on its own?I should have elaborated, but it was late :-)

the dex was very calming, and I thought it was good. Then I said to my doc that I was still frustrated that I found it hard to learn! So he said try Ritalin for a while..
I found it gave me a fairly short, but fantastic amount of clarity. I really liked the effect, but it was short lived, and when it wore off I felt horrible..
I asked the doc if there was a med that was a combo of the 2...the gentle dex, but clarity of ritalin..he said no :-)
So I asked him if I could try taking both, and see what happens..
and he said yes :D
so I take 3 x dex + 2 x ritalin, 2 or 3 times a day..

I'm reallt happy witht he results :p