How mg's of Ritalin is everyone taking here??

I am finding I need alot more than 40mgs at once to feel any difference...but the doc wants to start me off slow...

Does your body weight affect how many mg's will work for you??

What is the highest dose a doc can perscribe?

How long have you been on Ritalin?

As far as body weight it normally doesn't matter.

I was on Ritalin for several months and took 70 mg a day.
It made me sleepy.

I am 5'1, 98 poounds.

Now I am on Adderall. Works much better for me.

I only have been on it for like a week... but i took it back in the 90's... I don't remember what dosage...but I remember i got this what I call 'brain buzz' from it.

Like incredible focus power. i felt like i wanted to accomplish everything all at once. i get so motivated and have deeper thinking i've noticed.

Now the doc said I can take 40mg's twice a day... But that's not enough for me!
So i thought body weight might have something to do with it...the way it metabolizes in your system.

The doc is being concervative...but I am impatient and want my medication increased signifigantly.

How does adderall make you feel???

I have had much better response on Adderall. Ritalin wasn't the right medication for me. I seriously was a walking zombie on ritalin. Adderall has really helped my attention, focus and hyperactivity. Before medication I could not sit at my desk for more than ten minutes without getting up or tapping my foot uncontrollably until my co-workers would start *****ing again. Have you tried Concerta or another form of time released? I stick with IR because of insurance purposes.

Also, if you have only been on the meds for a week (even if you were on it a long time ago) your body does take some time to adjust. It was a few weeks before I saw full effects of Adderall and was able to adjust to the side effects and rebound. What type of doctor is prescribing your medication? General Practice Doctor or a psychiatrist?

Hi Miss-Madness...(cool nic!) :)

He is a Psychiatrist who takes 45 minutes with me every appointment. The last appointment, he studied me. He told me to stay there on the couch quiet...but i couldn't do it..!! I was looking around at all his books... Then he asked to see how organized my wallet was!! He tells me that i don't listen well. Then he told me to paint my nails better too..cause they were all chipped.

Now, I took Ritalin back in the 90's and remember I had more of a 'focused brain buzz' from it which I'm not getting on this low dosage.

I have to be honest and say I increased the dosage myself yesterday,
(((NOT TO ABUSE IT!!!!!!)))OK? (I'm not about abusing!)
I really needed to get back to my original dosage for 1 day to see if i would improve.


I used to take a higher dose before and want to get back to that because i am impatient. My new doc is very conservative but TOO conservative.

So to see how much of an increased dosage i would need to function since i am starting school the 29th, & I'm impatient, and NEED to be in top mental form before school. Since I was on a larger dose in the past I knew I would not have adverse affects from the increase.

Anyway, I took 80mg spaced over a few hours and what happened was I got a euphoric feeling of wanting to accomplish EVERYTHING all at once! It felt so good to want to accomplish things I've been putting off. The the euphoria wore off and then started again..then wore off again...like a burst of motivation and then a burst of lazy feelings...like balloon filled with air was being pricked with a pin...letting out all the air.

I walked around the apartment in DEEP THOUGHT about different things...almost a religious experience!! It makes me think deeper for some reason...which is a good thing.

It felt so good to feel so motivated and not to be lazy like I usually am. I wanted to get rid of my selfishness and do things for others to show gratitude.

But I have disorganized thinking and had all these plans to DO EVERYTHING were only being acted out IN MY MIND. This is the exact problem I have to begin with! I daydream about all the things I want to do...but don't do them in real life! WHY IS THAT??

But didn't accomplish a darn thing!! Then i got overly emotional over everything...all these feelings running rampid because i've been diagnosed as bipolar as well. (I don't take anything for bipolar at the moment.)

I was crying to my mom on the phone because I feel like I haven't contributed to the world like normal people, I was like overly-greatful for things, just OVER THE TOP with everything. Then the rest of the day I felt nervous and edgy...then depressed that I haven't made a mark in the world. I started thinking about why I am 35 years old and haven't achieved anything...and so on.

So i like the initial instant effects of the Ritalin but then it wears off quick.

How does Aderall's effects compare to Ritalin??

I'm fat, and short..and I take 30 mg a day..plus dex...30mg ..

how tall should I be???

Just started on 5 MG (short acting, not ER) today. Or, should I say, I will be starting LOL I have to go get it still. There was a hitch with the insurance. I was on this before, and look forward to feeling motivated once more, if only for a couple of hours *sigh* Doesn't seem to last long. Maybe I can finally get to my filing and stick with it. Some days I won't even be taking it..like tomorrow I'll be driving and it will be mostly a fun day and won't need it.

My doctor started me off at 5-20mg a day, and after our second meeting said I should stick to 15mg given my (sort of vaguely articulated) physiological response and body size (5'3/105). Looking around the forum, this seems awfully low. I can't say for sure whether it's made a difference or not - I don't want to take any more medicine than necessary, but how else would you know if a higher dose works better? Has anyone had roaring success with a very low dose?

im 5'6 128lbs and take 40mg a day and it works fine

I'm prescribed up to 40mg a day. My psych had to put in application to queensland health to be able to prescribe it for me, and based on my body weight (5'10, 85kg) they allowed him to prescribe up to a max of 60mg a day.

80 mg a day, and it doesn't feel like enough.

80 mg a day, and it doesn't feel like enough.I know how you feel? Will the doc prescribe you more, or is it "our limit", and a no?

I'm 110 mg a day. 40mg (longlasting, works 5-6 hrs, last half not as much)+40mg+3x10 mg (lasts 3 hrs) tablets. I wish I could have 60+60+30 (=150mg) or 30 mg x 4 (120 mg). More than 30 mg, and less than 30 mg, makes me jittery. It's like the magic number.

Doc says "stop". He wants me on Strattera. -Non-stimulant, you know.
How can anyone even notice 5 mg Ritalin?
Docs gotta get over themelves, it's like they think it's cocaine.
And people going "...fish oil is the only meds they need".

Sorry for the rant. :foot:

My current dose is 40mg x 2. Being a college student I asked my doc if I could spread my dosage and take 40mg x 3, or at least 60mg x 2 (my ideal would be 60mg x 3) but he decided to leave me with 40mg x 2. He is against aderall and dex, so I'm stuck with my current dosage and Ritalin for now.

My current dose is 40mg x 2. Being a college student I asked my doc if I could spread my dosage and take 40mg x 3, or at least 60mg x 2 (my ideal would be 60mg x 3) but he decided to leave me with 40mg x 2. He is against aderall and dex, so I'm stuck with my current dosage and Ritalin for now.I think meds are extremely important for ADHD adults. Your story upsets me to hear. I had to fight to get enough meds to last past 3-4 pm! :rolleyes: Doc said it wasn't necessary after school. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Under medicating of adults. If you work better on a higher dose, it's awful to leave you with less.

Heck, they should just make do with Prozac, fish oil, welfare cents and Suicide Watch for the lot of us. Are any of you lawyers ..?

I repeated myself. :foot: I apologize. :o

^ you're awesome Monkey girl!

I've started 20x 2 last week, but this week im doing nights (so I wake up at 3-4 pm), and do 10 hour shifts ending @ 5:30 am. so its a long day, these days iw ish I had 20x 3, but i just take the last 20 with 3 hour interval. does the trick

I'm fat, and short..and I take 30 mg a day..plus dex...30mg ..

how tall should I be???ooppsss..no I don't:eek: I usually take 60mg ritalin a day and 45mg dex a day too :p
I take 6 x 10mg ritalin a day
2 x 10 every 3 hours or so PLUS 3 x 5mg dex, 3 x a day

so 2 x 10 ritalin, + 3 x 5mg dex - 3 x a day

except for weekends usually :D

How long have you been on Ritalin?

As far as body weight it normally doesn't matter.

I was on Ritalin for several months and took 70 mg a day.
It made me sleepy.

I am 5'1, 98 poounds.

Now I am on Adderall. Works much better for me.I like skinny chicks http://addforums.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

I'm taking 15 mg twice a day

My doctor started me off at 5-20mg a day, and after our second meeting said I should stick to 15mg given my (sort of vaguely articulated) physiological response and body size (5'3/105). Looking around the forum, this seems awfully low. I can't say for sure whether it's made a difference or not - I don't want to take any more medicine than necessary, but how else would you know if a higher dose works better? Has anyone had roaring success with a very low dose?

i weigh close to 300lb and 5mg seems to be the correct amount for me..about 5 times per day.

10 mg doses make me very sleepy and i need a nap at around noon after only 2 x 10mg tabs.

Just picked up my script for Ritalin...doc is starting me with only 5mg twice per day. I'm 240 pounds though! Will this actually be enough to affect me at all? I see some of you on 50+ mg's per day at 110 pounds and whatnot! I will update after I take it for a few days...I'll probably wait until Monday to start though.

Ritalin isn't prescribed by body weight.

I take 20mg IR at once. up to 3 times a day.
But Dex does much more for me!

If you really need that much until you feel it, it could be related to the glutamate acid that is in Ritalin. Maybe you are sensitive to it. For that reason we have Medikinet which does not contain glutamate....

I have just been diagnosed and my doc at the VA is starting me at 5mg x2 a day.
I feel as though after reading here, I might be behind for what I need.

I don't understand how someone thinks that the neurochemicals in the brain are effected by whether one is overweight, underweight, large-framed, small-framed, tall, short, or otherwise. (other than extreme margin)

You block the re-uptake of dopamine (or agonise it), that's gonna effect anyone.

Just picked up my script for Ritalin...doc is starting me with only 5mg twice per day. I'm 240 pounds though! Will this actually be enough to affect me at all? I see some of you on 50+ mg's per day at 110 pounds and whatnot! I will update after I take it for a few days...I'll probably wait until Monday to start though.

Well, I took 5mg x2 yesterday as prescribed...didn't do a damn thing other than possibly make me sleepy. So today I tried 10mg x 2, and although it may have helped a little bit, I ended up really sleepy within 2 hours of each dose.

Does this mean I need a higher dosage? Or does this mean it's just not the right med for me?

I don't understand how someone thinks that the neurochemicals in the brain are effected by whether one is overweight, underweight, large-framed, small-framed, tall, short, or otherwise. (other than extreme margin)

You block the re-uptake of dopamine (or agonise it), that's gonna effect anyone.

Listen to this man, he's right. Ritalin goes through the blood, if you've got more or less fat it doesn't mean you should take more or less.

4 x 20 or 4 x 15 seems to work best .. with 4 hr intervals.