So, I don't have health insurance yet (grr...), which means that my meds are getting expensive. It will take a month to find out if I can get Concerta for free, so in the meantime, I have switched to Ritalin SR since it is MUCH cheaper. :)

My psych, however, told me that Ritalin SR does not "release" properly sometimes, so some days it just might not work...or not as well. I plan to meet with her a bit more regularly so we can monitor its effectiveness more closely.

Anyway, has anyone here used Ritalin SR before, or used it as a short term "substitute" for Concerta? What can I expect?

I've used Ritalin SR, and have used Concerta, and I found neither of them to be as effective, or as therapeutic as Focalin.

Focalin is the single dextro isomer of methylphenidate (dexmethylphenidate), compared to Ritalin and Concerta which are racemic mixtures of both the dextro and levo isomers.

The dextro isomer is much more active in the CNS (central nervous system), compared to the levo isomer which is much more active in the PNS (peripheral nervous system).

CNS stimulation typically equates to increases in things like attention span, focus, motivation, euphoria, etc,. etc.

PNS stimulation typically equates to increases in things like heart rate, blood pressure, twitching/nervous jitters, sweating, increased body temp, etc., etc.

I understand how expensive these medications can be too, because I do not have insurance that covers my medications either. However, I have found that it does pay to call around to different pharmacies.

For example, the last time I decided to get the brand name Dexedrine (before it was discontinued) I was quoted a price of $190.00 for 400 of the 5mg IR tablets at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, and Kroger pharmacies. In contrast, CVS pharmacy wanted to charge me over $490.00 for the exact same prescription made by the exact same manufacturer.

This type of price gouging goes on all over the nation, and pharmacies are allowed to charge what ever they want. Those with insurance typically could care less about this issue, however I find it to be very unethical when I consider how many elderly and uninsured are taken advantage of every day by pharmacies like CVS, Right Aid, and Walgreens to name a few. Those three are the worst that I have found when it comes to price gouging.

The best pharmacies I have found for low prices are Wal-Mart, Kroger, K-Mart. Please check around the town where you live to see just how much of a price difference there is. ;)

Hi T,

How is it going with the Ritalin SR? Because of insurance I cannot take Concerta either, so I am trying to use a combination of ritalin SR and IR to create the effects the Concerta had. So far I do not find the SR to be like the concerta and I am still trying to work out the best dose for myself.

I'd be interested to hear your experience of it if you end up giving it a try. :)