Hey guys, maybe I'm being overly concerned, but I have a question about drinking and Ritalin...

I'm currently taking the short action Ritalin 2-3x daily in 10 mg intervals. I normally do not drink, but here and there I like to get out with friends and have a few drinks. Since my medication started I haven't drank and I'm concerned about the safety of drinking while taking Ritalin. I've read mixed things about drinking and Ritalin both good and bad. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm not talking about taking a Ritalin with my drinks, I'm talking about taking my normally prescribed medication and then going out that night for a few drinks.

Skip your last dose of the day? That's one of the advantages of regular release medication.

I can tell you I was on Ritilan and I have A (ONE) glass of wine every night. I notice no difference from when I have that glass of wine and when I don't.

I am not a doctor. I do know some medication can hurt you if you take them with alcohol.

Ritilan and alcohol both affect your CNS so a doctor would say don't drink and take alcohol.

For what its worth????

Sorry, I meant don't drink and take Ritilan. WOOOPs

I agree that as long as the ritalin out of your system there might not be a problem, I'm not sure of the half life and what's left in your system even after no longer feeling the effects though. So you might want to check that out on the physician's prescribing info.

I don't drink (I have a sober alcoholic in my home so it's just easier that way, since I don't really like it anyway) so it's not an issue.

I believe the combination is usually not recommended... I think both increase the risk of seizure for one. If one has a history, then it might not be a very good idea to use either. I've never have had an issue, though I don't drink very much at all. I would think that the main factor would be how the medication is actually affecting one at the time, as the mechanism behind the increased risk would likely be related to the drug(s) effect on the CNS to begin with.

The half-life for methylphenidate is very short (2-4 hours), just in case anyone is wondering. This is unlike amphetamine, where the half-life of amphetamine is at least 10 hours usually.

My doctor actually told me that it's fine. He says one dose typically lasts 4-6 hours, however, I seem to feel the affects even when coming off the med.

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34235

I know that this is for Adderall, not Ritalin, but some may still apply.