I just started taking 20mg of Adderall IR twice a day maybe two weeks ago. It worked really well at first but recently it has been giving me pounding headaches. It feels like there is a clamp on my head that gets tightened whenever I take Adderall. I was thinking about asking my doctor to switch me to Ritalin, but the main concern I have involves depression. I see a few people mentioning they had symptoms of depression while taking Ritalin. Is this common?

i havent had any symptom of depression and ritalin actually helped me relieve my depression, but thats for me.

I actually had that problem on ritalin (the clamping headaches) and I got switched to adderall. Stimulants are actually prescribed to people with anxiety/depression issues that are resistant to anti-depressants.

Sometimes depression and anxiety are a result of ADHD, and sometimes they are comorbid (you have both, unrelated to each other).

My doctor suggested Wellbutrin if I felt like my anxiety was still a problem, as it is an SSNRI that works on ADHD as well. But for me, the ritalin didn't work and the adderall does.

I have been on so many antidepressants and none of them have worked at all for my depression. Last summer my doctor put me on ritalin when I went back to him to tell him that the Cymbalta was not working for me. He said that some people who don't have very good symptom relief from antidepressants will have good luck with ritalin and he has been right so far. It raises my moods (although I am cranky lately) and it also gives me energy and I can focus better. He did diagnose me with ADD as well.

There are some symptoms that I am not sure are from ritalin or not. I just read today that it can cause left sided arm pain and weakness as well as fainting, nervousness, irritability, dizziness and lightheadedness. I do have the faint feeling and am very irritable and the irritability is horrible. I wish I could run away from me sometimes. I have been so cranky for about a month and a half. I am going to the doc tomorrow and hopefully he can help.

But anyway, good luck to you. When I heard what he said about the ritalin actually being used as an antidepressant I really couldn't wait to try it as I have had absolutely no luck with anything else.

Good luck.

I have been taking ritalin for years and if I get a headache it usually means its time to dose

I feel irritable and cranky if my I dont dose on time

hope my experience with ritalin is helpful to you

call your doc...lol...keep us posted we care:)

I have been using it too much and I know that isn't good. I am wondering if maybe my overuse of it is what is causing the volatile mood or maybe a combination of that and my depression or maybe those things plus the trauma I have been through as well as the current level of stress. I am sure all of the above.

Yes, your experience with ritalin is helpful to me and I am going to ask him about what to do tomorrow. I am not going to volunteer that I have been taking more because I know I can stop it and I will definitely get back down to where I need to be. I can't help but like the energy I get from it. The lift in my mood is great and that is what I need. But I know it is habit forming and the fact that I am taking more of it is reason to cut back to the prescribed dose before it gets out of control. I have done it before with ritalin, xanax and others and I can do it with ritalin again too.

I will keep you posted. Thanks for the info. Can I ask what your current dose of ritalin is if you don't mind sharing? Thanks again and have a great day.

Pam

From my experience a lot of people react too quickly to a negative side effect. If a side effect is really debilatating then you should consult your doctor, but I think if it's just a mild inconvenience you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the drug. When I began to take Ritalin I would get headaches, for a couple of months, but they went away. I found that drinking more water, and eating something, even a few bites of something like a granola bar, would help me lose the headache. I also have left arm "sensation", I wouldn't call it pain. It comes and goes, often for long periods of time, like months. The most persistant side effect I have is a kind of muscle cramping sensation across my pectoral msucles, just under the collar bone that goes into the shoulders, so I feel hunched over and I have to stretch myself out frequently. Doing some push ups relieves this. No depression, quite the opposite.

I would second drinking more water. Stimulants really dehydrate you, and that can definitely lead to the kind of headache you're talking about. I drink a few liters of water a day when I'm taking my Concerta and Ritalin, and it staves off the headaches.

I hated Ritalin, it would wear off so fast and I'd crash so much- extreme fatigue and extreme sleeping amounts, depression and anxiety. Not to mention nausea and dizziness.

Much prefer Adderall, but everyone is different.

Brand name Ritalin is the best med for me...fast in fast out...no depression with ritalin....adderall very depressing for me...lots of neg side effects....

Im no expert, just a fellow adhdr sharing my experience

Somuchbetter,

Wellbutrin is a norepinephrin and dopamine reuptake inhibitor, not serotonin. (NDRI not SSNRI)