Hey, what's up?

I'm currently taking 54mg of Concerta and it's barely doing anything. It worked very well for me back in late 05 to spring 06 but I just can't get it work as well it once did :(. Other than Concerta I've been on Ritalin (quick release), Straterra (SUCK-terra lol) and Adderall XR.

So, I need to know which medicine I should try next. I was thinking of Ritalin SR or Ritalin CR (wait, does that even exist??) since the short release Ritalin worked "well" for the longest time even though it was only a quick release. But which other drugs have you folks had good success with??

I play guitar and I still see myself getting distracted and not playing as well as I did when the drugs were working :(. PLEASE, PLEASE READ THIS AND WRITE BACK TO ME!:) You know you want to;) Now do it!

Thanks!

p.s. seriously, I don't want this condition to control my life. I'm at my wits end and need to find a new medication. I want to take guitar seriously but I can't focus enough to practice. :( Please help. That's all for now.

p.p.s. just kidding. :)

why not just bump up to 72mg of Concerta? That is the next logical choice.

Ritalin SR does exist. It's an older semi-extended release form that gets a bad rap. It only comes in 20mg strength though.

You could look into FocalinXR or MetadateCD

I don't know what to tell you.. I take the next one up from you, Concerta 72mg, and it doesn't really work anymore either. I've only been on Strattera besides it, so I don't really know what else to suggest to you. There's a Ritalin LA as well though

I've used Ritalin SR, Metadate, and Concerta, in ascending order of effectiveness.

I know people have different experiences with medications, so your results might be different, but my experience suggests that switching from Concerta to Ritalin SR or Metadate would be a downgrade.

Why did you stop the IR? Was it for convenience or because it stopped working?

I take a generic version of IR Ritalin. As I said, I tried those three long acting variants, and found they didn't work for me. I seem to need a consistent level of medication in my system, and they just didn't provide it. It is inconvenient to have to take pills throughout the day, but I've found it manageable.

I'm not a doctor, so this is just based on my experience, and that of others I know, but if Ritalin IR stopped working for you, and Concerta stopped working for you, it may be that methylphenidate isn't the right medication for you. Why did you stop the Adderal XR?

I've used Ritalin SR, Metadate, and Concerta, in ascending order of effectiveness.

I know people have different experiences with medications, so your results might be different, but my experience suggests that switching from Concerta to Ritalin SR or Metadate would be a downgrade.

Why did you stop the IR? Was it for convenience or because it stopped working?

I take a generic version of IR Ritalin. As I said, I tried those three long acting variants, and found they didn't work for me. I seem to need a consistent level of medication in my system, and they just didn't provide it. It is inconvenient to have to take pills throughout the day, but I've found it manageable.

I'm not a doctor, so this is just based on my experience, and that of others I know, but if Ritalin IR stopped working for you, and Concerta stopped working for you, it may be that methylphenidate isn't the right medication for you. Why did you stop the Adderal XR?

What's Ritalin IR? Does that stand for quick release? I stopped using it because it would work for like only a couple of hours and then I would crash hard right after that. It felt like I had a hangover everyday. It was brutal. It made my symptoms worse when that happend BUT it DID help me for the 2 hours or so that it was effective.

It's possible that methylphenidate just isn't the right drug for me anymore. What are some non-Methylphenidate-based drugs? Because alot of them are made from the same active ingredient, right?

I stopped the Adderall XR because although it's not a methylpehnidate-based medication, it too lost it's effectiveness pretty soon after I began taking it:(. I didn't think that happend with it so quickly since I'd never taken amphetamines before. Hmph. :confused:

I think I'm like you and need a consistent level of meds in my system. Thanks for your help! Hopefully you'll read this and get back to me with some more info.

I don't know what to tell you.. I take the next one up from you, Concerta 72mg, and it doesn't really work anymore either. I've only been on Strattera besides it, so I don't really know what else to suggest to you. There's a Ritalin LA as well though

Yeah, 72mg didn't work for me either. Back when I was on 36mg (which is probably not even strong enough for a cat lol), I tried taking two to get 72mg. My body knew I'd taken 72mg because the physical side effects had double pretty much but my brain still thought it wasn't medicated so I was still y'know pretty distracted, forgetful, disorganized, etc...

Yeah, 72mg didn't work for me either. Back when I was on 36mg (which is probably not even strong enough for a cat lol), I tried taking two to get 72mg. My body knew I'd taken 72mg because the physical side effects had double pretty much but my brain still thought it wasn't medicated so I was still y'know pretty distracted, forgetful, disorganized, etc...It works off and on for me.. I think you have to do your part to have medicine work sometimes. But if you switch, good luck

What's Ritalin IR? Does that stand for quick release? I stopped using it because it would work for like only a couple of hours and then I would crash hard right after that. It felt like I had a hangover everyday. It was brutal. It made my symptoms worse when that happend BUT it DID help me for the 2 hours or so that it was effective.

IR stands for immediate release I think. Its just the standard Ritalin, but I noticed people here say IR to distinguish it from the other Ritalin types.
I take my medication(standard quick release ritalin) every two hours, four times a day. If I'm more than ten minutes or so late, it starts to wear off, and I start to crash, and my day will not go right, even if I take the next dose. I now use a vibrating timer to remind me when to take it.

It may be that it would work for you if you got the timing and dosage right.

It's possible that methylphenidate just isn't the right drug for me anymore. What are some non-Methylphenidate-based drugs? Because alot of them are made from the same active ingredient, right?

I stopped the Adderall XR because although it's not a methylpehnidate-based medication, it too lost it's effectiveness pretty soon after I began taking it:(. I didn't think that happend with it so quickly since I'd never taken amphetamines before. Hmph. :confused:


I've only taken methylphenidate based medications(Concerta, Metadate, Ritalin, Ritalin SR), so I can't share any experiences about how the others worked in comparison, but I know there are various amphetamine based medications, including Adderral(mixed amphetamine salts), Dexedrine(dextroamphetamine), and Desoxsyn(methamphetamine). I think they all have long-acting variants as well(except maybe methamphetamine, I actually don't know anyone who's been prescribed this). There's also a medication called Focalin, which is "dexmethylphenidate", but I don't know anything about it. I got all this from wikipedia, and I'm probably missing some. I'm sure you could find out more specific information about the various options for each there.

IR stands for immediate release I think. Its just the standard Ritalin, but I noticed people here say IR to distinguish it from the other Ritalin types.
I take my medication(standard quick release ritalin) every two hours, four times a day. If I'm more than ten minutes or so late, it starts to wear off, and I start to crash, and my day will not go right, even if I take the next dose. I now use a vibrating timer to remind me when to take it.

It may be that it would work for you if you got the timing and dosage right.



I've only taken methylphenidate based medications(Concerta, Metadate, Ritalin, Ritalin SR), so I can't share any experiences about how the others worked in comparison, but I know there are various amphetamine based medications, including Adderral(mixed amphetamine salts), Dexedrine(dextroamphetamine), and Desoxsyn(methamphetamine). I think they all have long-acting variants as well(except maybe methamphetamine, I actually don't know anyone who's been prescribed this). There's also a medication called Focalin, which is "dexmethylphenidate", but I don't know anything about it. I got all this from wikipedia, and I'm probably missing some. I'm sure you could find out more specific information about the various options for each there.

Hmm. I actually thought about that. I would need to refill my meds more often or get a prescription for more than just 60 pills. But it could work. We'll see. I don't see my GP till mid-June :mad: but I'll keep ya posted.

Do you think the IR 3-4 times a day would work better than the SR 1-2 times?

It works off and on for me.. I think you have to do your part to have medicine work sometimes. But if you switch, good luck

What does that mean? lol What will I have to do differently?

What does that mean? lol What will I have to do differently?lol It will work for you, but you need to do your part.. When possible, eliminate distractions, try your best to be calm and to think first.. I have a very good friend, and she constantly tells me that ADHD medication is only a building block, and we use it until we know how to deal with our ADHD on our own and can slowly get away from the medicine. I realize many people will disagree with me and maybe say ADHD is a life long condition, and so therefore the medicine should be taken the entire time it's there, and that's fine. Difference in opinion is fine

Hmm. I actually thought about that. I would need to refill my meds more often or get a prescription for more than just 60 pills. But it could work. We'll see. I don't see my GP till mid-June :mad: but I'll keep ya posted.

Do you think the IR 3-4 times a day would work better than the SR 1-2 times?

Can you get him on the phone and tell him its not working? maybe he can fax or mail a prescription, or leave one at the desk for you to pick up, even if you can't get an appointment until June.

Its been so long since I used SR, that I don't really remember, but I do remember that Concerta worked better for me, but neither as well as the IR. SR might work for you better than it did for me. Its not the same for everyone.

Can you get him on the phone and tell him its not working? maybe he can fax or mail a prescription, or leave one at the desk for you to pick up, even if you can't get an appointment until June.

Its been so long since I used SR, that I don't really remember, but I do remember that Concerta worked better for me, but neither as well as the IR. SR might work for you better than it did for me. Its not the same for everyone.

Hmm. I don't know about getting him on the phone I've never tried that.

And you're right, meds will work differently for everybody.

lol It will work for you, but you need to do your part.. When possible, eliminate distractions, try your best to be calm and to think first.. I have a very good friend, and she constantly tells me that ADHD medication is only a building block, and we use it until we know how to deal with our ADHD on our own and can slowly get away from the medicine. I realize many people will disagree with me and maybe say ADHD is a life long condition, and so therefore the medicine should be taken the entire time it's there, and that's fine. Difference in opinion is fine


That's the story of my life right there lol. But yeah, it's good advice anyway. I agree/disagree with your friend. She's right about how it's only a building block and that medication is only one part of our treatment but I think since you have ADHD for life you have to be treated for life. It's not like Stevie Wonder's gonna one day get to see.

That's the story of my life right there lol. But yeah, it's good advice anyway. I agree/disagree with your friend. She's right about how it's only a building block and that medication is only one part of our treatment but I think since you have ADHD for life you have to be treated for life. It's not like Stevie Wonder's gonna one day get to see.And I agree/disagree with you. lol I think that you have a point, but I am sorry, ADHD is not as serious as being blind. And I can say that because I have ADHD so I am not degrading or making fun of anyone, it's just my opinion. I think we need to learn to deal with it on our own, and that medicine just helps us learn to do that. We need to be slowly taken off of it to learn how to deal with it on our own as well.

And I agree/disagree with you. lol I think that you have a point, but I am sorry, ADHD is not as serious as being blind. And I can say that because I have ADHD so I am not degrading or making fun of anyone, it's just my opinion. I think we need to learn to deal with it on our own, and that medicine just helps us learn to do that. We need to be slowly taken off of it to learn how to deal with it on our own as well.

Yeah, yeah you're right haha. I wasn't trying to equate ADHD to blindness. Ah man, that's one of my biggest problems. Whatever I try to say never quite sounds as good as what I was thinking:(. I was basically trying to say that I believe it's something that requires life-long treatment. But I do agree with the last part you said. I think maybe some people (including myself at times:o) may become a bit too dependent on drugs and forget about how to deal with it them/ourselves. But yeah I just hope my previous post didn't make me sound too stupid. :p

Yeah, yeah you're right haha. I wasn't trying to equate ADHD to blindness. Ah man, that's one of my biggest problems. Whatever I try to say never quite sounds as good as what I was thinking:(. I was basically trying to say that I believe it's something life-long treatment. But I do agree with the last part you said. I think maybe some people (including myself at times:o) may become a bit too dependent on drugs and forget about how to deal with it them/ourselves. But yeah I just hope my previous post didn't make me sound too stupid. :p:) You don't sound stupid at all.. It wouldn't have mattered if you meant it in the way it came across anyway, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Give yourself a little more credit ;) And well there are some that are dependent upon medicine, and some that aren't. For now I am still young and I need it, but I'm hoping by the time I'm done with college I won't anymore