My Dex - Ritalin/Concerta comparison - 3 months of experience

[Peterr]

Hi all,

Hope this is helpful to some readers here. I'm a 40 y.o. adult and have now a little over 3 months of experience with Concerta, Ritalin, and Dexamphetamine. For * ME * it works like this:

• Concerta, Ritalin and generic methylphenidate feel the same to me
• They slow me down
• I can't drink much coffee with it (--> heart beats)
• I don't like to drink alcohol with it (--> dizzy feeling)

• Dexamphetamine definately is in the same family
• It slows me down and relaxes me
• * I * prefer Dex, but I can understand that others prefer Ritalin/Concerta
• To me, Dex leaves me more 'clear headed' that Ritalin (which feels a bit more 'sedative')
• I never feel 'speedy' on either
• There is no negative effect on my sleep
• I eat a little bit less, but not much less

• The medication is not a miracle drug
• The effects on my behaviour are present but subtle
• Main effect: I can do one thing longer, with less need to do thousand different things at the same time
• I does NOT make me clean my office, nor does it make me very organized. It does not do my job
• Finding the right dose is important. To little is not effective, but (!) too much will not help much either. Too much ritalin, or too much dexamph. will make me feel lousy.
• My optimal dose seems to be 20 to 25 mg of dex per day
  
  
  So, does it work? Well....
• I got two compliments in the last weeks: on co-worker said "Hey, you are actually quite organized! " And one other said "Wow, we had a good talk! In the past discussions with you were fun but tiring, you jumped from one thing to another, but now you are calmer and more focused" . These people do NOT know I am diagnosed as AHDH and they don't know that I take medication. !!
• So, while I don't see much of an effect, the people I work with see something. This is good!

• I think it take time to get used to medication and to slowly adapt your lifestyle - I still have trouble using an agenda, but I'm fighting!

Hope this helps!

[peripatetic]

peterr,

how fantastic!!! i love good news

best wishes,

[Peterr]

Thanks! I'll cross post this in the Concerta and Ritalin forums (if that's OK moderators...!)