Hated Ritalin the times I was on it.. would Dex work better?

[Anonymous]

I was put on Ritalin as a kid.. some positive effects were gained but I hated how I felt.. eventually got off it… went on again in college… again hated how I felt… stopped taking the stuff… Since then I have been self medicating with ephedrine and caffeine and get by…. is it possible I need the Dexadrine or amphetamine version of the drug instead of ritalin?

it seems a lot of drugs don’t seem to hit me the same way as they do for most “normal” people.. perhaps that is a good thing.. I have never been big on drug use… I hate opiates and ritalin but don’t have issue with ephedrine…. I am assuming ephedrine is closer to what I need than the other stuff

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[Anonymous]

Need more information regarding “hated how I felt” how did the Ritalin make you feel?

P

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[Anonymous]

My kids and I are all affected in various ways by ADD, and we have all have tried Ritalin. Our reactions are as varied as we are. My son is 10 years older than my 2 daughters, and he didn’t take it until he was in his early 20s. For him, it was a near-miracle. He became organized, had no trouble getting up in the morning or going to sleep at night, and had no side effects. He did get a headache for about the first week, but realized it was from holding his head up when he walked. He was used to limiting his own visual stimuli by looking down all the time. After taking Ritalin, he said he realized there was a horizon. He just had to work those muscles. His wife is very organized, and has no hint of ADD, so that helped, too. After a little over a year, he started taking less and less Ritalin, and soon quit all together. He said it just helped him “learn how to be normal,” and he hasn’t felt the need to take it again.

When I took it, I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. I told my husband, half-joking, it’s like being pregnant. I cried at the drop of a hat, or was semi-manic. I tried it for about 2 months twice, several months apart, and had the same reaction, so I quit taking it. My youngest daughter was prescribed Ritalin when she was in about 4th grade, and cried for 4 hours the first time I gave it to her. We waited a few days and tried it again. She cried for 4 hours again. I asked her what she was crying about, and she said, “I don’t knoooooow!” Good thing I had taken it first, and I knew where she was coming from. My other daughter took it for about 3 months. She said it did help her organize somewhat, but it also muted her emotions, and she decided the trade-off wasn’t worth it, so we agreed she could quit taking it.

The doctor told me all these reactions are common, and probably there are more. Can’t tell you why, just what our experiences were.

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