Stimulants – compare and contrast

[Anonymous]

Hi Dr. J

I’m on Ritalin SR, 20mg in the morning, and top it up with 10mg regular in the afternoon if its a stressful day.

When I read in the forums about some people doing really well on their meds, I started thinking maybe I should give Adderall a try.

Can you talk a bit about what the significant differences are??

My biggest gripes are that #1, I still can’t keep the house clean worth a damn, and #2, I’m starting to feel really “antsy” much of the time – like I want to run around the block, and do self-stimming stuff like rocking, rubbing the soles of my feet, wriggling my fingers, etc etc.

I have a tendency for a jumpy heartbeat, and for ticks. Both are a bit worse on Rit, but not enough to preclude me from taking it.

I AM REALLY PISSED OFF AT MY DISABILITY THESE DAYS!!!!!!! I know that having a “visible” disability is horrible, but sometimes an “invisible” one really sucks – people just think you can’t get your S&%$ together.

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[Anonymous]

pills don’t give skills. I and for that matter everyone in my house has or is being tested for ADD (my wife, and 3 kids). my house is a mess all the time and it’s because Game theory, finance, youtube and this are cooler than say the cleaning. My wife loves photography the outdoors and facebook ….again no cleaning mentioned. The kids well…..They are kids who loose things before they are finnished with them. Oh the adventures we have. My point is as we have been changing the world to fit us we have tried to do it together and at the same pase. It sucks it’s slow and frankly I can think of a million better things to do but the skills are what I am after so I might drop the pills….BTW you might ask your doc about something like Concerta instead of RIt; it is a constant stream of meds not a bunch of peeks and troughs. I haven’t had any problems with it outside of a little increased blood preasure.

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[Anonymous]

OK, take a step back. No med is going to make much of a difference if you do not also incorporate some lifestyle changes. If your target is cleaning your house and keeping it clean, there has to be a clear behavioral agenda. The meds may actually force more anxiety if there is no plan. You will feel like you are spinning your tires knowing you have to do something but where to start? A typical example is to take just one corner of one room and get it clean, even if the stuff there is piled somewhere else. The medication should give you the focal energy to do this.

Maybe you are not on the right med and it is worth looking at a different class away from the methylphenidate group to the dextroamphetamine group (or visa versa). The dose is the critical factor. What dose is going to make you achieve your target? Establish what you want to achieve and have someone monitor your side effects.

Hey, take a picture of the corner to remind yourself of the success you can achieve and then work on the next corner knowing that the first corner will be protected at all cost!

Nory, some of the side effect you were experiencing might be dose related. You might need something to keep you calm inside, like clonidine. This medication also lowers your BP. Go see your doc for some solutions.

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