Stress and it's affect on the effectiveness of Ritalin

[Swordsman45]

My question simply put. Can severe stress diminish the effectiveness of Ritalin?

I was diagnosed AD/HD in 1968. I’ve been on Ritalin since with a gap of 10 years in my late twenties and early thirties. For quite some time I’ve operated under the assumption that the Ritalin was working and my various coping strategies were effective. Till last month that is.

I’m a dancer. Not professional but it’s a very serious hobby of mine and I compete on amatuer status. One of my competition dance partners went off on me and pretty much ripped into me and ended our association. Her descriptions of my shortcomings were pretty stunningly ADD related. I hadn’t even noticed but it prompted me to start reevaluating myself. I have to say on 90% of what bothered her I would now agree with. My first step was to learn all that I can about AD/HD again which has led me TotallyADD. From here I”ve learned alot.

In the last 10 months I accepted a contract at work that elevated my stress to levels I haven’t experienced in 15 years. The contract was completed mid September and my work stress is back to its normal level which by most standards is probably high as I tend to stay loaded up with contract projects.

I’m kind of fortunate because one of my other competion dance partners is an M.D. and I’ve shared this reevaluation with her. She did agree that my AD/HD has seem more pronounced in the last 6 months. I don’t have a regular doctor I work with on AD/HD just my family doctor who relies on me to bring her my suggestions and we fashion my treatment together.

Two weeks ago unilaterally I returned to an earlier dosage which is double what I’ve been taking. In about a week to ten days I have felt much better. My mind racing is diminished, I’m not waking up in the middle of the night, and I’m waking up feeling rested instead of dragging my butt out of bed feeling tired.

At work I seem to be less hyperfocused on my projects. This is significant departure from my normal work habits. It’s like I’m now aware there’s something else going on around me besides me and my work.

I won’t see my doctor dance partner until Friday. We’ll have three days of practice and I’m hoping to get some feedback there.

I do have an appointment next week with my family doctor. I’m going to ask that we increase my dosage at least temporarily. I’m also going to try and get a referral to somebody that works with AD/HD more than she does.

I guess I’m looking for some anecdotal support that somehow the severe stress has depleted the ability of the Ritalin to help me at this dosage.

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[nellie]

I can’t provide you with any specific anecdotal evidence about whether or not stress caused a specific effect. However, the doctor who prescribes my ADD meds has asked me when I said a particular med hasn’t worked for me, whether or not I had experienced any rise in stress level related to home or work. So I believe this must be a possibility. Incidentally, my response was that my life is always crazy so no not really

But I suppose there is also the possibility that your body has gotten used to the dose and may require adjustment. There are lots of threads here related to that.

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[munchkin]

This is just my point of view – no scientific research done… but I think the effect of the stress and the effect of the Ritalin are 2 separate things. I wondered about this question myself and I have been trying to pay attention to it.

I think that the stress decreases my mental abilities.

I think that Ritalin increases my mental abilities.

I don’t think that more stress = a need for more Ritalin. My reasoning: Ritalin, for me, works best at a specific dose. Too much or too little, and it’s not helpful. So even if stress is decreasing my overall abilities, I think more Ritalin would just make that even worse, because I would be overdosed, which would just make the situation worse, not better…

Again – purely my own thoughts based on about 4 months of Ritalin use…

-Munch

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[caper]

I agree with munchkin. Stress = stronger emotions from the lymbic system. Ritalin juices up the ACC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cw8jHUkHiA

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