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I agree that the effect of the meds varies from person to person, though they act the same. If you take the time to understand what is going on in the various parts of your brain and find out how the different drugs affect the different parts then you can find out what (if any) meds may be good for you.

For example if someone tends to have anxiety, the distractibility of ADHD may minimize the impact of the anxiety. Taking some meds that improve your focus may lead to you focusing more on your problems/worries.

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[caper]

In people with ADHD the default mode network tends to be active more often then non-ADHD people. Most of the time I like it; the biggest downside is not having enough time to try all the ideas I come up with. I find dexamphetamine (dexedrine) works well to dampen down all the thoughts going through my head. I’m currently on generic Ritalin which works great for my temper, but I plan to add a prescription for dexedrine the next time I see my doctor for the odd times when focus is more important than creativity.

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[caper]

I would get the tightness in the neck (felt like I needed to swallow) and sometimes tightness in the chest when the dose was too high. On Concerta this would be in the early afternoon when the peak hit, and even a bit as the initial rise in the morning occurred; this was on 54mg. Similar effect when I’d take too much of the generic Ritalin SR. No headaches though. Now I take 2 Apo 20mg SR methylphenidate (generic Ritalin SR) with no side-effects. If I take them too close together (i.e. 3-4hrs instead of 6-7hrs) I get the side-effects about an hour after the 2nd dose.

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[caper]

I’m taking APO MPH-SR (generic Ritalin SR). It uses a methylcellulose binder to effect the delayed release, and I don’t recall seeing anything about lactose on the product monograph. Nice & cheap too: 25c/pill for 20mg. 54mg concerta was costing me $4/pill, was giving me side-effects (tightness in the chest) in the afternoon when the levels peak, and would only last ~11-12hrs. Now that I’m taking 2 Ritalin SR per day (1 when I wake up in the am, and one after lunch) I have no side-effects of overdosing and it lasts ~14-15hrs.

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[caper]

@kellbenson: If you want to save money, I’d suggest APO methylphenidate SR (generic Ritalin SR). I take 20mg 2x daily about 6hrs apart. The effect lasts longer than when I was taking 54mg concerta, and the cost is only 50c/day.

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[caper]

I found bell mobility sucks when it comes to customer service.

Now I have an unlocked phone with a cheap prepaid texting package. If my current provider pisses me off, I can just buy a new SIM card ($5-$10) from another provider and switch.

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[caper]

MPH = methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, etc)

As for the other stimulant you refer to (speed), 85 is a little slow for me. 149MPH in a 6-speed 400HP V-8 is a good rush!

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@Larynxa: I completely agree. Is that a generalization?

@memzak: Some of George Bush’s research shows long-term improvements in brain function after 6 wks of MPH use.

http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/martinos/people/showPerson.php?people_id=18

I find the meds help break the emotional habit of loosing my temper; i.e. I couldn’t break the habits without the meds since I have such poor BI. With the meds I can choose not to loose my temper, and over time my emotional brain learns the new (calm) response to the irritating stimuli. To tie it back in to the topic title, no medication is better, if you can get your brain to function as well off the meds as it does on the meds. I’m on meds 4 months now (was as high as 80mg/day) , and think I’ll be able to wean myself mostly off them within a couple years.

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Robert: after I told my doctor the meds worked for me, he told me I shouldn’t have done it but it’s not uncommon. Then he gave me the test and I walked away from the appointment with a prescription for Concerta.

The CADDAC practice guidelines also indicate it is common for adults to request a diagnosis after self-medicating.

billd: the scare tactics don’t work on me, and I hope they don’t work on anyone else. I have given some of my meds to someone else that I thought might have ADHD, and I may even give some to my father. And I don’t go looking over my shoulder for the cops either since I’m not guilty of any crime. I’m in Canada where mens rea is required in virtually all criminal offenses, and for those few statutory liability crimes due diligence is an exemption. i.e. if you make a reasonable attempt to help someone then you haven’t committed a crime.

For those people that have to deal with the American version of the SS, you can try OTC stimulants like nicotine (some studies show it works even better than MPH) or caffeine (often works almost as good as MPH).

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[caper]

I find I have to overdose to get good focus; i.e. 80-100mg/day. 2 20mg Ritalin SR per day is what I take now.

If you really have ADHD (smaller and lower function in the requisite areas of the brain) I wouldn’t think the drugs can make you “normal”. I’m happy with a bit better focus than before, but most of all the big improvment in temper.

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I have ADHD (formally diagnosed) and an ASD (self-diagnosed). Personally I think ADHD contributes to my gullibility, but it comes primarily from the ASD. I’m pathologically truthful (I’m even bad at social white lies) and trusting too. I think the ADHD contributes to my lack of fear of being duped. Being on the AS, I’m very analytical, so that protects me most times from getting duped out of my money.

For me it’s not a problem; I like the way I am (trusting to the point of being naive).

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You’re the 2nd one to mention the narcolepsy connection with short sleep latency into REM & narcolepsy. When I’m not physically active I get tired in the early afternoon. Before my ADHD diagnosis, a couple cups of coffee took care of that, and now 20mg of Ritalin SR after lunch keeps me alert until the evening. A couple times when I was figuring out dosing & timing I took one after 5pm and wasn’t able to get to sleep until after midnight. Now I usually take one around 630 and one around 1300 and have no noticable side-effects.

Regarding the accuracy of the Zeo, I think that besides the inability to detect wakenings < 30sec, I think it is mistaking my initial dreamy light sleep as REM. I may try the special firmware & cable to get the raw output to see more accurately what’s going on.

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@scattybird: glad I could help; it sure beats getting into arguments like I do sometimes on other forums.

I like Daniel Goleman too. It’s the first time I’ve heard BI is a left-cortex function; I’ve read it’s primarily a function of the dorsal anterior mid-cingulate cortex (daMCC).

For a more technical analysis of basic emotions check out Paul Ekman’s “Emotions Revealed”.

I like also Danel Siegel’s work on mindsight, which covers more practical things like mediation (there’s another forum thread on mediation).

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This shows the effect of 40mg SR taken in the am followed by 20mg 4 & 7h later:

http://addralph.blogspot.com/2011/09/drug-dosing.html

Given that you find the 10mg works (the ~3hr duration is pretty normal), I think the 20mg SR 2x daily would be great for you. After taking it for a few days you should be able to figure out the right time to take the 2nd dose. My guess is ~6hrs would be best for you, with the total effect of the 2 pills lasting 12-14hrs.

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@Scattybird: It felt like a jab in the gut when I read “How could I go through life and not realise what a mess-up I am/was?”. I hate hearing people beat themselves up over the past. You can’t change it, however you can learn from it so you can improve your future.

“You are not responsible for the background and circumstances that may have influenced who you are, but you are responsible for who you become. “

I’m not sure where the quote comes from, but I like it.

Take a minute (literally 57 seconds) to watch this video. Once you believe it yourself then send it to your close family & friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiGsGJaxaEM

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