Ritalin Advice
lcd confused
Ritalin for as long as I can remember.
My psychiatrist recently had to stop practicing medicine due to a
terminal medical condition. The last week months my primary has been
managing my ritilan. This is fine, but I feel like a need a change,
but don't know what, or how to convey this to my doctor without
sounding like I am looking for drugs.
I have felt and known a change was needed for about a year. I started
a new job with a high profile trial law firm. ALL we do is civil jury
trials. Very exciting, very stressfull and requires some long days.
My coworkers tease me about talking to fast. Sometimes I want to look
at them and say would you please speed up!!!! They just don't absorb
the information I am telling them unless I consciously speak SLOOOOWLY.
They also tease me about how fast I do things, or maybe I might cut a
corner to soon and hit my shoulder. The teasing is not mean, it is all
in fun (at my expense). This is a new experience for me, I have NEVER
had anyone point out any of my symptoms. There is someone else in the
office with ADHD and we have no problem communicating!!! It is a
freaking joke that me and the other person have their own world. Don't
get me wrong, there is not a performance problem and I am very much
appreciated.
I feel as if my meds are not working as effectively as before. I don't
know how to approach this with my doctor. Some of my other symptoms
have resurfaced over the year . . . impulsive buying, sluggish to get
going, guilty feelings about personal failure (nothing major), bouncing
from project to project (ultimately they all get done, I just don't
need to work on them all at once, ya know!) Multi tasking is great,
but I feel like that when I started taking medication, I resolved a lot
of these things. I also find myself craving caffine again. . .
I hate the thought of starting with a new psychiatrist, but I don't
feel like my primary doctor of 16 years will have the insight to make a
change or increase my Ritalin. If I have a 12 hour day, I have been
self-medicating with an extra dose or 2, which makes me short at the
end of the month. Is that completely wrong, I am abusing my
medication.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
lch
Emma Anne
> I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 33 and have been taking 60mg of
> Ritalin for as long as I can remember.
Is this the redular short-acting, or long acting or what? Because 60 mg
is already a pretty big dose if it is the regular short acting. I don't
know if you GP is going to want to raise your dose - you may have to
find another pdoc.
If it is long acting, you might ask him to also prescribe a small dose
of regular short acting methylphenidate for the late afternoon or
whenever it is you need it.
Are you doing the other stuff to make your meds work? Getting vigorous
exercise? Eating more protein than carbs? Getting enough sleep?
MothWrangler
> lcd confused <lch...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>
>>I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 33 and have been taking 60mg of
>>Ritalin for as long as I can remember.
>
>
> Is this the redular short-acting, or long acting or what? Because 60 mg
> is already a pretty big dose if it is the regular short acting. I don't
> know if you GP is going to want to raise your dose - you may have to
> find another pdoc.
The prescribing info says that although the typical prescribed daily
dose for regular Ritalin is 20 - 30 mg, some patients may need up to 60
mg/day.
So while 60 mg/day is the upper limit of what the prescribing info
recommends, it's common enough to be mentioned in the prescribing info.
Nancy
Unique, like everyone else
Emma Anne
Yes I agree. I was saying that his GP may not want to raise it *beyond*
60 mg.
Jan Drew
"lcd confused" <lch...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:1154870153....@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
I suggest you look at the side effects of Ritalin.
Vashti
> Yes I agree. I was saying that his GP may not want to raise it beyond
> 60 mg.
When he was a teen, Ritalin stopped working for my SO... his doc *did*
raise the dose to 90mg but it made no difference for him at all.
--
Vashti
MothWrangler
> I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 33 and have been taking 60mg of
> Ritalin for as long as I can remember.
>
> My psychiatrist recently had to stop practicing medicine due to a
> terminal medical condition. The last week months my primary has been
> managing my ritilan. This is fine, but I feel like a need a change,
> but don't know what, or how to convey this to my doctor without
> sounding like I am looking for drugs.
I think this all depends on how knowledgeable your PCP. is about ADHD
and ADHD meds. It's fairly common enough for meds which have been
working to become less effective over time. And it's very common for a
change in dosage or medication is required when new challenges are added
to one's life.
If you tell your doctor the story below, which indicates new challenges
in your life, do you think he will, or won't, understand?
IF you don't think he'd understand, look for a new psychiatrist.
My suggestion: Tell your doctor what you've written, and ask for his
advice WRT changing dosage or trying another medication. If you don't
get a satisfactory response from him, then look for a new psychiatrist.
Garry Freemyer
"lcd confused" <lch...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:1154870153....@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> Ritalin for as long as I can remember.
>
> My psychiatrist recently had to stop practicing medicine due to a
> terminal medical condition. The last week months my primary has been
> managing my ritilan. This is fine, but I feel like a need a change,
> but don't know what, or how to convey this to my doctor without
> sounding like I am looking for drugs.
Just say, I am still having difficulties that are having too much of an
impact on me. Do you think some change in my treatment might help?
So what is the belief about those who look for drugs that makes you feel
this way. Are you ascribing negatives to yourself that don't apply?.
Sounds like a refinement in your viewpoint would help.
If ADHD were treatable by any method other than drugs, I would use that
method, but so far, the only thing that seems to help involve the purchase
of equipment that only the wealthy can afford and their long-term
effectiveness is questionable.
Drugs are expensive, they are a pain in the butt to have to remember to use,
to lose every time I turn around, to have to drag along with me and I hate
being tied to a stupid pill, but neither of us asked for this. Stop kicking
yourself if you are.
Is it also possible that you are not confident in the doctor? If he don't
know much about ADHD or perhaps doesn't believe ADHD exists but just thinks
its a set of unproductive learned responses, then yes, you would have good
reason to feel uncomfortable.
DJ
I took Ritalin when I was younger, and now take Adderal, 60 mg is what
I'm supposed to take, but sometimes I just would rather take 40.
I'm curious how much ritalin you are taking? I had to take a 30 mg XR
in the a.m., then 20 mgs twice throughout the day. It was a different
gear for my brain, and the adderal is much stronger, I will admit.
Adderal takes some management on my part, like I have to eat
beforehand, and not take too late, or I won't sleep, (like tonight).
Feel free to contact me via email if you do not want to discuss
publicly, I can feel your pain though. Ritalin is far weaker than
adderal.
DJ