Posted by PsychoSage on February 18, 2004, at 4:54:20
In reply to Adderall-Ritalin-Adderall, posted by Benzylboy on February 18, 2004, at 1:21:39
i am so skeptical of amphets/methylphenidate for this reason. I never took these over time or by prescription, but I was experienced with illicit stimulants to be knowledgeable about how they affect the brain. I did have a short period with ritalin use in school, so I know what a less euphoric stimulant is like in terms of onset, effects and crashing down. These stimulants are like drugs of abuse in that people become used to the effects, and it takes more to achieve the same subjective effect as first noted and experienced. It's a simple rule.
I just started on provigil and for the reason of potential tolerance and psychotic symptoms, I am starting at 50mg and will try to take as needed or at least take days off here and there. I just know though that my relationship to the drug will change, and i will have to think about moving to what I was prescribed which is 100mg in the morning.
It's good that there are dopamine agonists and aricept and other drugs to examine for attention/energy/concentration symptoms. I am obviously precluded from amphet and ritalin because I am in recovery. Naturally, I have to be very careful on provigil, and I can see myself getting used to it eventually. therefore, I would want to increase the dose which if I did it a few more times would send me into the madhouse if the psychotic symptoms come first or leave me searching for the perfect level of arousal in vain because that is so difficult to maintain.
I definitely believe rit and amphets can leave you depressed or cause mood disturbance in more sensitive folks who also have major depressive or bipolar disorders like myself.
My friend just sufferred a horrible depression, and she had been on ritalin for some time {not more than a year I think}. She is bipolar, and I have no doubt the ritalin probably burned her brain out because even though it brings you up and makes you productive {it was for her depression I think, since she has tried many and few ADs work but no doubt it helped her work 50 hour work weeks while taking very tiring anticonvulsants and lithium and remeron} it doesn't allow you to be too flexible with your emotions. In a depression I think the ritalin jolted her up when she was really down at her baseline. That probably tired her out and sent her into a suicidal funk, since she was trying to work hard at her job and deal with other normal issues but she had little time to work things out in the right mood.
Good luck, and just be pragmatic. I am not familiar with your plan, but just be ready to form a new one after a year or whenever you need to.
poster:PsychoSage
thread:314989
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040218/msgs/315024.html