Posted by Racer on January 5, 2008, at 14:31:20
In reply to Question About Methylphenidate/Concerta, posted by tensor on January 5, 2008, at 13:39:14
I took Ritalin and then Concerta for some time -- maybe a couple of years? -- with no poop out, so I can't answer your question.
What I can say, though, is that I took methylphenidate for a couple of years with no poop-out. That leads me to suspect that it might be a good temporary boost for you, while you're waiting for other medication to kick in, or just during a particularly rough patch. It's certainly worth trying.
The trick, according to my experience and to my doctor, is that you won't feel "speedy." If you feel speedy, you're probably taking too high a dose. The dose I was on had certain consistent effects: a brightening of mood, a feeling of calm, and not much else. That way, there was no let down at the end of the day. Higher doses of the immediate release, while trying to find the right dose, led to feeling speedy and having a crash as it wore off.
For me, the best solution with the immediate release formulation was to take a front loaded split dose: about twice as much in the morning, with half as much at about mid-day. That also minimized any effects as it wore off. Probably the worst effect during the adjustment phase with the immediate release version was that I needed to lie down and sleep for half an hour about an hour after taking it. Eventually that wore off for me. The Concerta formula, though, didn't have that effect on me.
I truly hope reading about my experience is helpful for you.
poster:Racer
thread:804450
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080105/msgs/804465.html