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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sugarpuss on February 6, 2004, at 6:49:58
I have a few questions about these two drugs particularly for those of you who have experience with both.
How do they compare? Say you have a 20mg pill of Adderall and a 20mg pill of Ritalin -- will they have the same effects? If not, what's different? Are there differing side effects? Does it generally require more/less of one or the other; is one stronger than the other?
Also, what is the difference between regular Ritalin and RitalinSR? I know XR is extended-release and SR is sustained-release, but... honestly, I don't entirely know what sustained-release means, and in other pills I've noticed that the two kinds are SR or XR, not SR and just the drug name (with no XR).
I'm curious about your experiences.
Posted by noa on February 6, 2004, at 10:43:43
In reply to Adderall versus Ritalin?, posted by Sugarpuss on February 6, 2004, at 6:49:58
Each of us has different experiences, so I can only tell you mine:
I started with regular ritalin. It helped to boost my antidepressant's power and helped with alertness, etc. But it only would last maybe 2 1/2 to 3 hours max. I took it in 3 doses. To be honest, I don't remember the exact dosage--probably 5 mg twice a day and .25 once a day? Or maybe it was 10 and 5, I don't remember now.
Then I went to ritalin sr. Same effects but lasted maybe 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I also don't remember the dosage. I think I took it twice a day and then one regular ritalin for the last dose of the day? Don't really remember.
With both the regular and sr of ritalin, I had significant rebound effects--ie when the med was wearing off, I would feel irritable and depressed.
Then I went to regular Adderall. It had a much better effect for me than ritalin. I felt really calm and focused. These positive effects were really apparent almost right from the start--it felt very different than the ritalin. The effect lasted about 4 to 5 hours, maybe 6 max, and it was much more even---there wasn't the rebound depression/irritability like there had been with ritalin. The only rebound type reaction was that at mid-day, if I was late in taking the second dose of the day, I would start to feel a little scattered and unfocused. This was especially the case if I also went too long before eating lunch, which hadn't been an issue for me before. There was like a synergy between the two---the dose wearing off made my ability to cope with the mid-day hunger worse. If I didn't get to the med or to lunch in time, I became rather an airhead! And of course, being someone with organizational issues, I would forget to take it on time, or forget to schedule in lunch, a lot, not to mention all the times the work situation interfered with keeping a regular schedule of meds and food. I took 10 mg twice a day and 5 mg once a day.
Then I switched to Adderall XR, which is what I take now. I take one 30 mg pill in the morning. It works very well--calm, focused, and the effect lasts the whole day for me. It is much more even than the regular adderall, and absolutely zero rebound at all. It is also just so much more convenient. Having to remember to take doses during the day had been hard for me. Also, although I try not to skip lunch because it can sometimes affect my working concentration somewhat, I can do it and still function fine, unlike when I was on regular adderall--so this gives me more flexibility if I can't eat at a certain time.
btw---If you search the archives, you will no doubt find many similar discussions about the various stimulants.
Good luck.
Posted by dazed on February 6, 2004, at 15:49:07
In reply to Adderall versus Ritalin?, posted by Sugarpuss on February 6, 2004, at 6:49:58
Noa, I'm glad you wrote all that. I'm on Adderall XR and it does nothing for me, other than make me feel dingy and confused.
Regular Adderall did nothing too. I may try to switch to Ritalin to see if I'm one of those that need that.
Posted by scott-d-o on February 6, 2004, at 18:30:38
In reply to Adderall versus Ritalin?, posted by Sugarpuss on February 6, 2004, at 6:49:58
my personal opinion is that ritalin is best for adhd and adderall is best for inattentive add.. i've never thought these two "disorders" should even be related in this way since a variety of dysfunctions in the cns can cause attention problems.
i think the reason ritalin is prescribed more to hyperactive kids is because ritalin is more serotonergic than amphetamines.. since these kids have excess dopamine to begin with, the serotonin reuptake blockade of ritalin is what induces the calming effect. this has been demonstrated in rats that lack the dopamine transporter (so they have excess dopamine in the extracellular space and are hyperactive). when ritalin is administered to these rats it calms them down even thou they completely lack a dopamine transporter. I apologize to any parents who are offended by my comparison of hyperactive children to hyperactive rats..
most adults (who generally are not hyperactive) prefer adderall and usually find it feels smoother, and is less anxiety-provoking.. i'm sure the fact that amphetamines cause the release of DA/NE in addition to blocking reuptake also plays a factor.. while ritalin, like cocaine, mostly just blocks the reuptake of monoamines; just not as quickly as it's natural cousin, mr. coca, does. ritalin is still much shorter acting than amphetamine however and this also makes it more likely to be abused in my opinion, another reason to go w/the adderall.
scott
Posted by Interject79 on February 7, 2004, at 18:23:45
In reply to Re: Adderall versus Ritalin?, posted by noa on February 6, 2004, at 10:43:43
Mine is a lot like noa's. I take Adderall XR 30 in the morning. There is little rebound, though at the end of the day I'm more tired than I should be I think.
For me Adderall is much better than Ritalin or Concerta though. Dexedrine works for a lot of folks. It's dextroamphetamine, which is probably the most tolerable amphetamine isomer and seems good if you experience a lot of anxiety and obsessiveness. I've known people who take the spansules with good results.
Best,
interject
Posted by scott-d-o on February 8, 2004, at 20:07:40
In reply to Re: Adderall versus Ritalin?, posted by Interject79 on February 7, 2004, at 18:23:45
> Mine is a lot like noa's. I take Adderall XR 30 in the morning. There is little rebound, though at the end of the day I'm more tired than I should be I think.
>
> For me Adderall is much better than Ritalin or Concerta though. Dexedrine works for a lot of folks. It's dextroamphetamine, which is probably the most tolerable amphetamine isomer and seems good if you experience a lot of anxiety and obsessiveness. I've known people who take the spansules with good results.
>
> Best,
> interjectI prefer to take d-amphetamine over adderall, so I took the dex spansules for a while, but the release system just sucks compared to adderall xr. the adderall xr releases half the capsule immediately and the other half 4 hours later.. much smoother than the dex.. the dex spansules feel like they take 6 hours to kick in.. doesn't work well for that morning class. now i take adderall xr and it doesn't even cost anymore than the generic dex spansules with my insurance.. just my experiences.
scott
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