whats the difference between ritalin, dexedrine, and adderall?

Question

what's the difference between these stimulants?
is one safer than the others?

Answer 1

Technical difference: Dexedrine and Adderall both contain amphetamine type stimulants where Ritalin contains a stimulant that is not an amphetamine. Dexedrine is made up of 1 amphetamine salt which is dextroamphetamine. Adderall is made up of 4 amphetamine salts, 1 of which is dextroamphetamine which makes up 25% of the Adderall pill. Ritalin usually requires a dosage similar to Adderall and twice that of Dexedrine to be effective.

Difference in effect: Adderall is prescribed in approximately twice the dosage of Dexedrine. A 10mg pill of Adderall contains 2.5mg of Dexedrine but has similar effect as 5mg of Dexedrine. Due to the 4 different salts and increased dosage needed, Adderall is more likely to give side effects than Dexedrine. These side effects include increased heart rate, blood pressure, decreased appetite, inability to sleep, muscle tightness, and head ache. Ritalin is a another story and usually falls in between the other two as far as side effects go however, many parents and patients report a withdrawn effect from Ritalin that goes beyond it just being effective. Dexedrine also slightly acts positively on serotonin and can increase mood where as Adderall can make people more moody.

Safety: Adderall has recently been taken off the shelves in Canada for a time but remained available here and pushed quite heavily by doctors as it is the newest and most profitable for the drug companies who market to the doctors. Dexedrine has little effect on heart rate and blood pressure and therefore is likely much more safe. You also need less Dexedrine than Adderall and Ritalin and therefore are putting less drugs into your system. Finally Dexedrine has been around for a much longer time than Adderall.

I think at least Dexedrine and Ritalin should be tried for 2-4 weeks in varying dosages so the patient has the best thing that works with their chemistry. The Adderall should not be tried if any pre-existing condition or family history of heart problems is present. 2 out of three doctors I've spoken with had no idea about these differences in dosage, chemical makeup, and side effects. (Kind of scary) Do your own research and ask for feedback from friends and family to make sure you are doing the best job you can to fight the ADD/HD. This site: http://www.AmDazed.com/ has a page with links to good forums, research links, and other resources for ADD/HD.

Cost: Low to High - Dexedrine, Ritalin, Adderall. The extended release pills of all three are significantly more expensive than their regular release tablet counterparts.

Answer 2

unknown yet

Answer 3

the cost