ritalin advice?

Question

I'm a classical musician with attention deficit problems. I've been thinking that a drug such as ritalin would help me concentrate and increase my performance as a musician. However, I've heard some really nasty stuff about ritalin, and I'm not sure if it's worth it. Is there any way of reducing the side efects? is it possible to take smaller dosis? is ritalin avalable without a prescription? are there any alternatives I could use?
Please, any advice is welcome.

Answer 1

There are basically three medications for ADHD. Ritalin, Adderall, and Strattera. Ritalin and Adderall are the older of the two medications. Strattera is relatively new. They all come in various flavors such as standard and long acting, and all have serious side effects.

Ritalin and Adderall are both stimulants (when I was a kid we called them "speed"). Strattera effects the brain chemistry in a manner more similar to Prozac, the now famous anti-depressant. (Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor as compared to Prozac which is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor.)

They all come with very serious side-effects which are only now beginning to be understood. Ritalin and Adderall are addictive and can cause heart problems (eg: sudden failure). Strattera causes suicidal ideation (especially in teens and younger) and appears to cause very rare but severe liver damage. Both Adderall and Strattera have a "black box" warning - the strongest warning a medicine can have and still be legal in the US. Ritalin does not have one but I think it does in other countries (Canada if I recall).

In any case, I think at least the two stimulants are probably safe to try provided you've recently gotten a clean bill of health from a doctor. Also be certain that you do have ADD by seeing a good psychiatrist who will take a complete history and give you (or refer you out for) a neuropsych evaluation.

Of the three, Ritalin is the most mild and shortest acting of the medications so if you just wanted to take it for a few hours while you are playing, it might be the best choice.

People who have ADD and find a good medicine for themselves say that the difference is like day and night.

Answer 2

I'll start with the easiest questions first.

Q: Is Ritalin available without a prescription?

A: No. In fact, Ritalin as well as most other ADD drugs are actually Class 2 narcotics - high potential for addiction, but still considered to be medically useful. Other drugs that fall into this category are oxycontin, percocet, morphine, amphetamine, and many more. I have to admit though, out of all the class 2 narcotics, Ritalin seems to be one of the tamest (I'm not a pharmacist, but that's the impression I get.)

Q: Alternatives?

A: Not really.
Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a stimulant. There's plenty of stimulants available without a prescription, like caffeine or nicotine, or maybe even some key herbal supplements. But for ADD, I think you would have more success going the prescription route. There's several different medicines for ADD besides Ritalin. You can read more about them here. There's also alternative treatments listed below them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-Deficit_Disorder#Treatment


Doses, side effects, and "nasty stuff" about Ritalin:

There are several different doses. You and your doctor can pick one out that's best for you. You could start out in the middle and work your way to less or more according to how well it's working for you. As far as side effects go, I'm sure there are tips that go along with handling them, but that's something else you need to talk to your doctor about. The key to the downsides about taking any drug is how they compare to the upsides. Taking low doses as you and your doctor see fit can help that too.

Answer 3

Educate yourself on what ADD and ADHD really are. It is nothing more than a lie invented by Psychiatrist so they can push drugs onto the youth of today while raking in billions of dollars every year. They are nothing more than the street punk arm of the drug companies and are no better than the thugs you see on the street corners and in dark alleys.

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is psychiatry’s “billing bible” of so-called mental disorders- there does not need to be any evidence to back it up - they just vote on it.

Too many lives have been destroyed by the "legal" drugs given for "diseases" listed in the DSM and its time it stopped.

Educate yourself before you do anything else. For instance, did you know that suicide is a listed side effect of Ritalin?

Answer 4

I would see your doctor. They can determine if it's right for you...and there ARE alternantives for adult ADD. Ritalin is DEFINITELY a controlled substance, so no...you can't get it over the counter. You can try drinking coffee. It's not as strong as ritalin of course, but it does the same thing on a smaller level, without the ritalin side affects.

Answer 5

Ritalin works! you do not have to stay on it forever. maybe 6months then take a break. The amount you take is given according to your size, age and how bad the A D D is. I have had students who went from making F's and D's to A's and B's taking it.you will need to keep it monitored by your Doctor.

Answer 6

best advise on any altering drug is to stay away from drugs.
side effects are generally worse than what they try to cure.
these drugs make the pharmaceutical companies very extremely rich.why make them rich on your account.