My Experience With Ritalin

Before you start, please read books, speak to people on Ritalin (also known as methylphenidate) and get many opinions before you make a decision whether it's right for you and/or your child. Find out if there is an ADD specialist in your area. Ask your doctor to refer you.
Here is a brief explanation of what Ritalin does: The researchers speculate that methylphenidate amplifies the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, thereby improving attention and focus in individuals who have dopamine signals that are weak.
After seven years of knowing that I had ADHD and fighting to appear "normal", in October 2007, I was forced to research Ritalin when I discovered that my 17 year old son was taking it. I had worked so hard to keep him and his sister off of it because I didn't want them to be labelled in school. I chose to make them repeat a grade to give them the time and repetition needed to understand the foundations of reading and writing. I did many other natural things as well but they still struggled. They don't have the same type of ADD.
My son is extremely distracted by his environment and tunes out to daydream. Since he's been on Ritalin, he can focus in on what the teacher is saying, he gets a lot more work done and school work is a lot more interesting. Most of his school life he had to work very hard to reach 70%; since he's been on Ritalin, he can get the same grade doing the same work in half the time and he understands what he's doing a lot clearer. In his subjects of interests, his grades have gone up about 30%. He does have mild side effects.
My daughter receives all of the information but it takes her a long time to put it all in order to write it out. She ends up getting good grades by memorizing most of the work. She is in grade 10 now. There is too much work to memorize it all. She is struggling but her grades are still As and Bs. She struggles with time management and she needs a lot more time to complete tasks. It takes her twice the time required to write evaluations at school. She has chosen not to take medication so far.
I couldn't believe my son was on Ritalin. His father had been trying to discuss this with me for a few years but I wouldn't listen to him. Now, I'm glad his father persevered in getting our son help.
I began by reading a short and easy to read book called "10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals" by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PH.D. This cleared up a lot of my questions. With more accurate information, I decided it was time to address my own ADHD.
I made an appointment to see my general practitioner. I knew more about ADD than he did. He admited that most doctors get their information from pharmaceutical companies. A representative visits doctors and gives them a chart with about a dozen questions on it. They explain to the doctors that if a patient anwers yes to 10 of the 12 questions, they can be put on Ritalin. Many doctors don't know that ADD is due to a shortage of dopamine. Many don't know what that even means for the patient. I advise you strongly to inform yourself before you make any decision about whether or not you have an ADD and before you get on any medication. I also urge you to get three opinions from people who have ADD. Everyone has a different experience. My doctor sent me to see the only psychiatrist in my town who specializes in ADD, I will call him Dr. Knowthemost. I was there for over an hour and a half and was very encouraged by this Dr. who has ADD himself. He recommended I read his favourite book, "Driven to Distraction; Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood" by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey. This is an awesome book full of different people's journeys with ADD and tons of important information.
On February 14th 2008, I started taking Ritalin. I took 10mg, three times per day.
Here are exerps from my diary about how I felt on Ritalin:
Day 1
I must say that I took my pill reluctantly this morning around 7:30am. Within the hour I noticed I felt a little racy and my hands and nose were a little tingly and cold. In the past, I have felt this way when I was having hypoglycemia issues or when my blood pressure went down too low.
Anyway, my hands got better soon after but my nose stayed just frozen for a few hours.
I got through my day of cleaning house just fine. I didn't go from room to room, I actually finished one entire room and almost another one. That was good.
Around 11am I was feeling a little scared because of the raciness and I was feeling emotional like I was just going to cry for any reason. I called my husband who was supportive and encouraging. I needed that. I felt better throughout the afternoon. I didn't take any at supper because by the time I got back home, it was 6pm and we ate at 7pm. The pharmacist said not to take it after 5 because it could cause me insomnia. I usually have a hard time sleeping for a whole six hours. The last thing I need is less sleep.
I felt very tired as I felt myself coming off of the medication. I had a little nap and was ok. I'm very tired now.
Day 2
I felt like things were slowed down in my brain and I wasn't at all good at remembering things. I also wasn't always aware of how my communication was coming out of my mouth.
On the other hand, I felt good in my space. Even when having a dispute with my husband, I felt like isolating myself instead of arguing. I didn't want explanations, I just wanted to get to the point. I usually have ten thousand thoughts racing through my mind and am quick with come backs. Now it was like my thinking was slowed and I was more mellow. I was hurtful with my words. It felt like I couldn't control my temper or my mouth. I didn't have a temper problem before. All of this is so new. I will need time to adjust.
The psychiatrist, Dr. Knowthemost, did tell me that Ritalin would fix many of my issues but others would come up that I would now have to deal with realistically. I guess I'm seeing others and myself with new eyes. Before the Ritalin, I made light of most issues in my life. I can see that slowing down my thought process gives me a clearer view already. I even see things around me more in detail. Example: Before, pictures and shelves on the wall blended in, now they stand out like in 3D. Everything around me is more pronounced. My son says that was the same for him when he first took Ritalin. Right now, I just want to be fully aware of my behaviour and what the meds are doing to me. I have fought this for so many years, I can't let anything get me off focus.
Day 3
I am finding that I've still been talking too much. I don't have headaches but I do feel like there is pressure on the middle/top of my head. I still feel like I'm not doing enough. I just want to keep working to burn off energy. Dr Knowthemost. said an hour of walking fast or running will take care of that. It's been heavy on my heart to get back on a daily treadmill routine. I guess that's why. I need that. Aerobics produces more dopamine in the body and clears the mind. That's been my experience, I just didn't know exactly why.
I find that when my meds are wearing off, I feel exhausted. I have to take a short nap. I have a hard time concentrating.
I was still able to worship at church and during the service, my mind was on the service. It wasn't racing all around. I got one or two other thoughts, but not like before.
I am finding it hard to get organized. More than before. I have a hard time relaxing, but when I get to bed, I'm out like a light until morning. I wake up feeling rested.
Day 4
Today was better. My husband is finally comprehending the adjustments I'm going through with the meds. That really helps. We got a few house projects done and I didn't get all stressed over things. I had an enjoyable day.
Day 5
My focus on things is much better and I see detail a lot more. This morning I feel fine. I was afraid Ritalin would hinder me energy wise but it hasn't at all. I still have my surplus of energy to get more than enough done in a day. I'm just a little more focused and I can finish what I'm doing before starting something else. That's great!
Day 6
I guess the Ritalin is leveling off. I'm feeling good. When I start on a project, I'm so into it, I have a hard time stopping to make supper or answer the phone. I can give one thing all of my focus (this is called overfocus). That's very different for me. Usually, I have to multi-task to get anything done. I get bored easily, so I switch projects often in a day. It means projects usually sit around until I get back to them. Can be a month or more. It frustrates me; especially when I'm tired of seeing a messy pile of stuff or paper work getting worse, but I just can't get myself to sit and do it all at once. I'm distracted by several other things which seem to be more important. I should say, I WAS distracted by other things. I'm not having this problem now that I'm on Ritalin. It has worked quite fast. I like being slowed down. It's like I have found that peace which I so desired. I used to live in chaos much of the time and now I haven't felt chaos in a few days. Interesting!
Back to now, March 24th, 2008
After the first week of being on Ritalin, I was finally accomplishing some of my organization goals. It was still hard to get started, but once I started, finishing was no problem.
I have also found that I can listen to people much better. I used to get bored with a conversation that didn't interest me and just couldn't wait it out. I would make an excuse to leave or just cut in and try to change the topic. I'm sure I appeared rude to many. I just didn't have the patience to listen because my mind was racing and I could think of 100 things to say that would be more interesting than what I was listening to. Before I could catch myself, my quick impulses would kick in and speak out.
I'll give you an example: On a Friday evening, I was out to dinner with some ladies from one of my classes and my best friend asked me afterward if I was ok. I asked her why she thought there was something wrong and she said that I had been so quiet, she thought I wasn't enjoying my evening. Truth be told, I was listening to others speak and I just didn't have much to say about the topics. There were no thoughts racing through my mind. I was actually focused on what each one was saying and just enjoying my meal. I could also assess whether it was important for me to respond to certain comments or questions and I felt that it wasn't important for me to respond. My judgement is much clearer and I can give other people and opportunity to respond. The down side is that sometimes I feel like alienating myself. I enjoy this new peace inside of me and I just want to sit and enjoy the neatness of my mind. I love not having a mind full of chaos and untidiness. It takes so much energy to deal with that daily.
I am also finding my purpose in life. I am able to differentiate between the things I do because I love them and the things I do for distraction. This has been a major issue in my life. One thing I didn't know I used as distraction is food.
That being said, on March 10th, I went off the Ritalin for 3 days. I was starting to feel like I was on Ritalin so other people could handle having me around. It was starting to make me feel like I wasn't me. I was ok the first day I went off. By the end of the second day, I was feeling a little nervous. By the third day, my husband asked if I had been taking my Ritalin. He could see that I was fidgety, anxious, talking a lot and cutting him off. We sat down and discussed this. Realizing that you might be on a pill for the rest of your life, can be a hard thing to deal with. For me, it was accepting that I wasn't ok. All of my life I just wanted to be "normal"...whatever that means. I was feeling like having ADHD made me abnormal. My husband is a very good man. He doesn't have ADD, however he has learned to live with all of us with ADD. He's been my courage to facing all of this.
So I went off the Ritalin for 3 days and that wasn't working very well for me. I started taking it again on Thursday the 13th. It didn't work as quickly this time. It's been a week and a half and I'm still feeling a little anxiety. It wasn't worth going off the Ritalin. Now I have to start all over. I am still waiting for the calmness I felt the first time. I see my doctor next week. Maybe we need to change my dosage.
Feel free to email me with questions, comments or information.
Until next time,
Diane