Comments on: Adderall vs Ritalin – Benefits, Problems

By: ChiGal

ChiGal — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:46:23 +0000

I am 36 y/o female, and was diagnosed with ADD two years ago. I was on a gradual increase dosage of Vyvanse XR for about 9 months. Then felt like it wasn’t working anymore, so my doctor put me on 20mg of Adderall XR. After 6 months we increased it to 30mg because it wasn’t lasting as long as I needed it to.

Though my focus and concentration was really good on this dosage, I was having a lot of side effects. My blood pressure was through the roof, I started having muscle twitches in my neck and shoulder, and just felt like it was causing me to be anxiety-ridden.

I recently went back to school and moved to a different state. I am on a student health insurance plan that is awful. They don’t cover any ADD treatment or medications. So I end up having to pay $135 for the Adderall XR (generic even!), and the doctor’s visit for every monthly refill, out of my own pocket. Really hard to do on a student budget.

Last week I went to my new doctor here and he switched me to Methylin 10mg, 2x day. Much cheaper cost wise which is a plus. I’ve been on it over a week and I don’t feel like it’s doing anything for my concentration and other ADD symptoms. I definitely don’t feel like I’m as anxiety ridden, and my heart rate and bp are better. But I feel like my ADD symptoms are not benefiting from it at all. Also, it makes me incredibly dizzy! I’ve been taking it as directed – half hour before eating – and within 1-2 hours my head is swooning. Is this normal? I’m a healthy, I exercise regularly, eat right, and meditate. I’m not overweight, and have no other health conditions other than hypothryoidism due to thyroidectomy.

I’m considering going back to the Adderall or Vyvanse IR since it’s cheaper than the XR, and maybe doing 20mg a day (10mg, 2x day) instead of 30mg total. I’m worried about causing heart damage from the high bp and heart rate. I lived with Graves Disease for 7 years, so my heart has been through enough already. I hate taking these meds, but they do what I need them to do – they help me function better. And right now it’s a crucial time since I’m in school.

Any advise appreciated.

By: susan

susan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:06:10 +0000

Any thoughts on combining adderall and ritalin. My current therapy is adderall xr in the a.m. And ritalin ir in the p.m. I’m not really sure why this would be beneficial when both drugs are available in extended and instant release formulas.

By: adrian

adrian — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:59:45 +0000

Dear Amber,

I just checked some medical databases and could not find a single result when I searched for “Ritalin acne” or “amphetamine acne” or “methylphenidate acne.” I’m not saying that it’s impossible, just that I couldn’t find any scientific research indicating it is a common problem.

Best wishes,
David

By: Amber Penny

Amber Penny — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:52:49 +0000

Hi I found your article very informative and helpful however I have a question. My doctor prescribed me Ritalin the other day and I’m scared to take it because I’ve had friends that have broken out from taking Adderall. Since they are so similar I figured the ritalin would do the same. I can not concentrate in class at all and it’s extremely hard for me to study. I just don’t want to take it and breakout. I tend to break out easily with blackheads and whiteheads, if I don’t wash my face or care for my skin properly. Do you know if it does and if so what are the alternatives?

By: Aimee Rose

Aimee Rose — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:14:41 +0000

I am reading this article because I have taken Adderall for almost 5 years for narcolepsy. Just this past month I switched to Ritalin because I was experiencing several health related issues and I wanted to rule out Adderall. Given the fact that I take this medication to stay awake, I always smirk when people discuss the amphetamine / speed issue because I don’t experience any of that “speed” because I am so tired to begin with…however, my reason for adding to this blog is because my insurance co-pay for adderall is $30 for brand and $70 for Ritalin. I am trying not to pay double for something. I have (surprisingly)preferred the Ritalin as I don’t have the heart palpatations I had on Adderall.I am trying to compare the 25mg extended release of Adderall to the 20mg extended release of Ritalin. Any suggestions out there? I am willing to look into the “krill oil” only because I do believe that long term use of either stimulant is not great plus maybe I would save tons of money…

By: Tess Messer

Tess Messer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:35:51 +0000

The effectiveness of both these classes of medications for treating ADHD has been proven to be about the same with the exception of the treatment of inattention where the Adderall class gets a bigger ‘thumb up’.

The documented side effect profile of both these classes of medication lookd about the same but two case control studies that I found indicated that the Dexamphetamine class of medications were slightly more likely to have the side effects of irritability and depression as compared to the Ritalin class of medication.

The Adderall class was also more likely to cause tics though both classes had tics as a potential side effect.

Tess http://primarilyinattentiveadd.com

By: Karyn

Karyn — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:39:04 +0000

My son is 8 years old and I couldn’t imagine dealing with him without his meds. Lots of kids start at age 5 depending what his dignosis is. Without meds my son would never get through 1 hour of school and he is very smart. I didn’t put my son on meds until he was over 6. He has ADHD/OCD/ODD/Axiety/ADHD Tics/ADHD Insomia he is on Metadate CD which is Ritalin. We just increased him but the stress level in my house has escaluated very high. He is taking temper tantrums galore. He is screaming and pushing all my buttons. could this be from the Ritalin? Everything is an arguement here. he is on the 8 hour one which i don’t think lasts 8 hours. Although the meds do help and i couldn’t imagine not using them. Do you think Adderall will work better for him?

By: jen

jen — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:46:08 +0000

Having taken both I can say that adderall is much more mood altering in a positive way, Ritalin seemed to just give me a lot of negative side effects and I needed a higher dosage to focus at all. I could also feel the change in heartbeat when I took ritalin; usually I’m fine when I have coffee while I’m taking adderall, however, with the ritalin I would feel like I was going to have a heart attack.
This is just my experience.

By: Rheinlander

Rheinlander — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:59:38 +0000

Someone mentioned krill oil. What about that? Or what are the best OTC supplements that you know of?

By: Clementine

Clementine — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:19:58 +0000

I’m researching the differences between Adderall and Ritalin. I’m currently taking 10 1/4mg of Adderall IR a day. My doses very on how I feel in the mornings “I have Bruxism so taking Adderall in the morning makes the symptoms worsen throughout the day”. I’ve used Adderall XR in the past but, I prefer Adderall IR. I have been on Adderall for about a year. Adderall helps me obtain the focus I need at work and in training classes. Lately I have been crashing and feeling a little dazzed at the end of the day. The Adderall lasts up to 7 hours before I start feeling warn down. I asked my Dr. about switching to a different ADD/ADHD medication. She had mentioned Ritalin as an option. I have heard of the medication before but, there was always a horrible story about a child that was taking Ritalin. From what I understand Ritalin does not effect adults the same as children. A concern of mine is the side effect from Ritalin, Anorexia. I have lost a lot of weight from Adderall but, not so much that would be a concern. The other side effects of Ritalin do not concern me. So from experienced users of Ritalin and Adderall was there a big difference in weight loss between the two.

I just don’t want that run down dazzed feeling at the end of the day. I’m very OCD when it comes to taking my Adderall. I wont even take 1/4 of a pill after 1pm, even if it will help me that one hour I need it for. Your feedback will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.