Please forgive me if I'm prying, but how long a break do you take? Do you change over to something else during the break or just cut it off for a while?

First post on this board. I have hypersomnia and have been prescribed provigil (costs an arm and a leg) so I will order from outside USA. My question is: On other boards I read that combining use of ritalin with provigil helps others. Does anyone have experience combining these two?
I know that previous to provigil, ritalin was prescribed for hypersomnia.

That sounds dangerous at best.

Sorry, I wasn't precise in my question. What I have read was that some hypersomniacs alternated use of provigil
with use of ritalin as sometimes one gave better results
than the other.

id read some studies of using a small dose of ritalin with antidepressants in the elderly and with treatment resistent depression. has anyone here had any experience combining the two. id wondered if this combo might help my depression.

speaking of self medication, ive taken to having to go this route due to the [censored] poor quality of docs i encountered at the va hospitals. i had one old fool that wouldnt ever take me off celexa, like it was the single antidepressant available. all he would do is up my dose. i had another say he couldnt do anything more for me. and yet there were other meds and combinations not tried. i asked another shrink, could i be bipolar, and her answer, "could be". but nothing was ever done to determine if i was or not. so i understand the reasons pple will say its stoopid. on the other hand its stoopid to keep going to doctors that could care less about treating ones illnesses. and that seems to be most of them, imo. my va visits only added to my depression and anxiety issues. as i am a service connected disabled vet, i dont have the funds to go downtown and keep trying till i find one with both a brain and a heart.

ok, this might be a dumb newbie question so i apologize in advance if i make anyone's eyes roll because of my ignorance in this regard ... but ...

is Ritalin (methylphenidate) really a true amphetamine? some sources say it is, some say it isn't, yet other's say it kinda is but its in a class of unusual types of amphetamines.

i even had someone at the club (claiming to be an authority on the subject but in all likelyhood just trying to impress me to pick me up) tell me that ritalin and ecstasy (ie methylenedioxy-methamphetamine aka MDMA) are almost exactly the same thing. found this hard to believe since i have experienced both and found them absolutely nothing alike whatsoever subjectively, except perhaps for the fact they both give me lots of energy.

thoughts? not asking to talk about illegal drugs here, just curious what chemical class ritalin actually belongs to.

It is related to the amphetamines, but isn't one.

if not an amphetamine what is it then? an unclassified phenethylamine? are there any chemicals that are similar to methylphenidate in receptor affinity?

google search says it hits the dopamine, norepinephrine, and both 5HT1A and 5HT2B serotonin receptors. i realize alot of db'ers probably know this already like basic i just grabbed it off the net for your convenience and those reading who dont know.

thanks,
-Jenny

It is simply a CNS stimulant just like caffeine or amphetamines. An "amphetamine-like" substance.
Obviously stronger than caffeine and somewhat weaker than dextroamphetamine.
Beyond that, the description morphs into medicalese best left to psychiatry/pharmacology forums I think.

thanks martind, that does make since. and your right that its kinda an esoteric issue perhaps discussed elsewhere, i was just interested upon learning about how its a stimulant with serotonin receptor affinity, and was wondering if there were any stimulants that had similar properties. i know some of the club drugs do but i was wondering about prescription meds.

bye

This forum is not to discuss suppliers. This thread is to discuss Ritalin - Methylphenidate and not the companies offering it.

Thanks for your support

Hi RZeta,
Regarding your post on April 21, 2005, I agree with several points you made about Ritalin, and, Adderall.
You were right on the money, politically correct, about
Shire US (formerly Richwood Pharmaceutical Company, Inc.,
Florence, Kentucky, who "reinvented" Adderall, from the original patent holder of "Obetrol" (Obetrol Pharmaceuticals
Brooklyn, NY), as you correctly stated, the patent had ran
out on "Obetrol", and to make some formulation changes, the
motive was to make money, and yes, in 1994 Adderall took off like a rocket! (as you stated) The original formula for Obetrol also contained 4 different versions, of a Schedule II stimulant, (one ten (10 mg.) tablet contained the following: 2.5 mg. methamphetamine saccharate, 2.5 mg. of methamphetamine hydrochloride, 2.5 mg. of amphetamine sulfate, 2.5 mg. of dextroamphetamine sulfate. Obetrol 20
mg. (twenty milligrams) contained twice the potency. With
the "new formulation of Adderall" one ten milligram tablet contains: 2.5 mg. dextroamphetamine saccharate, 2.5 mg. of amphetamine aspartate, 2.5 mg. of dextroamphetamine sulfate, 2.5 mg. of amphetamine sulfate. I started out on Ritalin as well, (14 yrs ago), then, 11 years ago, switched to 15 mg. of Dexedrine Spansules, with Adderall immediate release tablets, as a late afternoon booster. I have now mostly abandoned Adderall, and like you, use the generic dextroamphetamine sustained release versions, (Barr) to save money, as the Dexedrine brand name was so much more expensive. It is interesing to note the history of Ciba
(who held the original patent to Ritalin) immediate release of methyphenidate, and the "Ritalin SR", as it has grown with "more improved versions of the sustained release methyphedidate" with the now "Ritalin LA capsules" in addition, for 3 versions of Ritalin from Novartis, (formerly Ciba) and the newer competitor, McNeil Pharma, with their version of methyphenidate "Concerta" (all extended release formulations), as the sustained release versions of Ritalin (methyphenidate) are geared especially for children and adolescents, who truly do have a balancing act with the up's and down's of the original formulation immediate release Ritalin, as I experienced a "crash" myself, as a middle-aged adult, about 3 times a day, thus I immediately discovered the need for a pocket "Pill Traveler" to carry on me 24/7 to have access to the stimulant "when I ran out of gas" (a more daunting task for a youngster). The original brand Ritalin or Mylan Generic, just didn't last but about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs max for me. I would go back to it, but only as a last resort, if the dextro isomer of the compound of d,l-amphetamine sulfate would be removed from the marketplace. One never knows in this changing world, as Smith-Kline, the patent holder of Dexedrine Spansule, has already removed their "gold standard" sustained release patented "Benzedrine" from the marketplace (within the past ten years) after being around approximately forty (40 yrs)! I have tried to abide by the Rules and not mention any IOP, NRPO, or ROP "suppliers", just the US based manufacturer's and a bit of history. Source: PDR's 1968, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1995, 2007. along with my personal history using prescription Ritalin vs. other prescription Schedule II meds for my A.D.D. diagnosis.
Addressing "ToddZ" 10/10/08.....yes my psychiatrist had me on Ritalin 3 x 10 mg. every 4 hrs, plus, Norpramin (desipramine HCI) for one year (1996) due to a dual diagnosis of ADD and Dysthymia (low grade persistent depression) and to try to counter-balance the up & down mood swings I was experiencing at the time.

LudesVet, thanks for the informative explanation of the many faces of ritalin. I just read and absorbed it.

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"Methylphenidate is a chain substituted amphetamine.[95] Similar to amphetamines and cocaine a key target of methylphenidate is the dopamine transporter (DAT).[96] Although methylphenidate is an amphetamine derivative subtle differences exist in its pharmacology; amphetamine works as a dopamine transport substrate where as methylphenidate works as a dopamine transport blocker.[95] Methylphenidate is most active at modulating levels of dopamine and to a lesser extent noradrenaline.[97]" - pulled off wikipedia

Traditionally, I believe methylphenidate has been used to treat primarily ADHD whereas amphetamines (adderall) have been prescribed to treat primarily but not exclusively ADD, which is different. I think its now known as ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentiveness)

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REMEMBER THAT THIS THREAD IS TO DISCUSS RITALIN!!!!!!!!

THANKS

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This forum is not to discuss suppliers. This thread is to discuss Ritilan and not the companies offering it.

Thanks for your support

This forum is not to discuss suppliers. This thread is to discuss Ritilan and not the companies offering it.

Thanks for your support

This forum is not to discuss suppliers. This thread is to discuss Ritilan and not the companies offering it.

PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your support

This forum is not to discuss suppliers. This thread is to discuss Ritalin - Methylphenidate and not the companies offering it.

Thanks for your support