Posted by MoonageDaydream on December 23, 2009, at 22:54:13
In reply to Are you less antisocial on amphetamine than MPH?, posted by West on December 23, 2009, at 12:03:57
In my personal experience, methylphenidate is the worst of the stimulants with respect to anxiety. I felt more nervous, tense, and jittery while taking it, which made me less sociable.
Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) is a slight chemical alteration of the original methylphenidate molecule (think Lexapro vs. Celexa, or Dexedrine vs. Adderall). Many people notice less peripheral stimulation and find it better than regular MPH in terms of side effects.
A lot of people also feel subjectively "better" or "more like themselves" on amphetamines than on methylphenidate. I'm one of these people. They're all fairly effective for my ADD (inattentive type), but Dexedrine gives me the least side effects. There's no hard and fast rule though, and since people's brains can be very different, you'll just have to try them out and see if a change works. If you do switch, I'd suggest asking your doctor for a 2 week supply of the new med and a 2 week supply of what you currently take. That way, if the new stimulant doesn't work for you, you're not stuck with it for a whole month.
I've noticed that many of the side-effects, especially nervousness, appetite suppression, and insomnia tend to diminish or go away entirely after taking the medication regularly for about 2 weeks. If they don't, lowering the dose sometimes eliminates the side-effects without losing the effectiveness of the drug.
poster:MoonageDaydream
thread:930520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091217/msgs/930629.html