Posted by proudfoot on August 28, 2010, at 17:03:58
In reply to Some questions about Concerta, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 15:51:35
> I've been on Ritalin SR before and it made me crash at the end of the day. What is the difference between Concerta and Ritalin SR? Does anyone have any preferences and why.
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> If you are taking Concerta and have tried Dexedrine, why did you switch to Concerta.
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> Thanks
>
> maxieHi Maxie,
In my research to learn more about the Nardil I've just started taking, have learned so much in the past few days about other drugs I've also taken in the past, in the ways they work within the body and relating that info to how I felt myself when taking them.
I've been given Ritalin/Ritalin SR, Concerta, Adderall XR, and Dexedrine through the years to treat symptoms of A.D.D. Of the bunch, my body is particularly sensitive to the amphetamine class, the Adderall XR and the Dexedrine. Turns out both of them are "releasing agents," (see http://wapedia.mobi/en/Releasing_agent) which cause neurotransmitters (the good brain chemicals of dopamine/epinephrine/norepinephrine) to be released from the cell to the outside where it can work like it's supposed to between the cells.
The Ritalin and Concerta, on the other hand, are norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitors (see http://wapedia.mobi/en/Norepinephrine_reuptake_inhibitor) that don't produce more of the dopamine, epinephrine or norepinephrine that we crave; rather, they allow what's already out there to continue to work longer.
Of the two forms of methylphenidate, the Concerta is the smoother way to go, as it has a cleaner, more consistent release of methylphenidate into the gut throughout the day as the little pellet travels through your intestines. When taking even the Ritalin SR, I felt too much of a rush from the drug entering my system, and more of the let-down you describe late in the day. Didn't have that with the Concerta, though we ended up having to go up to the 54 mg dose to achieve the effects we were looking for. I've heard of people being on doses up to 72 mg, but I never went that high.
Only took Adderall for a short time. It was WAY too stimulating for this writer. Could hardly sleep at night, and woke up again in the morning feeling wired for sound. Can you say S-P-E-E-D?!? We stopped the Adderall very quickly as a result, as it was just TOO stimulating for me.
We switched to Dexedrine from Concerta when I felt the Concerta was no longer working for me. The doc prescribed Dexedrine 5 mg three times a day to start, and again, it was just way too much stimulation for my brain. I ended up breaking the pills into four and thus taking only 1.25 mg or 2.5 mg per day most days, and only once in the morning, and that was getting me through the day. With increased stress from a new job and the need for better focus, we ended up increasing it to 5 mg once daily, and got adequate results from that. Still never went higher than 5 mg per day, though.
So far as how I've felt on any of these four meds, I have to say the Dexedrine provides the smoothest sense of well-being for me of the bunch, followed by the Concerta. If we have to resume a stimulant over time with my recently started Nardil, I will be asking for the Dexedrine again. Very clean feeling drug with the added plus that it's available as a generic, while Concerta isn't.
As always, though, remember what others on this site say - "your mileage may vary."
Good luck!
Doug
poster:proudfoot
thread:960338
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100821/msgs/960350.html