Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 14025

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Ritalin in the uk

Posted by mathew on October 27, 1999, at 16:09:19

2 brief questions:

1/Do psych's prescribe ritalin (or similar) in the uk for treatment-resistant patients like they (i think) do in north america?

2/my psych know's i was once a regular amphetamine user some time ago, does this mean he won't precribe stimulants in any case? This despite the fact that i was clearly using them for self-medication? If so it is unfair. Can anyone give me their opinions on this subject

Thank you

mathew (matleestone@hotmail.com)

 

Re: Ritalin in the uk

Posted by Carol on October 27, 1999, at 16:35:17

In reply to Ritalin in the uk, posted by mathew on October 27, 1999, at 16:09:19

> 2 brief questions:
>
> 1/Do psych's prescribe ritalin (or similar) in the uk for treatment-resistant patients like they (i think) do in north america?
>
> 2/my psych know's i was once a regular amphetamine user some time ago, does this mean he won't precribe stimulants in any case? This despite the fact that i was clearly using them for self-medication? If so it is unfair. Can anyone give me their opinions on this subject

Don't know anything about the UK thing, but have been on ritalin and found it very seductive(for want of a better word then addictive). I would get my prescription and take more then I was supposd to in each dose, in order to really "feel" something. So, of course would run out before I should have, then my depression would get super bad! The last time this happened, I got to a point of being closer to suicide then I had ever been. I knew I had to just stop getting the ritalin (never did admit to my pdoc what I was doing!), because no matter how good my intentions, of only using it for some relief from my fatigue, I would end up taking more and more to get the best effect. So, be very careful!

 

Re: Ritalin (carol)

Posted by mathew on October 28, 1999, at 18:15:07

In reply to Re: Ritalin in the uk, posted by Carol on October 27, 1999, at 16:35:17

Why did your psych prescribe ritalin? For depression? For ADD? Both?

mathew
>
> Don't know anything about the UK thing, but have been on ritalin and found it very seductive(for want of a better word then addictive). I would get my prescription and take more then I was supposd to in each dose, in order to really "feel" something. So, of course would run out before I should have, then my depression would get super bad! The last time this happened, I got to a point of being closer to suicide then I had ever been. I knew I had to just stop getting the ritalin (never did admit to my pdoc what I was doing!), because no matter how good my intentions, of only using it for some relief from my fatigue, I would end up taking more and more to get the best effect. So, be very careful!

 

Re: Ritalin (carol)

Posted by Jeff on October 28, 1999, at 21:59:50

In reply to Re: Ritalin (carol), posted by mathew on October 28, 1999, at 18:15:07

Drs in the U.K. use Ritalin (or other stimulants) to treat ADD. As to whether your doctor will give you Ritalin depends on the doctor and your situation. Some believe stimulants will stop future addictions by taking care of the problem, some worry about the addictive type patient becoming addicted to the Ritalin. Cheers Jeff

 

Re: Ritalin

Posted by Noa on October 29, 1999, at 7:29:50

In reply to Re: Ritalin (carol), posted by Jeff on October 28, 1999, at 21:59:50

From what I have heard (went to NIH consensus conference on ADHD last year), there is info out there that might lead a doc to suspect danger in prescribing ritalin to a patient who was previously addicted to amphetamines (afraid of habituation and increased use, as suggested by previous poster who took more and more ritalin AMA). But there is also info out there suggesting that previous exposure to amphetamines will make the brain MORE sensitized to ritalin, not less (as in the habituation theory). DOctors tend to be cautious, nervous about this kind of thing. There have been reports of kids selling or giving away their own ritalin to other kids who crush it and sniff it, which gives a high that you don't get with oral administration. If you have a history of abuse of amphetamines, I could see how your doc would worry about this. What you might suggest is that he/she prescribes the ritalin and gives you only a scrip for one week's worth of meds, so the temptation to take too much (orally or otherwise) is limited. Is ritalin a controlled substance as it is here in the US? Here, we have to actually get a new scrip every time we want to refill, cannot just call in a refill as with other meds. So, limiting the scrip to a week's worth would be a pain in the butt for you, but might help the doc and you feel more secure about you not getting tempted to use it inappropriately.
I take Ritalin as an augmentor to an antidepressant. All by itself, ritalin is not often used to treat depression except in elderly and medically fragile. One major drawback to ritalin is the rebound effect, when it wears off, it can make you really moody, irritable, etc.

 

Re: Ritalin (from carol to mathew)

Posted by Carol on October 29, 1999, at 8:55:23

In reply to Re: Ritalin (carol), posted by mathew on October 28, 1999, at 18:15:07

> Why did your psych prescribe ritalin? For depression? For ADD? Both?
>
mathew--I was on ritalin in an attempt to relieve my *extreme* fatigue, caused by my depression.
Carol

 

Re: Ritalin and UK prescriptions

Posted by Abby on October 29, 1999, at 19:32:06

In reply to Re: Ritalin (carol), posted by Jeff on October 28, 1999, at 21:59:50

I'm American, but spent about 8 months living in England and had to get a sertraline prescriptin (Zoloft US) (Lustral UK). The annoying thing about the Lustral is that the pills aren't scored to break in half.

In the US pills are poured into a pharmacist bottle with a label for dosing instructions (although they come prepackaged, and they're just transferring them to make it look like they are performing an important function. I'm not knocking pharmacists; I've found some to be very knowlefgeable and helpful, but if the manufacturers put the pills in small bottles, why do I need an orange one with the pharmacy label on it?)

In the UK prescription drugs and common pain killers come in boxes with the pills individually wrapped, the way that cold medicine is in the US. So, it might be hard to get a regular NHS physician or one in private practice to write a week-long script. The story might be different if you're in a university medical center.

It's too bad that bupropion (Wellbutrin) is unavailable in the UK. Have you thought about trying venlafaxine?

Good luck!

Abby


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