Ritalin worked before, but not now? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

Mollygirl · 11-02-2005, 01:05 PM

Hi there!

I was recently prescribed Ritalin SR. At first I was put on 20mg a day. The doctor said that after the first week, if I felt I needed a stronger dose, I could up it on my own to 40mg. I did that (since the 20mg did nothing). Now

So now I'm at 40mg once in the morning (about 7am). About 2 hours after I take it, I feel a little something for about another 2 hours. Then nothing. Then I get tired and crabby.

I'm confused because I was on Ritalin (not SR) about 7 years ago. I remembered it as helping A LOT. I have to see what dose I was on, but I thought it was really low. I'll have to check for sure.

So in conclusion, has anyone else had this happen? Medications that used to work don't work anymore? Is Ritalin SR so much different that regular Ritalin? This whole thing has been a pain, especially since my doctor is EXTREMELY against anything except Strattera (which sucked for me btw).

Jennita · 11-03-2005, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollygirl

Hi there!

I was recently prescribed Ritalin SR. At first I was put on 20mg a day. The doctor said that after the first week, if I felt I needed a stronger dose, I could up it on my own to 40mg. I did that (since the 20mg did nothing). Now

So now I'm at 40mg once in the morning (about 7am). About 2 hours after I take it, I feel a little something for about another 2 hours. Then nothing. Then I get tired and crabby.

I'm confused because I was on Ritalin (not SR) about 7 years ago. I remembered it as helping A LOT. I have to see what dose I was on, but I thought it was really low. I'll have to check for sure.

So in conclusion, has anyone else had this happen? Medications that used to work don't work anymore? Is Ritalin SR so much different that regular Ritalin? This whole thing has been a pain, especially since my doctor is EXTREMELY against anything except Strattera (which sucked for me btw).

I'm no expert but from what I've read about downregulation of brain receptors from psychoactive drugs, your brain could have developed tolerance over time. This may not have been apparent the first round although it was probably happening, second round the brain was able to downregulate its receptors enough to cause the more obvious tolerance.

index.html · 11-04-2005, 01:16 AM

Unfortunately, Jennita could be right. You may have developed a tolerance to it.

My only other thought is wondering if you are taking a generic form now rather than the name brand. Ritalin, for some reason, seems to be a medication that many people find to be more effective in the brand name form over the generic. It shouldn't be that way, but....