ritalin

[msmelly]

i've been hearing that some doctors are telling their clients that ritalin needs to be taken everyday to work. i believe this is not true as well as potentially dangerous, i.e. addiction. any feedback?

[Thunor]

To be honest, I didn't believe that stimulants required daily use to be effective myself. Personal experience, however, has shown that they do. I find that I get the best results if I take my meds daily, it takes several days of taking my meds religiously to reach full efficacy, and missing doses or days seems to lead to a return of symptoms.

As far as addiction goes, it's unlikely that theraputic doses will lead to a serious addiction, though may indeed lead to a slight physical dependence leading to low grade headaches or fatigue upon cessation.

[daveseavy]

Originally Posted by msmelly

i've been hearing that some doctors are telling their clients that ritalin needs to be taken everyday to work. i believe this is not true as well as potentially dangerous, i.e. addiction. any feedback?

There is another very valid reason to take Ritalin everyday; most people go through no sleep and excitability when they first start taking it. Once you stay on a rigid schedule of dosing, those effects taper off. By skipping a day or two, you're effectively starting from scratch.