Effects - Ok, I am really an Add

[Longshot]

So, My muse is really an Add person and her shrink prescribed Ritalin LA, which pretty much the only easy to find add med arround here, but she noticed some strange stuff...
She doesn't fell high or anything, when the dosage gets it spike, sometimes, she talks a lot and tends to get a little agitated, but only for a short period of time or if the subject of conversation is somewhat interesting.
So, there are two doses a day, 40mg in the morning (about 7 am) and 30mg in the afternoon (about 1:30 pm) and in the afternoon there is no such rush...
But what intrigues her is that people often take it to study and feel motivated or take it to work and work their asses off, well, she doesn't...
It is not like she keeps lethargic or stuff, she just doesn't experience this enhance in cognitive effects that Ritalin is so praised for.
Of course, her life changed a lot, she doesn't fight or argue as many times as she did, she feels a lot calmer, less prone to kick someone's asses, she argues a lot less with her family and she doesn't feel so suicidal as she used to.

Anyway, it is not like she cant focus on reading or working when she has to, she tends to get so imersed on what she is doing that she hates to be interrupted. But now, she has some pretty serous tests to take and she is worried that Ritalin wont help at all... is that possible?
Is modafinil an option to replace Ritalin and increase study capabilities or is she just worried without reason?

By the way, when she gets interested in a subject she can lose track of time researching it, but boring stuff, she tends to avoid... not that she wont do any boring stuff, she will, but not as some people on Ritalin says they do. It is like they are having fun while studying, even the worst subjects of study ever, but she doesn't feel this way.

So, any comments on this? Anything would make her happy...

[matchaca]

SWIM would say that the ritalin is working, the only thing is that boring stuff can still be boring even thought on ritalin. As SWIY said she can still focus, SWIM would say SWIY just expected more from ritalin and got dissapointed but it doesn't mean it isn't working.

[Coconut]

Originally Posted by matchaca

SWIM would say that the ritalin is working, the only thing is that boring stuff can still be boring even thought on ritalin. As SWIY said she can still focus, SWIM would say SWIY just expected more from ritalin and got dissapointed but it doesn't mean it isn't working.

Probably right.

Longshot, my tree knows how you feel. The first three months of Ritalin were helpful; he became very productive and worked countless hours every day, but ever since he finished university for the summer, he hasn't done very much and the drive to get things done has dissipated. He's going to try to switch to dexmethylphenidate or amphetamine soon.

[Longshot]

Would you change from ritalin to modafinil?
Do you think it would be better to study and such things?

[Coconut]

I don't know much about modafinil but it's a possible option if all others fail.

[blipblop]

It's possible that the dosage isn't perfect, perhaps the prescribing doctor needs to be consulted. Possibly an increase in ritalin or a combination of ritalin and something else is needed.

[Longshot]

Originally Posted by blipblop

It's possible that the dosage isn't perfect, perhaps the prescribing doctor needs to be consulted. Possibly an increase in ritalin or a combination of ritalin and something else is needed.

But the weapon of choice would still be ritalin right?
I was talking to my muse's shrink and he said that modafininil, if we were to use it, would be in a mono therapic way, in this he meant, only modafinil, nothing else...
So I should do pros and cons of changing to modafinil.
What makes me wonder is about the other add aspects of my muse's life that had been under control over this years, is it worth going backwards in a certain way to achieve better score results (even though her entire life deppends on this test, and I really mean it)?
Modafinil should make a replacement to focusing stuff, what about impulsiveness and other aspects?
Clearly I am in a misty zone, my muse is too, and her shrink, well, I think he should have an idea by now but I'm not sure if I want to trade it all for a single objective...
What the heck, I just would like to have more than 4 months to do so...
Would a week on modafinil be a try-out enough?

[blipblop]

Writing in first person because nothing is illegal or incriminating:

I personally had the same symptoms as you described. Lack of motivation, lack of concentration, impulsivity etc. For me the ritalin only helped the concentration and maybe half the impulsivity. I considered asking for something else to fix the motivation etc, and actually got put on antidepressants. (Escitalopram which is often known as lexapro). That's helped my motivation about 80%. Even if someone isn't "depressed" or sad or suicidal, treatment with antidepressants can be useful. Some people (I think myself included) have what is called dysthymia which is lack of motivation, lack of enjoyment in things, irritability etc. If the person described in your entry had dysthymia, trying an antidepressant may help motivation... personally i would not switch onto modafonil if ritalin was fixing the concentration problems...

[Longshot]

Nothing like that, this is an exam that requires extensive knoledge about several subjects, some subjects are boring, majorly they are not, but the boring ones are REALLY boring got it?
This exam is a test to get a public job, hence the high level of the exam...

[wespawloski]

Well... I would not recommend you rely on medication to allow you to learn something... that employment can become quite the crutch if it is overused. If a medication helps you focus and study, to calm down, then by all means... but if your using it to get high enough to enjoy everything!!!!!!! Then, maybe that's not such a good idea.

SWIM finds some things even more boring while experiencing the effects of lisdexamphetamine... and that can be an issue as well. He learns quicker, but he also finds he distances himself from the material; thereby, he can memorise quick, but does not have the power to actually USE the information to the fullest extent.

[Rottenfruit]

Swimmy is a total addict , swimmy uses 600 mg per day oraly but most nostly snorting

[Longshot]

So, it's been 15 days since my last dose of ritalin and anything...
Guess Im not addicted huh?