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649926 tn?1297657780

Has anyone ever tried Ritalin For Energy & or Cognition Help?

Hi Everyone - Hope you are all well :)

I just started Ritalin last week to give me more energy and help me with my decling cognition. I was on Amantadine for the energy and it didn't even make a difference. Instead of trying Provigal the docs thought that Ritalin would give me energy AND help with focus/cognition.

Well I feel so sick, dizzy, stomach upset, shaky, it's awful, BUT if I stay on task and don't stop I really can be productive and accomplish lots of things.

I am torn as to whether or not to call the doctor because I'm afraid that they will just take me off of it and while I hate how physically sick I am feeling, I do like being able to focus and not feel like a scatter brained dumb dumb.

Do the side effects get better? What experiences have you "guys" had with this pill?

Thanks for sharing!

Hugs,
Erin :)
17 Responses
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649926 tn?1297657780
Jana,

  Hi! Don't worry about ranting or the length of your rant. Some times that's all we need to turn our day around and everyone here knows and understands.

When I started getting muscle spasms they put me on Baclofen. It helped with the spasms for me but I have heard others have been sensitive to it like DJ. Maybe you could try it and add it to your bucket of pills, lol.

My beautiful daughter did something STUPID this weekend. Had some drinks with friends and then got pulled over for speeding. Of course she is a tiny little thing so even though she wasn't drunk, she was at our very low state limit of .08. Just add that to the list. If she loses her license she will lose her job and she has been helping out financially recently by moving home and paying some bills instead of rent.

I feel like my life is a big crap storm - it stinks & I need a really big umbrella.

Today hubby and I see the primary care doctor to discuss his results and then Thursday the Urologist. It's only Monday and I can't wait for Friday!

Take care and if you need to vent or rent feel free to send me a message on my page.

Hugs,
Erin :)



Helpful - 0
649926 tn?1297657780
Nancy,

  Good to know that Strattera is really expensive too. I don't want to waste my time convincing the docs to give it to me only to tell the pharmacist oops never mind I thought I was buying meds not diamonds, lol.

  I haven't tried the assisted payment program (yet). When I was on Copaxone they offered to figure out if I qualified but it was like having my taxes done buy some nosey rosies and I wasn't even going to get a refund!

I know that it's just pride keeping me from asking. I could ask my family to help also but haven't. I think that when I run out of less expensive options I will ditch the pride and ask for help.

I need cognitive help meds because I have a bunch of lesions in my frontal lobe. My doctor actually told me that I should make a list when cooking something as easy as grilled cheese so that I can finish the task without error. What a sad day that was!

Take care & I hope that the Strattera works as well and long as the Ritalin did for you.

Hugs,
Erin :)
Helpful - 0
152264 tn?1280354657
Hi Erin. So sorry about your husband's health problems--it seems so unfair to have two family members with serious problems.

Strattera is probably even more expensive than Provigil; it's WAY up there. I'm extremely lucky that my insurance pays. Anyway, Strattera is a medication (approved) for attention-deficit disorder, not anything specifically like energy or "cog fog." I just asked my doctor to try it on the theory that since one ADD med had helped me so much (for a time), perhaps another one would too. (I am not diagnosed with ADD; what the Strattera does for me is clear up a certain specific layer of "fog" that made it so hard for me concentrate and focus, and this was always supposed to be related to my dizziness--which is of unknown origin, although I suspect it's partly ear and partly brain.)

Have you tried to see whether the manufacturer of Provigil has an assistance program to help you get the drug?

Best of luck,
Nancy
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
well...I apologize for being so long-winded.  It has just been so long since I had anyone to talk to about this stuff.  I promise, from now on, short and sweet!

Thanks for your patience!

Peace....
Jana
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You know, life certainly is a tradeoff!  talk about sleep disturbance, I was up four times from 11:00 to 5:30 this a.m.  Gooooodddd coffeeeee.  I know, the caffiene *****, but hey, so does all this medicine.  

I am taking morphine er 100 mgs. 3x day, oxycodone 3x day, zanaflex, Savella, tapazole, xanax....blah, blah...enough to put down a small pony, but I still cannot sleep due to muscle spasms in both my neck and back.  Lately, I am awakened by awful muscle spasms in the top of my feet right at the ankle where that little dip is.  It is absolutely excrutiating and I can actually see the ligaments draw tight as a drum.  Have you ever had anything like that?

I am just learning about MS.  I am having another head to S-5 standing MRI tomorrow.  It seems like I should own stock in the company.  Additionally, I may have to undergo surgery no. 24 at L2 (not all at that level...lol...) because my earler fusion has degenerated and has become severly stenotic.  Stenosis is a natural progression as we get older, but for "you know who's" sake...I started at 45 and am now 56 and have so much hardware in my body I set off the alarm system at Kmart!  I had a second posterior fusion in 2008 because my previous anterior cerv. fusion blew a disc as well.

Boy, I didn't mean to get off on such wonderful news this early in the a.m.

I am so sorry to hear about your husband!  It seems you are under a mountain of stress which doesn't help and I have no recommendation for.  I get the bit about needing money, losing one's job, just more good medical news and I truly feel for you both.  My husband of 13 years left me when I "refused" to get a better attitude after developing RSD.  I lost my job (well, went on disability), my ins., and as a result lost my home.  My two boys are only human and couldn't take seeing their mom suffer so terribly, so they didn't come around so much.  They get criticized for it, but I understand.  My first pain doc. told me that as a chronic pain patient, I had an obligation to my loved ones to try to limit my moans and groans and pain reactions because, after a while, it drives loved ones crazy, for a variety of reasons and there are an incredible increases in divorces when one person becomes severely ill.  well, I did think my vows read "In sickness and in health...".

I am so glad I found this site.  It has already answered many questions, but it gives me a feeling of comraderie and, honestly, commiseration!

I am praying for you both...

Peace,
Jana :)
Helpful - 0
649926 tn?1297657780
Jana,

  Life seems to be a trade off doesn't it :)

  I  haven't been able to try Nuvigil or Provigil like you said too expensive and the insurance won't cover it.

I'm sorry that you have tried all of those and never found a keeper for the cause. I pretty much think it is going to be the same with me (even though there are still lots to try).

I try not to over due and get plenty of rest but we really need the money that my working brings in. Hubby has been very sick and unable to work full time. He doesn't get paid any sick leave so when he is home - no money.

  The doctors think he has diabetes. They actually told him that his sugar was through the roof on the phone Friday - who says that?!

They also found blood in his urine as well as thickening of the bladder wall in a CT scan last week. He has 2 appointments this up coming week to go over everything. I seem to be more stressed then he is.

  Thanks for sharing and I'm glad that at least you were able to come up with a routine that works for you. If I find a magic pill I will ask you if you have tried it.

Hugs,
Erin :)
Helpful - 0
649926 tn?1297657780
Nancy,

  I am so glad that you were able to get a couple of good years out of the Ritalin! A couple of years on anything would be very exciting.

My insurance company won't approve the cost of Provigal. I have heard such great things about it but I can't afford it without the insurance companies help. Maybe they will change their mind down the road.

I have never heard of Strattera so maybe I can ask the doctor about that one. It's good to have options.

I hope that you are able to find another med that helps for a long period like the Ritalin did. Good luck

Hugs,
Erin :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I wanted to let you know that I have narcolepsy, along with sleep stage disorder from Fibro, and have taken Provigil, Dextroamphetamine, Adderall, and Ritalin.  None of these worked satisfactorily after a short time leaving me with mild head pressure at the base of my skull, shakiness, nausea, anxiety and an overall feeling of ill health that far outweighed the benefits.  In addition, even with ins. I found Nuvigil and Provigil to be cost prohibitive.  I have learned to take naps, have a regular bedtime, and not to overdo it.  It is very hard to get narcolepsy under control and I am still not able to drive.

So...I found it to be a trade-off and with all the additional meds I take, none of them worked well enough for me.  

I hope you have much better luck!

Jana
Helpful - 0
152264 tn?1280354657
Sorry you've had bad side effects with the Ritalin--it worked great for me, with no side effects (except cheerfulness and faster typing!), although after a couple years of intermittent usage, it seemed to not work so well and sometimes even seemed to have the opposite effect. I then stopped taking it and eventually started Strattera, which has been great.

Before Ritalin the neuro had had me try Provigil, which also worked great but did have a slightly unpleasant letdown effect for me when it wore off in late afternoon.

I hope your side effects ease up so you can enjoy the benefits of Ritalin.

Provigil is great but expensive. It was my neuro's first choice over Ritalin. If Ritalin isn't going to work for you, ask to try Provigil.

(Note that I am not diagnosed with anything, and the main reason I took Provigil, Ritalin, and now Strattera is attention/concentration difficulties related to chronic dizziness of unknown cause.)

Nancy
Helpful - 0
649926 tn?1297657780

  Thanks for sharing your med scoop :)

  I'm sorry that you haven't found the "magic" cog med either. I have tried aricept, numenda and ritalin. Maybe some others but lol I can only remember the last year of failed attempts.

It's so sad that we have to try things that insurance companies see as worth the money and in your case the VA gets to be the boss.

We will find our magic med eventually if we can just keep putting up with the side effects and disappointments while we try the other meds along the way.

  Good luck to you - hang in there

Hugs,
Erin :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
the VA is giving me Razadyne for speech and cog issues.

i'm on the fence with it due to the side effects versus benefits. i think it has helped some on the speech (finding and getting a word out quicker) but i don't think it has done much for cog issues.

i still forget more than "normal", walk in and out of rooms, frustration completing tasks etc. (note: what is normal to the VA and you and me are different universes)

frankly i don't like this med, but i'll try it awhile longer.

energy: notta on this.
Helpful - 0
649926 tn?1297657780


I was on Aricept last Spring and was so keyed up that I thought it was from a recent dose of IV steroids.Iput up with it for almost a month until I finally had a break down of sorts.

I called the doctor to tell them that the steroid zoom and emotional ups and downs had never lasted that long and thats when they told me it was the Aricept. Sure enough after 3 to 5 days of going off of the Aricept I was back to my old self again.

Maybe I just can't handle stimulants stronger then a bit of caffeine, lol.

Helpful - 0
147426 tn?1317265632
Also they are using Aricept off-label for severe cognition problems in MS.  At least one of our members is on it with wonderful results.

Quix
Helpful - 0
147426 tn?1317265632
Well, another option for enrgy is Adderall.  In pediatric practice I found that a large majority of my ADHD kids preferred Adderall as they felt much better mentally on it.  It is still a mixed amphetamine salt, but it seems to treat the brain better.

I use Provigil.  I mostly have to use half the regular dose.  This gives me a modicum of a boost in energy, but it stabilizes my imbalance a little, too.  My operating memory is still pretty scattered, but my academic memory - the one I use to teach here - has remained intact.

It doesn't do squat for my stamina, my strength, or my spelling.

If meds are too expensive look online to Canada - to one of their licensed pharmacies.  The prices are quite good.  The FDA considers getting meds this way "illegal" but they clearly are not prosecuting.  You need a physical, paper prescription and the doctor does NOT want to know what you are doing with it, though mine was pretty quick to suggest that option.

Quix
Helpful - 0
405614 tn?1329144114
I tried it for five days and couldn't stand the tachycardia, facial tics, shakiness, and being irritable.  Nuvigil was similar, but also kept me from sleeping.

I had good success with Provigil, but it is too expensive and my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I'm now giving Amantadine a try.  I've only been taking it for five days, but I seem more alert and able to keep going, but more scatter-brained.  I hope that gets better!  I've been accomplishing a lot more.

Everyone reacts differently.  If your unpleasant side effects don't go away soon, I'd call the doc and see if there's another option that might work better.  I think there are several choices.

Good luck,

Kathy
Helpful - 0
666513 tn?1256917455

Most stimulants do that too me. I've tried Ritalin, and Nuvigil, and besides making me dizzy, nauseated, and shaky/nervous feeling (even at half a dose), for the "energy" they produce is not usable.

Oh... didn't mention that they trigger migraines, too...

You may get used to it after awhile, but that just may be how you react to stimulants.

Mar
Helpful - 0
667078 tn?1316000935
I tried it twice and had the same experience.

Alex
Helpful - 0
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