Mental Health Stopping medications (Ritalin in particular)

[managua]

Hello,

I do not know exactly where my thread belongs. Briefly I have been loosely diagnosed as Bipolar (it is much more cyclothymia as I remember) and more seriously with ADHD.

My treatment involves lamotrigine (300 mg), lithium 1800 mg xr (which I found a lot, I usually take 1200 mg) 100 mg ritalin ir and valium 20 mg.

Before starting the medication i was deep in alcohol and cocaine. I am 34, I take cocaine for 14 years and my medication for 4. I could do without cocaine for month in a row, I do not binge and it is the same for alcohol. Although highs are being controlled, my life is centered around street and pharmaceutical drugs.

10 years ago,I was a high functioning addict, really succeeding, having a wide open future. In ten years I just fucked it up and I am now very tired especially of meds.

Even though I may follow wrong steps, I would like to get rid of ritalin. Anyone could give me an advise?

I know that my personal life, my personality and my shortcomings are in great part factors in the life I have.

I am quite lost and sad and I deeply feel that all this years of benzo and stimulants fucked up my brain for good.

First post, sorry for the form.

Cheers

 

[ahzamvr]

alwayz consult to doctor and be strong n be positive
wish u all the best for your health
Tc

 

[CSM25]

Hi there. I just want to say, that I feel for you. I have a similar diagnosis, and former stimulant use and I thought it kept me straight - but it was self-medication for me. But maybe meds are too.
I feel that for me both parts of the mood disorder and ADHD (or combined disorder) are related to my personality, and what has happened to me personally as well. So it's hard to justify taking drugs for it, but if it helps and makes me a better, stronger more resilient person then so be it. But it is hard to justify with the side effects of at least certain meds. I hope you find the resolutions you seek. And welcome to Bluelight. I think for me, quitting coke, or other meds - usually it was cold turkey. Or if need be, if you must quit ritalin (if its medically the right thing or healthy move to make) maybe returning to the dispenser is best. I'm not sure, if you are trying to titrate it down or are dependent on it? Do you want to eliminate all meds and drugs in particular?

 

[CoastTwoCoast]

Talk to your doctor about tapering down. 100 mg of Ritalin is a high dose. I'm still on 40 mg.

I would taper with Ritalin because I've noticed when I go through my bottle too fast, it makes me severely depressed when I run out. Suicidal type depression. So it's probably something that would be better if you slowly come off of it.

Have you ever felt the need to go through your Ritalin too fast? You have a history of using cocaine so I'm just wondering. I haven't used cocaine, but Ritalin makes me want to keep taking it, I can see how it can become addictive. Some people prefer Ritalin over the street stuff.

That's why I don't understand how a doctor would prescribe a former addict something as addictive as Ritalin. Doesn't make sense to me. Unless they don't know about your history.

 

[herbavore]

I am a strong believer that those of us with ADD and ADHD are in the long-run better off without meds. Developing personal strategies to deal with the pitfalls of this condition (I like to call it a brain variation, myself) is much more proactive and beneficial than counting on stimulant use for life. There are way more downsides to lifelong stimulant use than ADHD/ADD!

Bipolar is completely different. You may need medication at times but perhaps not all the time. Try to find a medical practitioner that is intelligent, respectful of you, and not simply a pill pusher. There are many ways to deal with bipolar and finding the right med, right dosage etc is important. But also important are things like learning your triggers (especially beginning signs of mania) so that you can tailor your med use appropriately. If you have not already, you may find it useful to check out The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health.

Good luck and do not worry (it just compounds everything and does nothing positive!).

 

[CoastTwoCoast]

^ Thank you.

I thought about it and actually my dose is not 40 mg of Ritalin, it's only 20 mg. (10 mg in a.m. and 10 mg in afternoon). I suggested going up to 40 mg, but the psychiatrist didn't want to yet.

The thing I like about Ritalin is it doesn't trigger Bipolar paranoia like Vyvanse did. I just need to learn how to take it as prescribed and not overdo it. I suffered a lot this month from running out too fast. Not fucking up next month.

 

[alpha_centauri]

I am a strong believer that those of us with ADD and ADHD are in the long-run better off without meds. Developing personal strategies to deal with the pitfalls of this condition (I like to call it a brain variation, myself) is much more proactive and beneficial than counting on stimulant use for life. There are way more downsides to lifelong stimulant use than ADHD/ADD!

Bipolar is completely different. You may need medication at times but perhaps not all the time. Try to find a medical practitioner that is intelligent, respectful of you, and not simply a pill pusher. There are many ways to deal with bipolar and finding the right med, right dosage etc is important. But also important are things like learning your triggers (especially beginning signs of mania) so that you can tailor your med use appropriately. If you have not already, you may find it useful to check out The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health.

Good luck and do not worry (it just compounds everything and does nothing positive!).

LOL this is funny considering that you do not have ANY advanced degrees in medicine, psychology, pharmacology, science/biology, neuropharmacology/pharmacology, etc. But this is bluelight and the "harm reduction" here = death. If you need proof about this see sober living and the bluelight shrine.

People who have ADD/ADHD actually ARE better off in the long run if they are on meds and taking them regularly under the supervision of a doctor. No the medications for ADD/ADHD are NOT the same as meth or even street amphetamine/speed, as they are medical grade, given out in prescribed doses and the person taking them is monitored by a doctor.

Someone that's bipolar or manic has to be on meds. The medications for being bipolar or manic are not the type that you can just stop/start or take whenever you are in a manic state as they have to build up in your CNS in order to work.

 

[Red Moon]

alpha_centauri can I just ask you if you are taking anything right now? Because I keep seeing your posts and they're unnecessarily aggressive and dismissive, as if you're on something and having a very bad reaction to it. Who cares what professionals think if they've never actually experienced the condition in question? Far too many have lied to my face about meds and syndromes (not even just talking mental health related ones, either) because all they know is the book, if they even know that. If I wanted to know something about ADHD/ADD I would trust the word of someone who has it over the word of some random professional who read no more than a single chapter on it... espeically since that chapter was probably sponsored by companies with ulterior motives anyways.

If "But this is bluelight and the "harm reduction" here = death" is really what you think about this site then what on earth have you spent the past few years doing here? Seek help from your favorite professional regarding this immediately. It's unhealthy to be that obsessed with something if you think it's such garbage. In the mean time you can change your password to a randomly generated number and log out so we don't have to see you in the Recovery Forums. This is not a place where people need to see you foaming at the mouth over every little thing you found an easy way to disagree with.

 

[Mmp85]

You'd be less likely to abuse an XR form of ADHD meds, you may want to try that in the process of tapering.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Have you thought about entering a brief drug rehab/detox so that you can be medically evaluated, and get started on the treatments you need to get out of this rut? It turns out a lot better in the long-run to do what the pros think, than to hoof it yourself.

You're doing a number on your heart if you use coke and alcohol, on top of a high-dose daily ritalin regimen. Sounds like you wouldn't be in need of so much of a tranquilizer if you stopped taking so many hard stimulants.