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Misc Methylphenidate, no withdrawals???

macd610

macd610

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
590
Hi everyone! I've been on ir methylphenidate for adult ADHD for about 7 years. I ran out a few days early (yesterday, and cannot get it filled til the 14'th). I've had a bit of depression, have been really exhausted, and just plain out of it...but I figured I would have some pretty severe withdrawals, considering my dose (20mg 4xday). It has been forever since I've run out, but I seem to remember it being much worse in the past.
Has anybody been through this and if so, what is your experience been?
Thanks for any replies.
Cat
 
Stimulants do not have physical withdrawals for the most part, it is all mental.
 
Yeah if you were expecting full blown physical shakes and sickness, methylphenidate doesn't give you anything close. What you have experienced sounds like it'll be the extent of what withdrawal symptoms you're likely to encounter.
 
Awesome, thanks guys. if only it could be this easy when I occasionally run out of my pain meds lol :)
Edit: I have noticed that for some unknown reason, I have not felt the need to take quite as many pain pills since I ran out of my methylphenidate... Just a little side note that I signed pretty interesting.
 
Last edited:
shreddedlettuce said:
This.

You might experience psychological withdrawal, and IMO ritalin is not worth craving for, so your withdrawal should be pretty easy.
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Thanks everyone, yeah I definitely take it bc I need it ... but I do remember going through a very hard time in the past when I ran out. but like you guys are saying, I'm sure it was psychological.
What I find the MOST interesting is like I said earlier, I don't feel the need to take my pain pills as often since I ran out. the 2 events definitely coincide with each other and I'm wondering if maybe it has to do with the fact that stimulants sometimes give side affects like anxiety, which is something that definitely agitates pain... just something interesting for me to think about.
Again, I appreciate the input & replies from my fellow Bluelighters. :)
 
macd610 said:
Thanks everyone, yeah I definitely take it bc I need it ... but I do remember going through a very hard time in the past when I ran out. but like you guys are saying, I'm sure it was psychological.
What I find the MOST interesting is like I said earlier, I don't feel the need to take my pain pills as often since I ran out. the 2 events definitely coincide with each other and I'm wondering if maybe it has to do with the fact that stimulants sometimes give side affects like anxiety, which is something that definitely agitates pain... just something interesting for me to think about.
Again, I appreciate the input & replies from my fellow Bluelighters. :)
Click to expand...

Yea I mean for sure you might experience depression, potentially headaches, lack of motivation, fatigue and lethargy, but it won't be anywhere near as bad as opiate withdrawal where you cannot sleep, get hot/cold flashes, puking, diahrea, shakes, restless leg syndrome etc.

It is all mind over matter, the worst part of a stim withdrawal IMO is the craving. Otherwise, I don't notice any long lasting withdrawal effects.
 
pbuilder said:
Yea I mean for sure you might experience depression, potentially headaches, lack of motivation, fatigue and lethargy, but it won't be anywhere near as bad as opiate withdrawal where you cannot sleep, get hot/cold flashes, puking, diahrea, shakes, restless leg syndrome etc.

It is all mind over matter, the worst part of a stim withdrawal IMO is the craving. Otherwise, I don't notice any long lasting withdrawal effects.
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Very well put :) I think it's like trying to compare apples to oranges, you know?
Whats really REALLY piquing my curiosity is how I am suddenly able to make it for 8-9 hours without my pain meds (and I DO take them for pain, although I readily admit I'm physically dependent) and before running out of methylphenidate, I dosed every 4 hours or so. Although Idon't need my ADHD medicine, there are definitely side effects... once in a while I'll have some things like anxiety and paranoia from mph.
Now though, I find it funny that when I'm out of them, I suddenly don't need my narcotics as much as I did before... Any ideas there?
 
macd610 said:
Very well put :) I think it's like trying to compare apples to oranges, you know?
Whats really REALLY piquing my curiosity is how I am suddenly able to make it for 8-9 hours without my pain meds (and I DO take them for pain, although I readily admit I'm physically dependent) and before running out of methylphenidate, I dosed every 4 hours or so. Although Idon't need my ADHD medicine, there are definitely side effects... once in a while I'll have some things like anxiety and paranoia from mph.
Now though, I find it funny that when I'm out of them, I suddenly don't need my narcotics as much as I did before... Any ideas there?
Click to expand...


It is possible that your regular dose of ritilin makes you concentrated but also kinda anxious and jittery, so your opiate dose also helps stabilize the side effects of the ritilin, thus now when you aren't taking ur ritilin and thus are not experiencing the negatives of stim use, you don't feel the need to dose your opiate as quickly because your not tryna also, potentially subconsciously, counter act the negative feeling that come from stims.
 
pbuilder said:
It is possible that your regular dose of ritilin makes you concentrated but also kinda anxious and jittery, so your opiate dose also helps stabilize the side effects of the ritilin, thus now when you aren't taking ur ritilin and thus are not experiencing the negatives of stim use, you don't feel the need to dose your opiate as quickly because your not tryna also, potentially subconsciously, counter act the negative feeling that come from stims.
Click to expand...
OMG, When I was reading your post I noticed the giant mistake I made in mine..
I said something like "although I don't need my ADHD medicine"... I meant to say that although I DO need it...
Man, What a typo! You know how sometimes when using a phone it will put in an extra word when you hit space button? Well, that's what happened here.
So, To clarify I do need my pain medicine and my ADHD medicine lol!!!! (Embarrassed).
 
No worries I know what you meant, I still stand by my post though. Even if you need your ADHD meds , that doesn't mean that low pharmaceutical doses aren't effecting your overall mood. Basically everyone I know who isn't a druggie but has ADHD and is prescribed adderall/ritilin, doesn't take their meds cause they hate how "grey" and zombied they feel from it. Generally prescribed doses of stims for add/ADHD are low enough that they don't provide any euphoria, but they still are above threshold effect doses, and thus just make the user feel kinda dull/easily tempered, along with better concentration. I noticed this myself even when I first tried adderal , half a 15mg adderall which was 7.5mg and what I first tried, just made me feel dull and irritated and decreased my mood. It took 20-30mg at once to make me enjoy the stim effects and feel euphoric.

So it's possible you have been stabalizing your mood with your opiates while on your daily ritilin dosage without even realizing it. And now you need your pain killer dose less often cause you aren't psychologically craving it for a mood boost ALONG with its pain killing effects .
 
pbuilder said:
No worries I know what you meant, I still stand by my post though. Even if you need your ADHD meds , that doesn't mean that low pharmaceutical doses aren't effecting your overall mood. Basically everyone I know who isn't a druggie but has ADHD and is prescribed adderall/ritilin, doesn't take their meds cause they hate how "grey" and zombied they feel from it. Generally prescribed doses of stims for add/ADHD are low enough that they don't provide any euphoria, but they still are above threshold effect doses, and thus just make the user feel kinda dull/easily tempered, along with better concentration. I noticed this myself even when I first tried adderal , half a 15mg adderall which was 7.5mg and what I first tried, just made me feel dull and irritated and decreased my mood. It took 20-30mg at once to make me enjoy the stim effects and feel euphoric

So it's possible you have been stabalizing your mood with your opiates while on your daily ritilin dosage without even realizing it. And now you need your pain killer dose less often cause you aren't psychologically craving it for a mood boost ALONG with its pain killing effects .
Click to expand...
I think your theory not only makes sense...after further thought (or lack thereof;) throughout the evening and this morning, I think what you suggested is indeed what's happening here.
I realize this has no bearing on anything we're discussing, but years ago, I used to get quite a bit of euphoria from methylphenidate, but I was prescribed insanely high doses.
40mg upon awakening ( at the time I was in college and getting up at 530 in the morning), 30mg at 10a.m, 20mg at noon, 30mg at 3p.m, and 30mg at 7p.m. It was nuts.
Anyway, I believe I mentioned I now take 20mg qid. I can say for sure that the positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot, although methylphenidate's success is so very dose dependent. I remember when we were playing with my dose (my psychiatrist and I) one dose would drive me crazy and make me very agitated, but 5 more mg would be perfect.
Maybe it's time to consider an adjustment. I mean, if I am subconsciously stabilizing my mood it's something worth looking at. Maybe my dosage needs have changed, as I've been on the same routine for a few years now.
Alright, I am rambling.
 
methylphenidate is not physically addictive. i have heard in many places that amphetamines (meth, adderall, not ritalin) are physically addictive, but not as much as say heroin or benzos. ive experienced mild withdrawal from meth and amphetamine, and also from mdma, although not by itself. symptoms i experienced were inconsistent and varying, ranging from shakes and moderate dissociation to physical pains and nausea. the dissociation is the most consistent symptom.
 
mental withdrawls effect physical functions, just like the brain when knows when tot ake a shit, or to piss, or to be in pain, brain sends signals, so if speed is only mentally addictive i believe it gives physical wd symptoms
 
Got My prescription filled today and I swear, it feels like the first time I ever took it. Before this I did not realize there was any difference in the effectiveness Now verses when I first started taking it. Maybe a break is a good thing once in awhile:) I feel super focused.
 
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