Black Octagon
Bluelighter
10mg Methylphenidate (Insufflated) - Experienced - How Abnormal Are These Reactions?
Note: I am not diagnosed with ADHD, but occassionally snort Ritalin for study (ie. non-recreational) purposes. This trip report is designed to give the reader some insight into how this method of administration effects me, because every time I read descriptions of recreational methylphenidate use by other Bluelighters, I am struck by how different their experiences seem to be compared to mine.
Ok, so today I decided that I could use some chemical assistance with my university thesis. At 1pm I crushed and insufflated a single 10mg tablet of Ritalin. I've done this several times over the past few years and the effects are always identical, so by now I recognise them as readily as I do the sweet musical opening to 'The End' by The Doors.
By 1:10pm I could feel the usual effects beginning to take hold: a slight elevation in energy and mood, mild twitchiness and edginess, suppressed appetite, and of course, uncanny powers of concentration. Within minutes I had all my books and folders out in front of my computer and was studying away like crazy.
All that mattered was the problem in front of me. The King Crimson records I had playing in the background suited my mood fine, but every time an album finished, I'd find myself not putting another one on for another 15 minutes, simply because I was too engrossed in my thesis-writing.
Now here's the thing. We all know that you're only 'supposed' to take Ritalin orally - a method of administration which gives you minimal physical effects but 4 fairly consistent hours of heightened concentration. To take it recreationally you have to snort it, which gives you a much more interesting array of subtle physical effects that have been likened to cocaine, or to meth without the anxiety. However, what's also commonly reported is that when administered this way, the primary effects usually only last for 1-2 hours before a rather unpleasant 'Ritalin crash' sets in.
Well that never seems to happen for me! When I snort Ritalin, not only does it hit me much harder than if I eat it, but also, it seems to last for 8-12 hours! Sure, after 2-4 hours much of the body buzz is gone, but to me it seems more like I've gotten used to it. At about this time today, I just adjourned to the kitchen to make a quick pot of green tea before returning to the desk. The body buzz never quite returned, but the mental effects (ie. heightened capacity for sustained concentration, motivation and focus) all stayed.
By 6pm (t + 5.00 hrs) the Simpsons were starting on TV so I went to watch them. Having seen pretty much all episodes 6 billion times I don't tend to pay much attention to them anymore. Watching them is more of a 'mental "off" period.' But this time I was fully engrossed, paying careful attention to all the colours, animations and background art. At 6:30pm the world news started, and there was a great deal happening. I listened carefully to every word the broadcaster said and retained all of it (which doesn't usually happen for me).
At 7pm (t + 6.00 hrs) I returned to my computer for another hour of study. Still full powers of mental concentration. After it all I realised that I'd done about 1,500 words today - for those who have never done a thesis before, that's actually a shitload when you consider all the careful referencing and structuring that has to be done.
Feeling very proud of myself, I decided it would be a good idea to get some exercise. So at 8pm (t + 7.00 hrs) I did an hour-long stroll around the university campus. My muscles were a little sore and tired, but after getting a bit of momentum up I realised the physical effects were still still slightly there as my heartrate increased noticeably (nothing bad, just above average). My mind was still racing with all sorts of imaginative but highly articulate ideas, ranging from where my thesis would go from here, what I'd like to research for my next project, the order in which to plan my Summer travel, etc. etc. Like the Simpsons, my evening walk is usually mental 'off time' but tonight it was highly focused, even this long after taking the Ritalin.
Fast forward to now. It's about 12:30am (t + 11.50 hrs) and I'm still at it! Physically I'm starting to get tired, but that could be the 9mg of melatonin and pint of mega-powerful stout I ingested earlier. Concentrating now requires some effort, but when I actually make the effort the ability to think clearly, focus and structure a piece of writing (like this trip report) still comes without much effort. I have some very minor tooth grinding too, my neck muscles are slightly sore, and my pupils are still slightly dilated. At any rate, I have NOT gone through anything so negative that it could be likened to a 'crash.' Heck, I find it more unpleasant when an average cup of coffee wears off. This is nothing I'd even call a comedown.
My point is this: These effects are by no means 'typical' compared to what I usually read on Bluelight or Erowid! 10mg of methylphenidate is really not much at all (I think it's the lowest dose that Ritalin comes in) and even when people snort larger doses (60mg+) a heightened sense of concentration doesn't seem to be a normal effect.
Not that I'm complaining about any of this. A productive day of study is enough to put me in a brilliant mood at the worst of times! I just thought I'd share this with you all to demonstrate how different people really do react differently to different drugs. Methylphenidate and I seem to be made for each other. Too bad insufflation leads to crappy tolerance.
Note: I am not diagnosed with ADHD, but occassionally snort Ritalin for study (ie. non-recreational) purposes. This trip report is designed to give the reader some insight into how this method of administration effects me, because every time I read descriptions of recreational methylphenidate use by other Bluelighters, I am struck by how different their experiences seem to be compared to mine.
Ok, so today I decided that I could use some chemical assistance with my university thesis. At 1pm I crushed and insufflated a single 10mg tablet of Ritalin. I've done this several times over the past few years and the effects are always identical, so by now I recognise them as readily as I do the sweet musical opening to 'The End' by The Doors.
By 1:10pm I could feel the usual effects beginning to take hold: a slight elevation in energy and mood, mild twitchiness and edginess, suppressed appetite, and of course, uncanny powers of concentration. Within minutes I had all my books and folders out in front of my computer and was studying away like crazy.
All that mattered was the problem in front of me. The King Crimson records I had playing in the background suited my mood fine, but every time an album finished, I'd find myself not putting another one on for another 15 minutes, simply because I was too engrossed in my thesis-writing.
Now here's the thing. We all know that you're only 'supposed' to take Ritalin orally - a method of administration which gives you minimal physical effects but 4 fairly consistent hours of heightened concentration. To take it recreationally you have to snort it, which gives you a much more interesting array of subtle physical effects that have been likened to cocaine, or to meth without the anxiety. However, what's also commonly reported is that when administered this way, the primary effects usually only last for 1-2 hours before a rather unpleasant 'Ritalin crash' sets in.
Well that never seems to happen for me! When I snort Ritalin, not only does it hit me much harder than if I eat it, but also, it seems to last for 8-12 hours! Sure, after 2-4 hours much of the body buzz is gone, but to me it seems more like I've gotten used to it. At about this time today, I just adjourned to the kitchen to make a quick pot of green tea before returning to the desk. The body buzz never quite returned, but the mental effects (ie. heightened capacity for sustained concentration, motivation and focus) all stayed.
By 6pm (t + 5.00 hrs) the Simpsons were starting on TV so I went to watch them. Having seen pretty much all episodes 6 billion times I don't tend to pay much attention to them anymore. Watching them is more of a 'mental "off" period.' But this time I was fully engrossed, paying careful attention to all the colours, animations and background art. At 6:30pm the world news started, and there was a great deal happening. I listened carefully to every word the broadcaster said and retained all of it (which doesn't usually happen for me).
At 7pm (t + 6.00 hrs) I returned to my computer for another hour of study. Still full powers of mental concentration. After it all I realised that I'd done about 1,500 words today - for those who have never done a thesis before, that's actually a shitload when you consider all the careful referencing and structuring that has to be done.
Feeling very proud of myself, I decided it would be a good idea to get some exercise. So at 8pm (t + 7.00 hrs) I did an hour-long stroll around the university campus. My muscles were a little sore and tired, but after getting a bit of momentum up I realised the physical effects were still still slightly there as my heartrate increased noticeably (nothing bad, just above average). My mind was still racing with all sorts of imaginative but highly articulate ideas, ranging from where my thesis would go from here, what I'd like to research for my next project, the order in which to plan my Summer travel, etc. etc. Like the Simpsons, my evening walk is usually mental 'off time' but tonight it was highly focused, even this long after taking the Ritalin.
Fast forward to now. It's about 12:30am (t + 11.50 hrs) and I'm still at it! Physically I'm starting to get tired, but that could be the 9mg of melatonin and pint of mega-powerful stout I ingested earlier. Concentrating now requires some effort, but when I actually make the effort the ability to think clearly, focus and structure a piece of writing (like this trip report) still comes without much effort. I have some very minor tooth grinding too, my neck muscles are slightly sore, and my pupils are still slightly dilated. At any rate, I have NOT gone through anything so negative that it could be likened to a 'crash.' Heck, I find it more unpleasant when an average cup of coffee wears off. This is nothing I'd even call a comedown.
My point is this: These effects are by no means 'typical' compared to what I usually read on Bluelight or Erowid! 10mg of methylphenidate is really not much at all (I think it's the lowest dose that Ritalin comes in) and even when people snort larger doses (60mg+) a heightened sense of concentration doesn't seem to be a normal effect.
Not that I'm complaining about any of this. A productive day of study is enough to put me in a brilliant mood at the worst of times! I just thought I'd share this with you all to demonstrate how different people really do react differently to different drugs. Methylphenidate and I seem to be made for each other. Too bad insufflation leads to crappy tolerance.
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