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Counterituitive experience: Methylphenidate XR more euphoric than equivalent SR dose?

Draco889

Greenlighter
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
3
Hi all!

Unless I had posted something previously and forgotten, this is my first post on the Bluelight forum, so I apologize if at any point in this post I mistakenly did not follow the forum rules.

Now, I wanted to ask about an interesting experience which seems counter-intuitive to say the least. To begin with it may be important to note that I may potentially suffer from ADD, which would likely influence how I respond to dopaminergic drugs. About a year earlier I became somewhat of a party animal and began recreationally taking methylphenidate. The substance would come in the form of 54mg XR pills (http://www.drugs.com/imprints/m-54-20418.html) which I would take either intranasally or orally after the pill had been chewed a bit. Both ROAs yielded highly euphoric and stimulatory effects. In fact, the effects were so euphoric that I would likely have developed an addiction to the substance if his supplier had not run dry. Some time later I came across a significant quantity of what is believed to be 10mg SR Methylphenidate pills (http://www.drugs.com/imprints/m-10-21774.html). My cat was somewhat unpleasantly surprised to find, however, that both intranasal and oral ROAs do not yield the same results as its 54mg XR counterpart. I am quite puzzled by this, and the only explanations I can think of are that the methylphenidate is expired, or my personal neurochemistry somehow changed in the intervening time such that it now responds to it differently. Does anybody else have any thoughts on this or similar experiences?
 
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First off, we don't talk about cats here.

Sounds like open and shut stimulant tolerance. Either that or an artifact of the rapid change in blood concentrations. SR methylphenidate will be absorbed faster and more completely than XR for an equivalent dose.
 
My apologies, I wasn't aware cats were taboo

Out the possibilities you mentioned I think its more likely to be the second one. My period of heavy XR use was followed by a nearly year-long interval of very light stimulant use, and even when my tolerance was at its highest point one 54mg pill would give me at least 2 or so hours of euphoria. I should have elaborated earlier that when I said I was unpleasantly surprised by the effects I got, I meant that I experienced light to moderate stimulation and almost no euphoria after taking 90mg intranasally within 1.5h. I got what could have been the tinglings of a stimulant high at a few points, but the intensity was threshold at best and not nearly what I would have expected from the dose I took.
 
Methylphenidate XR (particularily concerta) has never been euphoric for me. In my experience, there is a short-lived hour and a half of something resembling 'euphoria' and positive effects, then for the next 10 hours I feel sick, burnt out, and generally unpleasant.

It always seemed to me that the ratio of intensity of methylphenidate's noradrenergic effects versus its dopaminergic effects was too high to be desirable for recreational use (also, methylphenidate's non-existent effects on extracellular serotonin). For me, the gold standard of stimulants is amphetamine; it is the metric which I compare all other stimulants to - and methylphenidate is quite simply an inferior stimulant to amphetamine.
 
There can be considerable differences in the absorption of methylphenidate between brands and preparations of the drug, at least if I remember correctly. It could simply be a case of a generic-branded IR pill being less effective for you.

http://www.raps.org/Regulatory-Focu...s-With-Generic-Version-of-ADHD-Drug-Concerta/

Alternatively, the ER uses enteric coated beads to delay absorption of some of the medication. Note that there are considerable differences between individuals regarding methylphenidate's oral bioavailability due to first pass metabolism. It's possible that absorption from a different point in your digestive tract (due to the enteric coating) would affect your ability to absorb the drug.
 
Concerta 54mg with a lil 0.5mg xanax has been quite euphoric for me. Though my time of taking the stims I had 0 tolerance. I also would like to suggest that your "ADHD" definitely has nothing to do with how you react to dopaminergics. What the hell even classifies someone with ADHD? I find I have a lot of ADD tendencies and can't focus on anything I do not care for, so does that mean I have ADD? I get high from ADD meds in the same exact way you do I am sure. A relaxed, mood lift with physical stimulation. May I ask in what way does someone without ADD get high from Pharma stims??
 
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