Stimulants methylphenidate (concerta) depression during effects?

[Lopez]

ok, well let me just add that i suffer from clinical depression (though i'm certain this is irrelevant), and that i don't suffer from adhd since adderall always makes me feel energetic and overall ecstatic.

well today i ingested 2 extended release methylphenidate pills (brand name concerta) each containing 54 mg. i expected it to be reminiscent of a mild adderall buzz but instead felt a "dirty" adderall-like rush which was nothing compared to adderall itself. it lasted an hour and 45 minutes. it's been about 6 hours now and throughout this whole time i have felt depressed, mildly euphoric, and exhausted (rather kurt cobain-like).

if the pills were extended release just like adderall xr, then why didn't if feel a rush and energy every 4 hours or so? is it normal for someone to feel so melancholic and calm throughout the effects of a stimulant?

has anyone else experienced this negative and oblivious feeling when using methylphenidate? i'd love to hear any similar experiences.

 

[Alex000]

Concerta has a weird time release mechanism if I recall correctly. It isn't like Adderall where half the dose is immediately released, and then another half later. Like I said if I recall correctly, a semi-decent dose of methylphenidate is released immediately, and then the rest slowly releases over I don't how many hours. Remember methylphenidate is not an amphetamine, it is much more like cocaine. So I am not surprised you felt a dirty rush, which wasn't as a good as that of an amphetamine. Methylphenidate is fairly short acting, so when the initial dose wears off you kind of come down while the rest of the methylphenidate is still being released. That may explain why you feel depressed, and exhausted (comedown), but why you still feel some euphoria. Concerta is weird, and methylphenidate is weird on its own, but I am not surprised you don't feel great. It gave me a "weird" feeling, it was euphoric I guess, but not in a pleasant way. I don't have much experience with it, though. Just like a two-day thing. I wanted more, but stimulants are like that, even if you don't feel too good.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Exactly.

It is relevant that you suffer from depression, methylphenidate (Concerta) and amphetamine (Adderall) are not the same. Just because you have a good reaction to one doesn't mean you will have a good reaction to the other. I've known people who get very depressed when taking Adderall but feel great when taking Concerta or Ritalin.

As far as personal experiences go, I get a nice rush when the effects first come on, then a time period when I think I'm coming down, feeling like shit, etc (depression) and then I come back up again. So your reaction is probably similar to mine. Blame the release mechanism of Concerta first!

-On a side note, I feel the comedown from methylphenidate is much worse than the comedown from amphetamine. Of course dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) is a bit better than Adderall and Concerta, but different people react differently to...different drugs.

 

[Lopez]

very interesting! greatly appreciate the replies! and neighborhoodthreat, i'm actually experiencing the opposite. adderall comedowns are HELL for me, while concerta is a walk in the park lol.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

No problem man,

That's one of the nice things about there being a variation of stimulant-based ADHD (ADD?) drugs on the market today, many people react really well to one and really badly to another.

 

[mgmt&mdma]

bleh concerta is HORRIBLE. i feel the exact same way.

@alex000- methylphenidate blood plasma levels reach max at around 7hrs is what i recall