Ritalin Safety

[leighanne1992]

So this weekend I have had a lot of Uni assignments.

A few years ago, I was hanging out with a friend who has been prescribed Ritalin for ADHD. He suggested I take some to 'see what happens.' I remember not being able to sleep but I started a long, very articulate rant about something in the news we had been talking about earlier. I felt like I could think really clearly.

I asked a few questions about the safety levels on another thread and had the impression that nothing drastically bad is likely to happen if I use it in reasonable amounts over the weekend.

Yesterday I took 5mg in the morning and didn't really experience any benefits or effects. I took 20mg in the afternoon, and found it really motivated me.

Today I woke up a little earlier. I want to clarify that I don't intend to take this regularly. I find it helpful in coping with end-of-semester 'crunch time' at Uni.


Today I have taken 50mg (but no more than 25mg in the space of 5 hours). I am just wondering about the recommended daily dose of 60mg. After experimenting with 25mg doses I think that's too much and find 20mg to be ideal. But am I at strong risk of having a medical emergency if I take 70mg in one day?


My other question is: does anyone know if there Ritalin LA packaging/pills look different?I have some from a friend but she stopped taking them and lost the original box. I'm not sure if it is slow release or not.

 

[regfairfield]

So this weekend I have had a lot of Uni assignments.

A few years ago, I was hanging out with a friend who has been prescribed Ritalin for ADHD. He suggested I take some to 'see what happens.' I remember not being able to sleep but I started a long, very articulate rant about something in the news we had been talking about earlier. I felt like I could think really clearly.

I asked a few questions about the safety levels on another thread and had the impression that nothing drastically bad is likely to happen if I use it in reasonable amounts over the weekend.

Yesterday I took 5mg in the morning and didn't really experience any benefits or effects. I took 20mg in the afternoon, and found it really motivated me.

Today I woke up a little earlier. I want to clarify that I don't intend to take this regularly. I find it helpful in coping with end-of-semester 'crunch time' at Uni.


Today I have taken 50mg (but no more than 25mg in the space of 5 hours). I am just wondering about the recommended daily dose of 60mg. After experimenting with 25mg doses I think that's too much and find 20mg to be ideal. But am I at strong risk of having a medical emergency if I take 70mg in one day?


My other question is: does anyone know if there Ritalin LA packaging/pills look different?I have some from a friend but she stopped taking them and lost the original box. I'm not sure if it is slow release or not.

as for the dosing...yea you will be ok at 70 mg if you so choose....although your not prescribed them so anything that happens to you is solely on you...but assuming your healthy and mentally stable , you will not have any major problems except for expected side effects...also if you are splitting the doses then you have even less to worry about.

i assume you would be able to tell the difference between the LA or IR based on how long it takes to kick in / lasts.

 

[Keif' Richards]

OP, you should be well within the realm of relative safety with the doses you are experimenting with, provided you don't have any preexisting cardiological issues. Methylphenidate (ritalin, concerta) can be stressful on the heart in a comparative sense with other stimulants like amphetamine. If you increase the central nervous system effects, you will also be increasing the peripheral nervous system effects (the undesired effects). These include tachycardia, tremor, hypertension etc.

But... It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on your use at this time. You're using responsibly and you're not compulsively redosing. This is a good sign that you'll be receiving more positive benefit from the substance than negative. One time, I bought 20 10mg methylphenidate instant release pills from a classmate and took 5 but ended up compulsively redosing until I had taken all 20. I laid in my bed for hours thinking I was going to die. I felt like my heart was going to explode and there was a sense of impending doom. I had to watch my breathing to keep from hyperventilating. I obviously survived, but I wasn't "right" until over 48 hours after the last dose. Just let this be a word of warning to you.