![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Prefect on April 30, 2018, at 21:16:50
This question is especially for bleauberry as he suggested I should try Ritalin (for dopamine) due to the fact that alcohol resolves a lot of my symptoms. But responses by anyone else would also be appreciated.
I've decided to give Rotalin a try to see if it helps me. But I'm currently on 100 mg zoloft. Can I take Ritalin on zoloft?
bleauberry were you on any SSRIs when you took Ritalin? Or should I taper off zoloft before trying Ritalin.
Thanks folks.
Posted by Christ_empowered on May 1, 2018, at 9:18:12
In reply to Ritalin Question, posted by Prefect on April 30, 2018, at 21:16:50
took Ritalin and Focalin on antidepressants and other psych drugs. I think there's an increased risk of serotonin syndrome, but...
stimulants can help counteract the lethargy, fatigue, emotional numbing, and general "blah" that many (most?) psych drugs can create. Ritalin, in particular, was once popuar for outpatients stable on major tranquilizers.
Ritalin (and Focalin) is milder than the amphetamines, but do work with your prescriber to keep your dose at the "LED"--lowest effective dose. sometimes, even the xr formulations don't give full day coverage, so the doctor might end up prescribing a tablet for the afternoon.
i hope the ritalin helps you.
Posted by rjlockhart37 on May 1, 2018, at 18:03:14
In reply to Ritalin Question, posted by Prefect on April 30, 2018, at 21:16:50
there's no interactions with SSRI's that i know of with methylphenidate, its safe
there's 2 forms of Ritalin, there's raw ritilin which is methylphenidate with both isomers, or Focalin wihch is d-methylphenidate, it works more on dopamine rather than on norepinephrine ,if you need more NE i would go with Ritalin or Concerta
- its basically the same thing as Evekeo and Dexedrine or any dextroamphetamine med,, evekeo is amphetamine with both isomers, levo and dextro, levo acts more on norepinephrine, your more alert and kickier, dexedrine is more dopamine, more of a calmer focus, but increases dopamine higher than evekeo
Posted by rjlockhart37 on May 1, 2018, at 18:11:22
In reply to Re: Ritalin Question, posted by rjlockhart37 on May 1, 2018, at 18:03:14
but also just on personal note - Evekeo is a good anti-depressant that helps with low energy, yes it is amphetamine but it's not raw d-amphetamine, it's a levo-dextro form, both of them which makes racematic amphetamine.... it helps with energy and alertness. They used to use Evekeo in the military in World War II, it keeps you be alert but does not increase dopamine as much where it would be more abusable
Posted by bleauberry on May 2, 2018, at 12:14:28
In reply to Ritalin Question, posted by Prefect on April 30, 2018, at 21:16:50
Yes you can definitely take Ritalin with Zoloft and don't be surprised if you get a much better response than you are accustomed to.
The primary thing to watch for is to titrate slowly enough that you don't over-stimulate yourself. I was real sensitive when I started. I could only handle 2.5mg (you can break/cut pills) twice a day at first. A week later I was doing 5mg 3 times. Fast forward a couple months and I was on 10mg 6 times a day and loving it, with peace, engagement in life, awesome sleep - the opposite of what I expected from a stimulant.
I only had 3 side effects:
1. diminished appetite - I am already too skinny - it was a battle to keep eating - ginger tea or cannabis helped.
2. I had mild butterflies in the stomach when I woke each morning - that would go away within minutes of the first dose.
3. Similar to #2, I would get nervous-like side effects if a dose wore off too much without a replacement dose. This is why I did 10mg 6 times a day instead of 20mg 3 times.I hope it goes well for you. My doc claims Ritalin helps more of her patients with more issues than any other prescription. So I hope you are in that category! :-)
> This question is especially for bleauberry as he suggested I should try Ritalin (for dopamine) due to the fact that alcohol resolves a lot of my symptoms. But responses by anyone else would also be appreciated.
>
> I've decided to give Rotalin a try to see if it helps me. But I'm currently on 100 mg zoloft. Can I take Ritalin on zoloft?
>
> bleauberry were you on any SSRIs when you took Ritalin? Or should I taper off zoloft before trying Ritalin.
>
> Thanks folks.
Posted by Prefect on May 2, 2018, at 18:05:45
In reply to Re: Ritalin Question » Prefect, posted by bleauberry on May 2, 2018, at 12:14:28
Thanks bleauberry. And now that I got your attention I'm entertaining having my doctor go the nuclear option on bartonella. I;m trying to find the section you wrote the three antibiotics needed to be taken at the same time, but can;t find it. Do you mind telling me what they are? And I'm sure one of them at least will interact with zoloft but what are you gonna do. I'm planning to taper off zoloft anyway it's doing nothing for me.
Posted by Prefect on May 2, 2018, at 19:19:10
In reply to Re: Ritalin Question » Prefect, posted by bleauberry on May 2, 2018, at 12:14:28
Bleauberry how long was it before you noticed ritalin was making a difference or improvement? Did you feel any improvement to your focus in the first week (other than the initial anxiety you mentioned)?
Posted by bleauberry on May 3, 2018, at 11:03:02
In reply to Re: Ritalin Question » bleauberry, posted by Prefect on May 2, 2018, at 18:05:45
The bartonella angle is not that easy. It is one of the tougher challenges that lyme patients and doctors deal with. There are no antibiutics specific for it, though there are some that can do the job. It is usually rotating combinations of 3 antibiotics that accidentally gets Bartonella somewhere along the journey.
I don't think targeted approaches - such as aiming only at bartonella - or aiming at just psychiatric meds - or just exercise - or just diet - or just herbs - I do not believe any of these get you or me to the finish line. We need all of them at the same time. It is a comprehensive approach, not a targeted approach, that brings the better results. In my experience.
I truly believe that when psychiatric patients add lyme treatment to their ongoing treatments, the outcomes are better. Even without lyme. That's because lyme treatment brings anti-inflammation herbs, anti-toxicity supplements, anti-microbial herbs and meds, and much improved grocery carts. It is a shotgun wide spectrum approach that covers a multitude of mysteries and complexities we will never understand in our lifetimes, and avoids the pitfalls of targeted sniper approaches.
> Thanks bleauberry. And now that I got your attention I'm entertaining having my doctor go the nuclear option on bartonella. I;m trying to find the section you wrote the three antibiotics needed to be taken at the same time, but can;t find it. Do you mind telling me what they are? And I'm sure one of them at least will interact with zoloft but what are you gonna do. I'm planning to taper off zoloft anyway it's doing nothing for me.
Posted by bleauberry on May 3, 2018, at 11:06:16
In reply to Re: Ritalin Question » bleauberry, posted by Prefect on May 2, 2018, at 19:19:10
> Bleauberry how long was it before you noticed ritalin was making a difference or improvement? Did you feel any improvement to your focus in the first week (other than the initial anxiety you mentioned)?
Actually it was immediate on the first dose. That's a major advantage Ritalin has over many other meds - it does not require a long wait to see what it does.
That said, it will set into motion changes in the brain. Dopamine receptors will be either up regulated or down regulated, depending on where they were to begin with. Dopamine is normalized. Sleep should improve and anxiety should improve, as weeks go by, but not necessarily right away.
I think Ritalin is a much under-utilized tool in psychiatric medicine.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.