Stories of an ADD Adult

Is brand-name medication the same as the generic “equivalent”? Based on my experiences, there is a huge difference. Many doctors, pharmacists, employers, and insurance plans are skeptical without good reason, in the same way that some people don’t believe that PMS really exists.

I am currently taking brand-name Ritalin. My doctor switched me to it several months ago, after being on generic methylphenidate HCl (methylin) for a long time.

In my experience, the generic version was much stronger and harsher than the brand-name one. I am 100% sure that I would be able to tell the difference if I were blindfolded.

Generic methylphenidate HCL was great at helping me concentrate. But it made me jittery, as if I had taken a few shots of espresso. As soon as I would take the medicine, the effect was immediate and strong.

The comedown was also very noticeable. I could tell very clearly when the methylin was wearing down. I would suddenly feel extremely spacey. My mind would be extremely foggy, beyond how it normally is if I’m not on any medication.

I switched to brand-name Ritalin because I was starting to get scared that the methylphedidate HCl was making my concentration worse. My psychiatrist didn’t know much about the differences between the brand name and the generic versions, but, lucky for me, my psychologist had read a lot about it. He told me that my concentration probably wasn’t becoming worse, but that if I was worried about the starting and ending effects being too strong, that brand name Ritalin might be better for me.

He told my psychiatrist about it, and I made the change immediately. I noticed right away that my psychologist was absolutely right. The brand-name Ritalin had a much milder, sloping starting effect, and a gentler comedown. I also felt less jittery and edgy.

I’m just an ADD sufferer/mental patient, so please don’t take this as official medical advice. Remember that I’m not a doctor, and that if you want to switch you should talk to your own doctor.

You might want to do some research online or at the library before asking your doctor, just in case he or she is skeptical. I’ll try to find some articles about this and post links here, when I get a chance.

I was talking to a friend of my mother’s who happens to be a pediatrician. She regularly prescribes ADHD medications to her young patients. She was saying that it’s sad how so many parents insist that their kids be given a prescription immediately, rather than trying to examine and change other factors first.

I agreed that too many parents try and take the easy way out of solving their children’s problems with medicine. But I also told her that I was a patient myself, and that I was taking Ritalin. I told her that it had helped me tremendously.

She said that if it’s what helps, that it’s good to take the medication. She clarified her words right away, saying that there were children who justifiably needed meds to treat their ADHD, but that there were too many other kids who needed more personal attention from teachers and parents first before resorting to prescriptions.

I am starting to see ads all over the web about buying Ritalin online. Sometimes I even see those ads here!

It really confuses me. I didn’t think you could buy Ritalin without a prescription. Is it not highly controlled and regulated?

I do wish that Ritalin was a normal, over-the-counter medication. I wish it was potent enough to help people with ADD and ADHD, but not so potent that kids could consume it in large quantities to get high. Having it available over the counter without a prescription would probably reduce the stigma of using it.

After all, cough syrup can be bought without a prescription, and it is abusable, but buying it at the pharmacy does not raise any eyebrows.