More Than Ritalin

So maybe my expectations concerning what exactly it is that Ritalin is supposed to "cure" are misguided.

My knee-jerk response to even the smallest of disheartening daily issues is that the meds are not working, but I was gently reminded just today that medication is only one of the many variables shaping my presence in this life.

Just as I've relied on other stimulants to drive this existence in the past, I find that now I may be putting too much faith into the efficacy of an amphetamine, and not focusing enough of an effort towards all the other processes and tasks that sustain biological life.

It would probably be beneficial for me to eat breakfast instead of expecting a heavily sugared coffee concoction to take me through lunch.

Eating lunch would then be the next step in this progression.

Then there's the vitamins and supplements that my GP prescribed for my general health; the ones that for some inexplicable reason I stopped taking once my shattered shoulder confined me to relative inactivity.

And exercise would be an excellent way to generate some energy. For someone who lives for extreme wilderness activities I've really just turned into a slouch since getting my wings clipped.

There's a whole host of metaphysical practices I've allowed to slide as of late, also.

The Ritalin is most definitely providing a more stable platform from which I can build ... I think I just got to stop thinking a pill is going to make me the person I know I can be. I got to put some freaking effort into it also.

- Posted from the minuscule keyboard on my outdated iTouch

ADHD Doc Disagrees

I thought I had my doldrums pegged - see my last post - but my doc says he's hesitant to prescribe more Ritalin especially since I hit the proverbial wall the last time I was over 30 mgs.

I guess I'll play along for the time being considering that I pay him $135 for a half hour ... When I stop paying for his professional opinion, then I'll stop heeding his advice.

So, for the foreseeable future I've got to at least try to administer his suggestions for alleviating my late afternoon motivational crashes.

He says I should try taking my once daily Ritalin LA dose later in the morning. I have been taking it when I get up, so now I'll have to set a second alarm to remind me to dose up.

I've been here before, and my track record the last time around was a little shaky. Still, I'll give it a shot.

It was also suggested that I might not be getting enough exercise, which I can't really argue with. Breaking my collarbone and the subsequent downtime the convalesce entailed - not to mention a renewed acquaintance with Ben & Jerry - went a long way towards slowing me mentally and physically. Getting this old husk moving again is generally just a good idea, ADHD or not.

We also talked about changing stimulant brands. Ritalin LA releases 50% right away, and 50% over the rest of the day. There are apparently variations on this theme out there ... 40/60 release modes (Concerta?). He said I could try a different structure if we determine the LA is not cutting it.

A cup of coffee in the afternoon was also suggested.

If all else fails I still got about thirty 20 mg tabs of straight up Ritalin, though I also have the reminder of what too much of this stim in my system does to my psyche.

- Posted from the minuscule keyboard on my outdated iTouch

Slack-Ass ADHDer Doesn't Chew Tobacco Anymore

I've been fairly unmotivated and generally slack for almost 10 days now, and it's taken me almost this long to actually mentally venture towards a reason for why this just might be. Over the past week or so I've noticed that some of my ADHD symptoms - the ones I'm trying to temper with a medication regime - are beginning to appear more frequently, in spite of the fact that I've not changed the amount of my daily Ritalin dosage.

Though the dosage amount has not changed, there have been some other adjustments that I'm beginning to think just might be the reason for why I'm feeling so damn muddled and lethargic.

I did change  the way the Ritalin gets into my brain; before it was 15 mgs 2x/day, and now it's a 30 mg capsule that time releases over the course of the day. And, for over a week now, I've not had a nicotine source of any sort supplying the stimulus effect my body has been accustomed to for over 30 years.

Lack of nicotine, or rather the lack of that stimulant on top of the 30 mgs of Ritalin is the problem, I think. After a week of no nicotine I may be down to just the Ritalin in my system ... and where 40 mgs of Ritalin and a 21 mg nicotine patch plus 2 pieces of nicotine gum was way too much pyscho-stimulant for me, 30 mgs of Ritalin and a craving for soda and ice cream is just not cutting it now that Copenhagen Snuff, nicotine patches and nicotine gum are no longer amplifying my days.

So what do I do?

The easiest thing would be to pop over to the Kwik E Mart and spend 5 bucks on a can of chew. Or, with just a bit more effort I could drive the 40 miles to town and buy more nicotine gum and patches. I'd feel a little better about myself, but it corrupts the spirit in which the patches and gum are intended.

And that's the "before I started successfully treating my ADHD" me, and I honestly haven't even considered those options. I'm so damn thankful that my brain doesn't work like that anymore ... and right there is the proof that even though I may not be getting the correct dosage of Ritalin, what I am getting is working well enough to keep me focused on the task of quitting a 30 plus year nicotine habit and to rationally move forward in the treatment of my ADHD.

Three days from now I get in to see my doc, and I going to canvass for a higher dosage based on the conclusions I just gave. We'll see what he has to say.