# Brain fog from Ritalin ?? Or stims in general ??



## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

Hi all,

I've been testing ritalin IR for 1-2 months (with a 1 day break every 5-6 days) and it's very strange - sometimes it works great (especially my first initial morning dose), sometimes the same dose leave me feeling very "off (brain fog, disoriented). 

Today I only took my morning dose, felt great for 1.5 hours, then still got the "off" feeling when the positive effects wore off.. I also sometimes get very anxious on my 2nd or 3rd dose of the day. Has anyone else experienced this ?

I had originally thought this was caused by the wellbutrin I was testing a few weeks back, but obviously that wasn't the case. 

* Is this fog /anxiety caused by the ritalin ?? 
* Do you think dexedrine may work better for me? I am supposed to start testing it next week..
* Could it be due to tolerance to stims in general (since I have been on one form or another for over 2 months) ??
* Is there anything that may help the brain fog /off feeling ??

Any feedback is much appreciated as always 
Thanks


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

I cant tolerate ritalin well, after a few doses it causes extreme anxiety, dex is a ton better, for social anxiety too in my case (and for most people here).


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## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks 

Do you think nemanda may help with the fog also ??
Assuming I switch to dex and still have it ??


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Well, i notice more clarity on memantine, however i think you would have to worry about tolerance when taking dexedrine long term, so i would add in mem anyway.

If it only occurs after a while then that could be a effect caused by tolerance, personally without memantine i often got the opposite effects from amp after i got tolerant (depression, irritability, anger etc).


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## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

crayzyMed said:


> Well, i notice more clarity on memantine, however i think you would have to worry about tolerance when taking dexedrine long term, so i would add in mem anyway.
> 
> If it only occurs after a while then that could be a effect caused by tolerance, personally without memantine i often got the opposite effects from amp after i got tolerant (depression, irritability, anger etc).


Wouldn't weekends off get around the tolerance issue anyways (even without the mem ??

And yes, it only happens after awhile - at first, they work amazing all day.

Thanks


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

A weekend off is definatly not enough to prevent tolerance to the prosocial effects, a weekend on and the week off would be a differend story, but then you can barely take amp.


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## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

crayzyMed said:


> A weekend off is definatly not enough to prevent tolerance to the prosocial effects, a weekend on and the week off would be a differend story, but then you can barely take amp.


Thanks for the reply crazy..

I am looking more at the stimulation /focus / feel good aspect of it.. And pro/social also of course...
So weekends off aren't enough in your opinion to get that ??
Although if I am an anxious jittery mess after awhile, then that's no good either LOL.

I will speak to my pdoc about memantime and printed all the studies (in case he is not aware of it). He is usually very open minded with me and generally prescribes whatever I want - but am not sure here since it's off label 

Thanks


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

I beleive that people with social anxiety also will get tolerant to the focus and anti adhd aspects of stims as most likely its also D2 and D3 contributing to ADHD sympton.

No i dont think a weekend off is enough, i actually recommend a weeking off in combination with memantine to definatly ensure long term succes, without memantine i consider amphetamine completely useless for SA.


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## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

Ok thanks

Will try my best to add mem into my cocktail to see how it works for me..

And yes I definitely have tolerance issues (even quicker them most it seems) so it prob makes the most sense for me...


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## jimmythekid (Apr 26, 2010)

If the fog comes after the drug wears off it's rebound. Anxiety is a common side effect of stims, especially when you already have an anxiety problem. Perhaps Ritalin LA or Concerta would be better. Easier dosage schedule either way.


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## hanzsolo (Jan 2, 2011)

I had originally thought the fog came from either dosing too often, or too high a dose. But yesterday I took 5mg of rtalin IR, felt great for 1.5 hours and then was a mess after with brain fog and that off disoriented feeling. So that's rebound ?? 

I got that on vyvanse, concerta also.. Plus I didn't like the delivery mechanism of concerta at all to be honest. Do you think adderall XR or dex may be better? Am supposed to start them both next week.. 

And is there any way to get rid of the rebound via any vitamins etc?? 
The brain fog kills me 

Tks


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## bben (Oct 24, 2009)

i feel stimulants make menial tasks easier like simple mathematics, but it clouds the big picture of things. It most def does not make you more intelligence although i admit it boosts ego alot.


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## jimmythekid (Apr 26, 2010)

I think the drug should last for longer than 1.5 hours. It could be just a reaction to the drug. I have heard some ADHD kids feel stoned or depressed on it, like a tranquilizer.
Dex does have a cleaner side effect profile than Ritalin and you can take Vyvanse if the peaks and valleys throughout the day are affecting you.


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## MikeEM (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm sorry I think I may be arriving a little late to the party...

hanzsolo, I had a similar problem, I began taking Ritalin/Adderall (not at the same time) about 10 years ago and they worked great for the first 2 - 3 months; however, right around the 3rd month I started having "brain fog" at the higher dosages. Which wasn't a problem at first, I simply just took less of it. However as time went on I had to take smaller and smaller dosages to prevent the onset of "brain fog" until I finally had to quit (about 9 years ago). Since then I've tried small doses of Modafinal, Focalin, and Strattera and they've all had the same effect: "brain fog". Even caffeine gives me "brain fog" now, and I used to drink tons of it with no problem whatsoever before I began my taking the ADD meds.

Possible ADD cure:
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-intestinal-protein-role-adhd-neurological.html


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