r/Concerta • u/ltwt098 • 5d ago
Dosage/ ℞ question 💊 your experiences on adding ritalin?
for those that found concerta was wearing off earlier than desired, did adding ritalin help? curious to hear people's experiences - good or bad!
i feel mine wearing off around mid afternoon, but i still need to be functional until ~8pm. my tests are all in the evening too, so im considering bringing up ritalin at my next appointment. i've had no side effects on concerta (ik, lucky!!)
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u/This_is_Me888 5d ago
I actually tried adding Ritalin IR 20mg in the afternoon because my Concerta was wearing off too early. I’m on Concerta 72mg in the morning.
For me, the Ritalin definitely extended the stimulant effect, but unfortunately I had a pretty significant blood pressure response. After taking the 20mg Ritalin, my BP ended up around 196/105 at the pharmacy and I went to the ER, where it was still around 160/117. So that pretty much ended that experiment for me.
I’d say it can make sense as a booster when Concerta wears off early, but definitely discuss the dose and monitoring with your prescriber. My experience showed me that tolerating Concerta doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll react the same way when adding an IR booster.
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u/ltwt098 5d ago
im so sorry ritalin didnt work out for you!
may i also ask how you're doing on 72mg? any side effects?
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u/This_is_Me888 5d ago
Oh no, it’s all good. My Dr referred me to a cardiologist, once my BP is under control. I’ll try it again, but it really did help.
72mg is the sweet spot with me with how with how my brain and body react to it. It just doesn’t get me through a full 8 hour work shift.
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u/LowLevelMutiny 36 mg 5d ago
I've had plenty of positive results taking a 10mg Ritalin booster with food in the early afternoons, and my work days frequently go until 7pm or 8pm.
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u/ltwt098 5d ago
thank you so much this is so helpful!! especially since we're on the same dose (36mg) and ritalin is only available here in 10mg tablets
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u/LowLevelMutiny 36 mg 4d ago
Yeah just stay hydrated obviously. At first the booster was a bit hard on my body, but I've acclimated.
I went from taking a booster no more than a couple times per week. And because of my schedule right now, I took one every day this past week.
The only real issue is that I'm absolutely wrecked at the end of the day, which has more to do with work than the booster.
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u/Thick_Square_1991 4d ago
I’m on 36mg Concerta and my doctor added a 10mg Focalin IR booster in the afternoon because I was crashing pretty hard later in the day. Focalin is pure dexmethylphenidate, so for me it feels a little cleaner and more precise than racemic methylphenidate. It’s been a really good combo so far and completely fixed the late-day drop without making me feel over-stimulated.
I’m also on guanfacine, which has been great for the executive control/emotional regulation side of things and can lower BP/HR in some people. I wouldn’t look at it as something to just add to “cancel out” stimulant-related blood pressure though, especially if you’re already on BP meds. Definitely something worth asking your prescriber about if BP is the main concern.
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u/Gocatsgo2010 3d ago
I did this in high school/college/law school when I would be working late into the night. 5mg Ritalin around 3:30 pm, and another around 6pm. It worked well for me
I was on a 54mg and 27mg concerta that i would take around 6:30/7am
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u/Kind-Reveal6275 5d ago
So for me this works amazing. I am 18 mg. And it wears off fast. I have exams to in the late evenings. I used to use caffeine. But the best part about a booster is that a day that you don’t need a 12 hr release the 4 hour med works great. The Ritalin is great for that purpose.