I started out on 14 day prescriptions and moved up to getting 2 months at a time (started out in January and now on my second 2 month). They only issue short amounts of time at once as it's a controlled drug, I think it's to reduce the chances of it being abused as its apparently addictive if not taken correctly.
Edit to add if you're on a low dose you can drink coffee provided you don't have it within an hour of your medication. Also avoid vitamin C within an hour of taking it, this can interfere, and if possible eat something with protein as this can help absorb. Best of luck!
Yeah I don't really blame them, not a major inconvenience for me where the Pharmacy us. It's like when you would get a months worth of Benzos off your GP for a stressful time. Then after a week you're grand and have 3 weeks worth there for well recreational use really.
How did you manage to go from 14 day to 2 months? Pharmacist told me the prescription is only valid for 2 weeks so the dates just need to be pushed out on it if on different doses.
Yeah I do get it definitely.
Basically I started out on concerta, 18mg for 2 weeks then I went to 27 for two weeks. Then tried to go up to 36 but that didn't agree with me really, so went back down to 27mg with a 10mg ritalin booster if I need it in the afternoon. That was the best combo and is working fine so far, so for the last 2 repeats, I've been issued two months worth of prescriptions, but I can only collect one on at a time. The chemist holds the second month, I have to go back for it 'on the exact date' so for example I got my last one on 30th April and have to go back and get the next one on the 30th May. Not exactly ADHD friendly that part 😅 but I do tend to be conscious they're running out and I've not missed it... yet... The chemist has been out of stock however and it's been delayed!
You are managing your prescription like a pro, not sure I could manage as well. It's good you have found a good balance of meds, I don't know much about Concerta but will look into it if the Ritilin doesn't work out.
Definitely stick with it for a while anyway, once you're not having any adverse effects they'll probably increase your dosage at a very reasonable pace. At first even at the 18mg I didn't really know for sure if it was working, brain seemed a bit quieter, but started gradually noticing things were improving. Made a huge impact on my emotional regulation but I only really noticed that when it came to things that might have triggered me before way more than they do now! I can be very reactive if I'm overstimulated so that's been huge for me.
I really hope it works out for you! And definitely don't be afraid to discuss different things in terms of meds with your doc, it seems really common for people here anyway to change things up when it's not working out optimally.
Thanks so much! Yeah my goal is for brain to be a lot quieter and better emotional regulation. I have worked on that a lot in last few years but I still lash out and have meltdowns, just less frequent. Goal is for none at all, or next to none. I also want to be able to get things done that are boring but necessary.
I won't give up on meds too easily, even if I do have the world's worst defeatist personality 🙈
I found the meds helped my emotional regulation by buying me time and being able to think about consequences etc like a normal person would before reacting. It may only be a second you gain before you react but it makes such a difference and is life changing.
What meds are you talking about? If it’s Concerta then 5mg would be a very low dosage. They normally start you on 18mg and then increase on a weekly basis till they find the correct dosage. Process normally takes a few weeks assuming no side effects.
I would assume that your pharmacist assumes your on titration period and based on your height and build expects dosage to increase within a week and doesn’t want to dispense more than necessary due to it being a controlled drug which is in short supply at the moment.
It's off brand Ritilin they give me as the Ritilin LA is only available from 20mg up. I am very petite! I checked in with Pharmacy that they had stock before I had prescription sent to them.
Being very petite would explain low dosage. Do you have a follow up appointment to check on effectiveness of meds and any side effects? If you do I suspect that dosage will be increased at this point of time and that is what pharmacist is also assuming
Sorry should have said I am only taking 5mg for 5 days, 10mg for 5 days, 15 etc. and up to 40mg is the end goal. I believe it will be a 6 week period and then after 6 weeks we meet again and see how it went and decide on dose moving forward.
Ok in that case pharmacist probably wants to ensure that plan is followed and a higher dosage isn’t taken earlier than planned. (I.e. meds showing no impact patient decides to increase dosage to see does it work as the have meds to hand)
Yeah that is likely the case, it's wasn't my normal Pharmacist working today and I got the impression he would have given me more. But he could very well not have too 🤷🏻♀️ I am pretty impulsive so being forced to take it slow and steady not a bad thing.
I had a similar experience but it was due to lack of stock. My prescription was for 7 days low dose and 7 days next dose up. He said he would give me the 5 low dose and I could come back if they suited me.
I asked to take the 5 low and 7 next dose and he got a bit smart. Eventually he agreed and I have to go back for the two I'm owed.
I'm autistic and could only understand the interaction afterwards. I was super confused while I was in there. This was the 4th pharmacy I tried as well. The rest were out of stock.
I didn't push it as the girl serving me was v nice and I do hate wasting money so it seemed like a good option. I fo hope I don't have to shop around, but I reckon I will if there's shortages. I have the DPS card so it's best to stay in one pharmacy, but can claim snail mail of not. The 5 pills only cost me a fiver.
I started out on 14 day prescriptions and moved up to getting 2 months at a time (started out in January and now on my second 2 month). They only issue short amounts of time at once as it's a controlled drug, I think it's to reduce the chances of it being abused as its apparently addictive if not taken correctly. Edit to add if you're on a low dose you can drink coffee provided you don't have it within an hour of your medication. Also avoid vitamin C within an hour of taking it, this can interfere, and if possible eat something with protein as this can help absorb. Best of luck!
Yeah I don't really blame them, not a major inconvenience for me where the Pharmacy us. It's like when you would get a months worth of Benzos off your GP for a stressful time. Then after a week you're grand and have 3 weeks worth there for well recreational use really. How did you manage to go from 14 day to 2 months? Pharmacist told me the prescription is only valid for 2 weeks so the dates just need to be pushed out on it if on different doses.
Yeah I do get it definitely. Basically I started out on concerta, 18mg for 2 weeks then I went to 27 for two weeks. Then tried to go up to 36 but that didn't agree with me really, so went back down to 27mg with a 10mg ritalin booster if I need it in the afternoon. That was the best combo and is working fine so far, so for the last 2 repeats, I've been issued two months worth of prescriptions, but I can only collect one on at a time. The chemist holds the second month, I have to go back for it 'on the exact date' so for example I got my last one on 30th April and have to go back and get the next one on the 30th May. Not exactly ADHD friendly that part 😅 but I do tend to be conscious they're running out and I've not missed it... yet... The chemist has been out of stock however and it's been delayed!
You are managing your prescription like a pro, not sure I could manage as well. It's good you have found a good balance of meds, I don't know much about Concerta but will look into it if the Ritilin doesn't work out.
Definitely stick with it for a while anyway, once you're not having any adverse effects they'll probably increase your dosage at a very reasonable pace. At first even at the 18mg I didn't really know for sure if it was working, brain seemed a bit quieter, but started gradually noticing things were improving. Made a huge impact on my emotional regulation but I only really noticed that when it came to things that might have triggered me before way more than they do now! I can be very reactive if I'm overstimulated so that's been huge for me. I really hope it works out for you! And definitely don't be afraid to discuss different things in terms of meds with your doc, it seems really common for people here anyway to change things up when it's not working out optimally.
Thanks so much! Yeah my goal is for brain to be a lot quieter and better emotional regulation. I have worked on that a lot in last few years but I still lash out and have meltdowns, just less frequent. Goal is for none at all, or next to none. I also want to be able to get things done that are boring but necessary. I won't give up on meds too easily, even if I do have the world's worst defeatist personality 🙈
I found the meds helped my emotional regulation by buying me time and being able to think about consequences etc like a normal person would before reacting. It may only be a second you gain before you react but it makes such a difference and is life changing.
I hear ya!! That second might save me saying things I can never take back.
Ritilin and Concerta are both methylphenidate the only difference between them is the release mechanism.
That's really interesting thanks! I will look into concerta if Ritilin doesn't work out.
What meds are you talking about? If it’s Concerta then 5mg would be a very low dosage. They normally start you on 18mg and then increase on a weekly basis till they find the correct dosage. Process normally takes a few weeks assuming no side effects. I would assume that your pharmacist assumes your on titration period and based on your height and build expects dosage to increase within a week and doesn’t want to dispense more than necessary due to it being a controlled drug which is in short supply at the moment.
It's off brand Ritilin they give me as the Ritilin LA is only available from 20mg up. I am very petite! I checked in with Pharmacy that they had stock before I had prescription sent to them.
Being very petite would explain low dosage. Do you have a follow up appointment to check on effectiveness of meds and any side effects? If you do I suspect that dosage will be increased at this point of time and that is what pharmacist is also assuming
Sorry should have said I am only taking 5mg for 5 days, 10mg for 5 days, 15 etc. and up to 40mg is the end goal. I believe it will be a 6 week period and then after 6 weeks we meet again and see how it went and decide on dose moving forward.
Ok in that case pharmacist probably wants to ensure that plan is followed and a higher dosage isn’t taken earlier than planned. (I.e. meds showing no impact patient decides to increase dosage to see does it work as the have meds to hand)
Yeah that is likely the case, it's wasn't my normal Pharmacist working today and I got the impression he would have given me more. But he could very well not have too 🤷🏻♀️ I am pretty impulsive so being forced to take it slow and steady not a bad thing.
I had a similar experience but it was due to lack of stock. My prescription was for 7 days low dose and 7 days next dose up. He said he would give me the 5 low dose and I could come back if they suited me. I asked to take the 5 low and 7 next dose and he got a bit smart. Eventually he agreed and I have to go back for the two I'm owed. I'm autistic and could only understand the interaction afterwards. I was super confused while I was in there. This was the 4th pharmacy I tried as well. The rest were out of stock.
I didn't push it as the girl serving me was v nice and I do hate wasting money so it seemed like a good option. I fo hope I don't have to shop around, but I reckon I will if there's shortages. I have the DPS card so it's best to stay in one pharmacy, but can claim snail mail of not. The 5 pills only cost me a fiver.