Does Methylphenidate can help my in my Asperger?

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pawelk1986
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27 Jul 2016, 1:03 pm

I'm Polish on of our Polish forum for autistic people, someone recommend my that drug, told my that i should ask my psychiatrist to prescribe my it, because it on prescription only here in Poland and only doctor with psychiatrist specialization can prescribe it, i think it's silly why not them, not my internist(GP)???

I have a problem with concentration, I have racing ideas, and I can not concentrate on important matters.

Some user on forum recommend my this drug it apparently for ADHD but can help Aspergers too :-)
That Methylphenidate is originally invented by Americans and sold as Ritalin, and and on the Polish list of reimbursed drugs by our ministry of health, but this drug and it is a little expensive even with a refund, so that if doctor agree I should ask in pharmacy for "substitute drug" with Methylphenidate?
That is loot cheaper.

I wonder does any other aspie used that drug and does is help.

But i wonder does my doctor agree it's ADHD not autism drug after all, but in fact i had ADHD as original diagnosis as kid before i finally re-diagnosed for autism when i was 16 years old :-)



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27 Jul 2016, 1:14 pm

it might help initially. It stopped working for me after a while so I had to switch to adderall.


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pawelk1986
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27 Jul 2016, 1:21 pm

alex wrote:
it might help initially. It stopped working for me after a while so I had to switch to adderall.


Thanks Alex :D

But how to convince my doctor (psychiatrist) to write my prescription me this or a similar drug, a drug for ADHD and not on autism :( ?



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27 Jul 2016, 10:42 pm

It made me too jittery, I found adderall xr worked better. I have tried most of the ADHD drugs on the market: methylphenidate IR, Methlyphenidate SR, Concerta, Adderall IR, Adderall XR, Dexedrine and Vyvanse. Never tried modafinil or straterra cause I couldn't afford them. Modafinil interests me though, it might be availble in Poland and could be another option you could try.



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27 Jul 2016, 11:13 pm

pawelk1986 wrote:
But how to convince my doctor (psychiatrist) to write my prescription me this or a similar drug, a drug for ADHD and not on autism :( ?

ironically, my first diagnosis was adhd, but my doctor refused to prescribe me ritalin until he diagnosed me with asperger's/asd some two or three years later. i still don't know why. i can only speculate. i asked him several times but he never game me an explanation

besides your doctor's personal attitude, i think it also depends a lot on the general attitude among doctors in your area / in your country. my impression is that their main concern is usually about possible liability (legal matters) and not about actually clinical matters. you'll probably have to talk openly about it with your doctor. if you don't have adhd and if he doesn't want to prescribe you off-label medication, then there's probably nothing else you can do other than look for another doctor and see what he will say

that being said, it's worth noting: that's if you don't have adhd. it's not uncommon for people to have both asperger's and adhd at the same time. if no doctor has considered/checked the possibility until now, it may have been simply because asperger's seemed more relevant. but if you're looking for medication, that's when undiagnosed adhd becomes relevant, so it's worth looking into it. if you think there's any chance you have it, ask your doctor what he thinks about it


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28 Jul 2016, 5:19 am

It will depend on the regulations where you are in Poland. In America, where the research has been done, at least some doctors seem more willing to prescribe it for ASD with no additional ADHD diagnosis.

In England, where I live, it's a highly controlled substance. You're not getting it unless you've been diagnosed with ADHD, even if you have identical symptoms (as I do, currently waiting on psychometric testing after two previous sessions discussing it). They also require other health tests to check whether it will have an adverse effect.


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pawelk1986
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10 Aug 2016, 5:21 pm

ConceptuallyCurious wrote:
It will depend on the regulations where you are in Poland. In America, where the research has been done, at least some doctors seem more willing to prescribe it for ASD with no additional ADHD diagnosis.

In England, where I live, it's a highly controlled substance. You're not getting it unless you've been diagnosed with ADHD, even if you have identical symptoms (as I do, currently waiting on psychometric testing after two previous sessions discussing it). They also require other health tests to check whether it will have an adverse effect.


Today I was at my psychiatrist on this, but the Doctor did not prescribe me she said that she is afraid to write this this drug for 1st visit, that is, first with her, because I am a patient of the clinic Psychiatric Clinic since I was 7 when i was diagnosed as ADHD and re diagnosed for Asperger when i was 15 or 16 years old , I currently have 30. the doctor prescribed me another medication "Seronil (Fluoxetine(" already took this drug in the past for seasonal depression , the doctor said that this drug also acts on the concentrations, and that is slowly approaching autumn so the season depressed so kill two birds with one stone, she said that if this does not help she prescribe me the drug with which I asked.



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10 Aug 2016, 5:29 pm

pawelk1986 wrote:
the doctor prescribed me another medication "Seronil (Fluoxetine(" already took this drug in the past for seasonal depression , the doctor said that this drug also acts on the concentrations, and that is slowly approaching autumn so the season depressed so kill two birds with one stone, she said that if this does not help she prescribe me the drug with which I asked.

that sounds a little dubious to me, but if you didn't have serious adverse effects to ssri's before (which i did), then who knows, it might be some good. but if the idea is to "kill two birds with one stone", then wellbutrin/bupropion seems to make more sense (it did work for me, against both depression and adhd symptoms. the only problem was that it made me feel as if i wasn't sleeping at all, so it was unsustainable as a long-term option). ssri's are usually prescribed against depression + anxiety instead (apparently it's not even established if they're effective against depression, despite being "antidepressants", but it's established that they're effective against anxiety in some cases)

anyway, if she already said that she's willing to prescribe you methylphenidate in case fluoxetine doesn't work, then i guess you're all set


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pawelk1986
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10 Aug 2016, 6:02 pm

anagram wrote:
pawelk1986 wrote:
the doctor prescribed me another medication "Seronil (Fluoxetine(" already took this drug in the past for seasonal depression , the doctor said that this drug also acts on the concentrations, and that is slowly approaching autumn so the season depressed so kill two birds with one stone, she said that if this does not help she prescribe me the drug with which I asked.

that sounds a little dubious to me, but if you didn't have serious adverse effects to ssri's before (which i did), then who knows, it might be some good. but if the idea is to "kill two birds with one stone", then wellbutrin/bupropion seems to make more sense (it did work for me, against both depression and adhd symptoms. the only problem was that it made me feel as if i wasn't sleeping at all, so it was unsustainable as a long-term option). ssri's are usually prescribed against depression + anxiety instead (apparently it's not even established if they're effective against depression, despite being "antidepressants", but it's established that they're effective against anxiety in some cases)

anyway, if she already said that she's willing to prescribe you methylphenidate in case fluoxetine doesn't work, then i guess you're all set


She said she was afraid to write me this medicine on the first visit with her


And i have problem with it concentration,, like some time when (rarely) i enter wrong bus or tram :-(

I spoke about this with the pharmacist when have redeemed my prescription, he told me that our Polish doctors have resistance against prescribing this drug,
because this drug is the same chemical group as amphetamines, although it is not a narcotic, it is on so-called "controlled drug list" by Polish ministry of Health and doctor have grat scrutiny before prescribing it.

I wonder why, does is drug, as in illegal drug, narcotic or so?



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10 Aug 2016, 6:07 pm

pawelk1986 wrote:
I spoke about this with the pharmacist when have redeemed my prescription, he told me that our Polish doctors have resistance against prescribing this drug,
because this drug is the same chemical group as amphetamines, although it is not a narcotic, it is on so-called "controlled drug list" by Polish ministry of Health and doctor have grat scrutiny before prescribing it.

yes, that's what i thought. it's more or less the same thing in my country too

methylphenidate and other adhd drugs are very similar to street-variety methamphetamine. the main difference is not even the substance itself, but the presentation (pills with a reasonable dosage and a gradual absorption in the body, instead of... well... i don't even know how meth is used by addicts). so there's the potential for abuse (like if someone manages to buy a lot of pills. some people even crush and snort them), and i think there's also the potential to process the pills into street-variety drugs

illegitimate prescriptions are probably the main way how addicts and criminals get access to large quantities of the drug, and it's what the law enforcement agencies will be focusing on. so it makes doctors afraid that they might get into trouble with the law if there's no airtight reasoning for prescribing it. or sometimes they probably just want to avoid having to deal with all the red tape


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harriet
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10 Aug 2016, 7:12 pm

Hey, I'm afraid I dont know about Ritalin, I considered it then decided to try a natural route first to avoid going on medication. I wrote. separate post about this yesterday,

I did some research on methylcobalymin (the beat absorbed form of vitamin b12) for kids with autism, apparently many respond incredibly well. I started taking this a mere 2 days ago and all I cam say so far is that I was actually freaked out by how focussed I was yesterday and today. Its like I've stopped getting distracted or zoning out into my dream-world constantly. I got mine from Jarrow- 5000mcg and I ordered it feom Amazon. I'm also taking folate, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D3 and flaxseed oil. I am definately impressed so far!

Good luck finding the right solution for you :)



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10 Aug 2016, 7:31 pm

harriet wrote:
I did some research on methylcobalymin (the beat absorbed form of vitamin b12) for kids with autism, apparently many respond incredibly well. I started taking this a mere 2 days ago and all I cam say so far is that I was actually freaked out by how focussed I was yesterday and today. Its like I've stopped getting distracted or zoning out into my dream-world constantly. I got mine from Jarrow- 5000mcg and I ordered it feom Amazon. I'm also taking folate, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D3 and flaxseed oil. I am definately impressed so far!

just keep in mind that almost all substances with immediate effect tend to work best when you first take them, and then the positive effects gradually decrease while the negative ones gradually increase, and keep in mind that it's normal and it's just how it works. avoid the temptation to increase the dosage to match the original effect. as long as it's better than before you started taking those substances, it's all good

anyway, boa sorte para ti também :)


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pawelk1986
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11 Aug 2016, 4:01 am

anagram wrote:
pawelk1986 wrote:
I spoke about this with the pharmacist when have redeemed my prescription, he told me that our Polish doctors have resistance against prescribing this drug,
because this drug is the same chemical group as amphetamines, although it is not a narcotic, it is on so-called "controlled drug list" by Polish ministry of Health and doctor have grat scrutiny before prescribing it.

yes, that's what i thought. it's more or less the same thing in my country too

methylphenidate and other adhd drugs are very similar to street-variety methamphetamine. the main difference is not even the substance itself, but the presentation (pills with a reasonable dosage and a gradual absorption in the body, instead of... well... i don't even know how meth is used by addicts). so there's the potential for abuse (like if someone manages to buy a lot of pills. some people even crush and snort them), and i think there's also the potential to process the pills into street-variety drugs

illegitimate prescriptions are probably the main way how addicts and criminals get access to large quantities of the drug, and it's what the law enforcement agencies will be focusing on. so it makes doctors afraid that they might get into trouble with the law if there's no airtight reasoning for prescribing it. or sometimes they probably just want to avoid having to deal with all the red tape


And what country you are, if I may ask? :)

The pharmacist told me that it was because Methylphenidate has a similar chemical structure to methamphetamine, for that doctors are afraid to prescribe it.

And while we're at it, I remember it as the time I was seriously cold, and I went to the pharmacy to buy pills from the flu, but the pharmacist sold me only 10 pills because they can sell more without a prescription, because they have entered the new rules, because apparently some "scoundrels" somehow convert cold pills in to the methamphetamine :D



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11 Aug 2016, 4:06 am

harriet wrote:
Hey, I'm afraid I dont know about Ritalin, I considered it then decided to try a natural route first to avoid going on medication. I wrote. separate post about this yesterday,

I did some research on methylcobalymin (the beat absorbed form of vitamin b12) for kids with autism, apparently many respond incredibly well. I started taking this a mere 2 days ago and all I cam say so far is that I was actually freaked out by how focussed I was yesterday and today. Its like I've stopped getting distracted or zoning out into my dream-world constantly. I got mine from Jarrow- 5000mcg and I ordered it feom Amazon. I'm also taking folate, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D3 and flaxseed oil. I am definately impressed so far!

Good luck finding the right solution for you :)


So there are some natural supplements, which are not placebo, which could like pharmaceuticals?



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11 Aug 2016, 7:48 am

Where I live, my psychiatrist won't prescribe me ADHD medications (stimulant or non-stimulant) unless I have an ADHD diagnosis, even if I have exactly the same symptoms. Same for CBT.

She thought it was highly doubtful that I have it but she referred me to a doctor who is trained in psychometric testing for neurological disorders and he said my testing shows classic ADHD signs and that he feels I have ADHD rather than just overlap with my other difficulties.

With regard to the antidepressant, my psychiatrist seems obsessed with the idea that because people with ASD are often anxious, then my difficulties with inattention and hyperactivity must stem from anxiety. (Her answer for me not always being anxious but always having the same symptoms is that sometimes I don't realise that I'm anxious, when I've been assessed by everyone else as being quite insightful into my own condition.) From her perspective, medicating me for anxiety would help - which might be the two bird with one stone thing.


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11 Aug 2016, 8:30 am

Ritalin messed me up and I have ADHD. It deals with your concentration issues by putting you into a pseudo flight or fight reflex. The problem is that tends to dull your emotions except fear and anger which just made my issues with emotional connection worse. It didn't help that the idiots that prescribed it to me prescribed far too much (50 mg three times daily) causing the problems to be exacerbated even more. Trust me, don't go on Ritalin or any other ADHD medication if you can help it.


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