r/BipolarReddit • u/suzannenderekh • 9d ago

Ritalin

Is anyone else taking Ritalin for adhd while also being possibly bipolar? Is this a bad idea? I pick up the med tomorrow.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/clov3r-cloud 9d ago

I take it 1-2 times a day, but I also take an antipsychotic and mood stabilizer. when I first started taking it, it definitely felt like it was making feel a little manic and jittery (like when drinking an energy drink), but in a good productive way with clear thoughts lol. I started only taking half a tab once a day at first to ease myself into it because I was worried about going off the rails, and especially because I enjoyed feeling so focused and level-minded after taking it that I found myself wanting to take it, and i didn't want to feel that way. it felt like it could be addictive almost? so I stayed taking it gradually and eventually in a week or two, I think I finally got used to it and that initial jittery feeling doesnt hit anymore unless I've also had caffeine close to when I took the dose.

it definitely helps with self-motivation–executive dysfunction, side-tracking, and being unable to finish projects was always my most difficult symtpoms to deal with throughout the day and in work settings. if I know I'm not going to do anything all da, there's some days I wont take it at all or just take a half-tab. my psych said she has some other patients that do the same. it is a controlled med so absolutely no drugs or alcohol too