Ritalin for CPTSD

Has anyone been prescribed Ritalin for their CPTSD? My Psychiatrist said maybe next time she may try that since the Wellbutrin and Lexapro do not seem to be helping. I thought this was something for kids though. Plus if I have anxiety will that make it worse?

Ok so picture me screaming from the rooftop at the top of my lungs.

NOOOOOOOOO!

I had a quack doc who prescribed ritalin to me because he said it helped patients with depression. No crap. Its a STIMULANT and if you don't have ADHD it will make your anxiety go sky high. You will literally feel high followed by the most horrendous crash.

I'm guessing that your doc doesn't understand how Ritalin works. Yes, it DOES calm down those who have ADHD, but it is stimulating for a lot of other people, especially those with anxiety. Its one of those drugs with a paradoxical effect....its a stimulant that has a calming effect IF you have ADHD. No ADHD and you're literally playing with fire.

Lets just say this doc who prescribed me ritalin no longer works at my local hospital or even in this county or state. Last I heard he went to the next state over, which is a state that is at the bottom of the pile in terms of health care in the USA.

I urge you STRONGLY to find a doc who knows about PTSD. Its insane to me that a doc would say "ok, well these 2 antidepressants don't work so I'm going to put you on ritalin!" Uhm say what? There are literally dozens of other antidepressants out there that may work for you, as well as antipsychotics, anxiety meds, mood stabilizers, and then of course the many off label uses for other meds as well.

But ritalin for CPTSD? I don't think you'll find any reputable doc who would prescribe ritalin for CPTSD.

Well don't hold back just say how you feel LOL. No seriously thanks. BTW you didn't send that Doc to NC did you? Oddly enough this is a Psychiatrist saying this. You would think they would know. Plus I'm on medication for rapid heart rate now. I think I will reject that change. Never heard of this being done and that's why I asked here. Thanks for the response. Get off the rooftop now.

When I first started out on this journey, I was all too willing to take anything and everything the good doctors (professionals) gave me in hopes that it would magically "fix" me ... Those doctors were more than willing to prescribe it too! ... I actually told one of them that was working on my next magical concoction, that the only difference between him and a street dealer was that he had the blessings of the FDA! ... Boy, did that ever piss him off! ... I've been med-free for over 10 years now, and what I've discovered over time is that it's been the "talking" part of the cure (with a qualified therapist that really understands long-term trauma) that has worked best for me!

I totally agree. I'm not real compliant on taking meds anyway. But when they start overloading me I tell them no more. You can take too many meds which off set each other and do make things worse. Not to mention the damage being done to your body for all those chemicals. Oh don't even get me started on that now It's just smart to question medications especially when there are so many different ones prescribing. Hope you are doing well

LOL, thanks. I was just saying that for emphasis and to portray how bad my experience on ritalin was. (it only took one small dose). I'd hate for anyone else to go through something like that.

I just checked, the doc is not in NC. He's still in the next state over with 2 offices.

Well that's good news that he's someone else's problem. But thanks for getting my attention about this.

Wellbutrin is not recommended in treating PTSD. I tried it and it made me worse and later read it is not recommended for PTSD patients.

Just because a psychiatrist prescribes doesn't mean that psychiatrist knows what really helps with PTSD. ALWAYS do your own research.

I think that might be what this new Psychiatrist is looking at. Too many drugs out there, ya know?

I know someone who is on Cymbalta and says it has helped a lot. I have been thinking about trying it myself.

I want off the drugs not add more. With this attitude it's a little hard for them to convince me of something new or to increase a dose

I understand, it's actually not uncommon for someone struggling with PTSD to not want to be on drugs because they feel the drugs make it worse. When it comes to drug treatment everyone responds differently, what works for one person may not work at all for another.

My therapist told me about a patient that kept being wrongly diagnosed with bipolar, and finally it was learned that he was allergic to the medications and "not" bipolar.

Wow. I just recently took a DNA test that states what medications are better for me according to my DNA, pretty interesting stuff. But I haven't really gotten into it much. Just too much to think about and read. May give it to the Psychiatrist to chew on