Memory problems on Methylphenidate (Ritalin) for ADHD
June 16, 2022 6:35 AM   Subscribe

I've been prescribed Methylphenidate for ADHD, primarily inattentive. I've been on it for a few months and have been increasing the dose at my psychologist's recommendation, as I haven't seen positive effects, and am now at 40mg. In fact I feel less productive and organised now than I have done for some time. In particular I have noticed, and other people have mentioned, that I seem to be more forgetful. I have googled Methylphenidate and memory and found that most of the results show a positive effect on memory, but I did see this paper from 2000 which found that in some people taking it led to a decline in memory. I'm thinking about ceasing to take it on this basis, once I have discussed it with my psychologist, but to help make this decision I am interested to know if other people have had the same issue, or if there is other relevant research. Thanks.
posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I can't really speak to the memory issue specifically, but I think if you "haven't seen positive effects" and "feel less [!] productive and organised" from taking it, you should stop right now on that basis alone; the point of the medicine is to help you! There are a number of different medication options out there for ADHD these days and, anecdotally but also in my own experience, it doesn't seem like there are a ton of people who find that Ritalin ends up being the most effective choice for them.
posted by dusty potato at 7:11 AM on June 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


I take another type of methylphenidate (Concerta) and have been on it for less than a month and have noticed a slight improvement in working memory at lower doses (36mg). However higher doses (72mg) seem to mimic my un-medicated symptoms but on the other side, like everything takes extra effort to figure out, even things like walking, and I was definitely more forgetful - I had to pack for a trip, which is something I am normally a pro at, and I don't even know what I was thinking when I packed because not much of what I brought makes sense and I forgot essential items, which I normally (surprising for someone with ADHD!) don't do. It was like my usual internal checks and balances to counteract my ADHD somehow weren't at play at that higher dose.

Out of curiosity, what is your dosage increase plan like? My doctor has me on a plan where I increase my dose each WEEK, so I am surprised to see that you are working with different doses over months; apparently the thinking is that for children the longer approach for dosage trials is longer because it is being observed by external people, and for adults shorter trials (a few days to a week) is often used because adults can usually tell whether something is having an effect on themselves and give reliable feedback. Either way, it sounds like maybe that specific medication isn't right for you and it's time to try something else.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:24 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


I take Concerta now and am doing a trial switch to Ritalin. Agree with the above that your current dose may be too high for what you need and/or the wrong medication.

I’ve had some “tough it out” side effects with other adhd meds, but they only lasted a handful of days, and they were heart rate related, not cognitive.
posted by itesser at 8:33 AM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


I recently stopped taking Ritalin for a different reason. I was on a relatively low dose (30mg over the day) - while it really improved my focus and productivity, I felt it had a significant impact on my short term memory. I would do something and then have very little recognition that I had finished the task. I had to ask my partner and friends to repeat themselves a lot.

I've been off of it for about 5 months now and I no longer experience that issue.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 9:46 AM on June 16, 2022


In contrast to some SSRIs, stimulants don’t need to build up over weeks and months to see an effect. If there’s an effect, you’ll notice it within hours, and repeatedly over days, but there’s no point in staying on a stimulant for months if you don’t see any effect, even less if you’re only seeing negative effects or side effects. Long past time to try a different stimulant formulation. No need to invest more time exploring the detrimental memory effect if you don’t get a big positive effect.
posted by meijusa at 12:02 PM on June 16, 2022


Mod note: From the OP:
To clarify that this is the fourth type of ADHD medication I have tried, so want to check others' experience and research before giving up on it.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 2:53 PM on June 16, 2022


I would wonder about whether your diagnosis is correct if four medications have been tried and they are not managing your symptoms. (Unless you are including things like Wellbutrin as "ADHD medication." It can increase dopamine, but it's not really ADHD medication in the way stimulants are.)

Ritalin and Adderall both made me sleepy when I first took them. I don't believe I had any signs of memory getting worse from it. Although I've also struggled with an issue where if I am not paying attention to the thing I should be when the meds kick in, sometimes they make me hyperfocus on whatever I was attending to. Maybe something like that is happening where you were attending to your daydreams etc when the meds kicked in so you were kind of locked into that space?
posted by crunchy potato at 3:08 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


I just read about a DNA test that provides information about how your genes may affect your response to certain medications, including methylphenidate. That could provide useful information for you.

link to Genesight page
posted by bruinfan at 5:51 AM on June 18, 2022


« Older My, what a lovely demi-dingle. (Huh?)   |   Make me a beachbum, VRBO man Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.