Did you stop taking Ritalin because it made you horny?
February 18, 2024 6:07 PM Subscribe
I take a small amount of Ritalin for ADHD. It helps, but the second daily dose has been making me distractingly aroused, going on several weeks now. I've done enough experiments to confidently conclude Yep, it's the Ritalin. Is this common? Has this happened to you and how did you deal with it?
I'd like to hear not from people who have taken Ritalin but people who have taken Ritalin and gone through this experience. What changes have you made to address this, and what worked?
YANMD. I see him Tuesday. I am 49M. Over time we've reduced my dose, initially for reasons separate from the intense unwelcome arousal. I started at 10mg 2x/day but had to reduce because although it certainly helped with focus and attention, it just got me too amped, wired feeling, with a significant crash afterwards. For the past few months I've been taking 5mg 2x/day -- yes, that's not a lot, and yes, I am someone who has historically does respond readily to small doses of medication, not just Ritalin or other psychopharmaceuticals -- and it's usually that second dose in the afternoon that brings on the raging libido. It's distracting and counterproductive and Not a Good Thing. No, taking a break to rub one out is not a viable option, because reasons not the least of which is I've tried it and it just makes the next morning's dopamine trough harder to climb out of.
My psychiatrist has in the past tried to move me (for the amped/wired problem, not horniness) to a longer-acting medication like Vyanse or some others by my insurance has not covered the cost, so we never started. We've tried Adderall, I gave it a week but I found it ineffective for ADHD challenges and had the side effect of intense constipation (but maybe that was bad timing). I am willing to try it again though, IF I were to hear that someone moved from Ritalin to Adderall and the change did successfully address the horniness they had been experiencing AND the Adderall was effective in addressing the ADHD challenges.
Thanks for helping.
I'd like to hear not from people who have taken Ritalin but people who have taken Ritalin and gone through this experience. What changes have you made to address this, and what worked?
YANMD. I see him Tuesday. I am 49M. Over time we've reduced my dose, initially for reasons separate from the intense unwelcome arousal. I started at 10mg 2x/day but had to reduce because although it certainly helped with focus and attention, it just got me too amped, wired feeling, with a significant crash afterwards. For the past few months I've been taking 5mg 2x/day -- yes, that's not a lot, and yes, I am someone who has historically does respond readily to small doses of medication, not just Ritalin or other psychopharmaceuticals -- and it's usually that second dose in the afternoon that brings on the raging libido. It's distracting and counterproductive and Not a Good Thing. No, taking a break to rub one out is not a viable option, because reasons not the least of which is I've tried it and it just makes the next morning's dopamine trough harder to climb out of.
My psychiatrist has in the past tried to move me (for the amped/wired problem, not horniness) to a longer-acting medication like Vyanse or some others by my insurance has not covered the cost, so we never started. We've tried Adderall, I gave it a week but I found it ineffective for ADHD challenges and had the side effect of intense constipation (but maybe that was bad timing). I am willing to try it again though, IF I were to hear that someone moved from Ritalin to Adderall and the change did successfully address the horniness they had been experiencing AND the Adderall was effective in addressing the ADHD challenges.
Thanks for helping.
My psychiatrist has in the past tried to move me [to] Vyanse [but] my insurance has not covered the cost
Vyvanse has, just in the last few months, gone generic in the USA, and hence, has dropped in price considerably. Many insurance plans now cover it. Ritalin doesn't make me especially horny, but Vyvanse, in general, has produced less of all of the side effects of Ritalin for me.
posted by saeculorum at 9:22 PM on February 18, 2024 [4 favorites]
Vyvanse has, just in the last few months, gone generic in the USA, and hence, has dropped in price considerably. Many insurance plans now cover it. Ritalin doesn't make me especially horny, but Vyvanse, in general, has produced less of all of the side effects of Ritalin for me.
posted by saeculorum at 9:22 PM on February 18, 2024 [4 favorites]
Oh good lord! Yes, yes and yes! I'm told it's just a thing with "some" folks.
posted by james33 at 4:30 AM on February 19, 2024
posted by james33 at 4:30 AM on February 19, 2024
I was taking a generic, but yes, definitely had that effect on me.
posted by Quack at 12:22 PM on February 19, 2024
posted by Quack at 12:22 PM on February 19, 2024
I take Adderall instead of Ritalin and I am female, but I am of a similar age and take 5 mg 2x a day. I also tend to sometimes get randomly aroused in the afternoon (though it's not usually *super* sudden and I don't personally find the distraction negatively bothersome, but it is definitely more pronounced with stress.)
I have found that I do better with ADHD medication overall once I moved the doses much closer together in the morning. It seems to align with and address my natural ups and downs of concentration better. Late afternoon is when I get a burst of focus and creative energy even without meds, so that's not the time that I need a push.
posted by desuetude at 10:00 PM on February 19, 2024
I have found that I do better with ADHD medication overall once I moved the doses much closer together in the morning. It seems to align with and address my natural ups and downs of concentration better. Late afternoon is when I get a burst of focus and creative energy even without meds, so that's not the time that I need a push.
posted by desuetude at 10:00 PM on February 19, 2024
(Fellow ADHD patient, not a medical professional)
Do you also take antidepressants? I had to stop Ritalin (Medikinet in my case) after the first month because it stole all my energy, made me sleepy, and returned my mood/anxiety levels to the trainwreck from before my antidepressants (SSRIs) stabilised them. Not an increased libido by any means, but the two drugs are documented to interact (increasing the blood levels of the SSRI, apparently? *shrug*). If an SSRI you hypothetically take was affecting your libido, and ritalin then disrupted the SSRI, I wouldn't be surprised if that included disruption to your libido. (My libido these days is heavily suppressed for trans reasons, which might explain why I dodged that effect)
In any case, SSRIs or not, I'd suggest checking whether any other drugs you take have known interactions with methylphenidate.
(I can also offer a secondhand account of Ritalin being a terrible energy thief and Adderall being much more helpful, don't know if that case included libido effects)
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 7:07 AM on February 20, 2024
Do you also take antidepressants? I had to stop Ritalin (Medikinet in my case) after the first month because it stole all my energy, made me sleepy, and returned my mood/anxiety levels to the trainwreck from before my antidepressants (SSRIs) stabilised them. Not an increased libido by any means, but the two drugs are documented to interact (increasing the blood levels of the SSRI, apparently? *shrug*). If an SSRI you hypothetically take was affecting your libido, and ritalin then disrupted the SSRI, I wouldn't be surprised if that included disruption to your libido. (My libido these days is heavily suppressed for trans reasons, which might explain why I dodged that effect)
In any case, SSRIs or not, I'd suggest checking whether any other drugs you take have known interactions with methylphenidate.
(I can also offer a secondhand account of Ritalin being a terrible energy thief and Adderall being much more helpful, don't know if that case included libido effects)
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 7:07 AM on February 20, 2024
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This *may* have happened to me, I just didn't join the dots till now.
It was Concerta, not ritalin for me (same medication but longer release), but I process it quickly so had one in the morning and one at lunchtime. It was, like you, in the afternoon that I had that 'effect'. I was also on a pretty low dose, does 18mg sound right?
I also had a high pressure job, which I was mostly doing well in.
It only happened while I was in the high pressure job, if there's any chance stress might be a contributing factor?
I haven't noticed the same thing with Dexamfetamine, but also haven't had the same kind of positive-work-stress.
I feel less wired and crash less on Dexamfetamine. The evening crash wear off made methylphenidate not worth it to me because I'd be so flakey I wouldn't get ready for the following day or go to sleep because, no executive functioning.
posted by Elysum at 7:12 PM on February 18, 2024