[sariel.t]

My Ritalin isn’t helping with school at all. It was fine a couple of months ago, but now I’m failing my classes again. (By the way, I’m 15). It takes me forever to do what should be a five-minute assignment because I just can't focus, even though I try really hard. Does anybody have any idea why my meds are suddenly not helping anymore? Help!!!

[Chichastar1987]

Some people with ADD and ADHD are lucky. They find the right dose early on and it never changes. Others have to keep on increasing their medication. A lot of people believe that your body "gets used to" a medication. This is true to a certain extent -- for example, if you have side effects from a medication, they often subside as your body gets used to the medication.

One theory is that you need to keep increasing the amount of medication as your body gets used to it -- but only so long as you have not yet reached the correct amount for that individual. Stated differently, people who need to increase their medication are undermedicated. Once they hit the right amount, they no longer have to increase their medication. Since the goal in prescribing is to use the lowest dose possible to obtain the desired results, your physician probably kept you at a dose where you could see results, even tho' this might not have been the optimum amount of medication for you.

Another explanation is that some people need more medication as they grow physically. I have not seen any studies that suggest this. However, the adult doses for most ADD/ADHD meds are considerably higher than the amounts prescribed for children. A "common sense" explanation is that adults are bigger than kids and require a higher dose to maintain the same medication-to-weight ratio. Conversely, if weight were not a factor, most adults would be taking the same. small doses as children.



I cannot speak definitively, but I think most people gradually increase their meds over time. They eventually settle on a medication and a particular dosage that works for them. Once they hit that "sweet spot," they never have to increase their meds. You clearly haven't reached that "sweet spot" yet -- perhaps because you are a adolescent and experiencing rapid physical growth. Or, perhaps you were never prescribed that optimum dose. Or, perhaps you'll never know the reason. However, you have tangible evidence (your grades) that you need a medication change or boost. What really matters is finding the right dose that works for you. Good luck!