Ritalin for fatigue?

[Lnlc]

anyone prescribed and used Ritalin for cancer and cancer treatment fatigue? Thx!

[kokopelli2017]

hi. yes, I was prescribed Ritalin for cancer related fatigue. this was about a year ago. I tried it a couple times and didn't feel much of a change. my memory is bad but I think the med made me a bit dizzy? but I honestly didn't stick with it long enough to really test it out. funny (coincidence) you should bring this up as I was thinking of giving it another shot. my fatigue is severe and could use a boost. I think I will try it again🤞. I do know of another woman from this board that had favorable results with the Ritilan so I know in some cases it does help.

did your oncologist prescribe for you? or are you planning to ask for it?

best wishes....

carole XO

[BettyBoop3000]

i have used it and it does help.

[Hazelgreen]

Interesting idea! I remember when it used to be prescribed for ADHD kids to help settle them down. I've been retired for almost a decade so don't know how popular it still is, or what the research currently says about its effectiveness.

I believe it has many possible side effects so I'd be cautious about taking it.

[Beattheodds]

I was prescribed Ritalin from Palliatative doctor 3years ago when diagnosed with MBC but I found it made me jittery and had some trouble sleeping. It is an accepted treatment for our type of fatigue so I would say give it a try to see if works for you. I wish there were some other options for my tiredness but I’ve come to accept this problem as a trade off for no further cancer progression.

[Lark78]

I've been taking Ritalin for over a year it definitely gives u that little extra push. It's prescribed for me to take it twice daily.

[fancydog]

I took it many yrs ago for Chronic Fatigue not now, just know it stimulates your brain not your body and if its just the short acting Ritalin it is only active about 4 hrs. Adderall is longer acting, but if you have fatigue with anxiety its probably going to make things worse. Have you tried taking a Magnesium or B-complex supplements?

[HoneyBadgerLady]

My oncologist prescribed it for me. I take a small dose of ritalin on the days that fatigue and brain fog are the worst. It helps a fair bit, helping with mental focus and reducing the fatigue. For me it lasts about 6 hours or more, which is longer than is typical. I haven't noted any side effects, but I know that varies a lot between people.

[BarbieBeat]

I already took a long acting version of Ritalin for ADHD so my brain needs it. If your brain doesn't need it, it should make you feel more energized. In my case, we doubled my dose to help with chemo brain and fatigue. It has helped my chemo brain but didn't help the fatigue. Or maybe it did and the fatigue would have been worse. I have taken Ritalin for 25 years.

[RedAzalea]

I take Ritalin (5 and /or 10m) and also “time release” Dextroamphetamine(early generation stimulant. I find it more tolerable than Adderall. They always push Adderall as the pharmaceuticals make more money as the patent isn’t up yet as far as I know; the patent is up on Dextroamphetamine for ages….)

To start with, you can NEVER take any stimulant after 2 PM, or it will interfere with your sleep.

I take the Ritalin when I get fatigued around 11 AM or 12. It’s a low-dose and it only lasts for a couple hours.

The other one is if I have a long day which will require a lot of stamina (of which I no longer have). It has to be taken by 8am or it Interferes with my sleep. I have recently gone back to work and I plan to use the time release Dextroamphetamine for those tough days Otherwise, the Ritalin is sufficient….

[Fpmeehan]

yes, an answer oncologist prescribed it for fatigue. Some medications have side effects that can treat symptoms like pain and fatigue. The generic allergy pill for Claritin is prescribed for muscle pain which I took while on letrozole. I don’t have ADHD but have been taking methylphenidate for fatigue .

[Jubilee1874]

My MD, not oncologist but providing supportive therapy, prescribed Nuvigil. This is a med. for jet lag, time shifting, and narcolepsy. When I have a full schedule, I nibble on 1/3 to 1/2 pill in the morning. Really, really helps. But I can’t take a whole pill as it will give me the jitters.