Ritalin is the first line drug used to treat ADHD inflicted
individuals, and in some cases, for narcolepsy. It is the only
satisfactory stimulant compound that is approved for pharmaceutical use
in Malaysia. Ritalin is most well known for being used to treat ADHD in
children and it contains methylphenidate hydrochloride, which is a CNS
stimulant which does not bear a chemical resemblance to amphetamine but
is pharmacologically similar in action.
I managed to get 3 blister packs of 10 x 20 mg Ritalin-SR from
someone who has a legitimate script. Ritalin-SR is methylphenidate
hydrochloride USP sustained-release tablets and it’s the sustained
release version of Ritalin. The time release mechanism can be defeated
by crushing the tablets, but the Ritalin-SR was evaluated over a two
session period – one with the time release intact (oral) and the other
without the time release action (crushed, oral, insufflated).
Ritalin is manufactured by Novartis, the pharmaceutical giant. The
blister packs I got is interesting – there are variations of the
trademark Ritalin printed at the back of each blister pack. The first
has “Ritalin SR” on it, the second column has “Ritaline SR” written on
it and the third column has “Ritalina SR” printed on it. This is then
cycled back to Ritalin SR on the next column. These are obtained
through legitimate channels (psychiatrist) from a friend who has a
script in Malaysia.
Here’s a closer look at the blister pack – there are batch codes,
the manufacturing date and the expiry date printed on one end.
Recreational Ritalin use is not very common in Malaysia due to
sociological factors and the availability of cheaper and stronger CNS
stimulants like methamphetamine here (though the latter is illegal). I
will be benchmarking Ritalin against methamphetamine, since I have a
lot of experience with meth with every route of administration from
smoking to IV injections.
The Ritalin blister packs contain 10 tablets of 20 mg
methylphenidate hydrochloride in sustained release form. The
interesting thing about Ritalin is that unlike amphetamine, the mode of
action in Ritalin is not completely known in man. The bubbles on the
front of the blister pack shows white tablets imprinted with CIBA and
16. The flipping of the tablets seems to be random, with some showing
the front (CIBA) and some the back (16). CIBA 16.
These are the Ritalin-SR tablets – it’s white, round tablets with
beveled edges and the letting “CIBA” and “16” imprinted on the front
and back in black font respectively. I took 240 mg during my first
session – that’s 12 x Ritalin-SR tablets without defeating the
sustained release mechanism. This was taken orally, and effects could
be felt within 30 minutes, slowly building up to peak at the 45 minute
mark. The 15 minutes between the time the Ritalin can be felt and the
time it peaks is the most euphoric part and it’s somewhat comparable to
oral dexamphetamine (which I used to have a script for in Australia).
It lasted about 8 hours but stopped feeling pleasurable at around the 6
hour mark.
The peak isn’t as euphoric as oral dexamphetamine or
methamphetamine, but it’s better than other pharmaceutical solutions
available in Malaysia. Please note that I’m experienced with
methamphetamine and thus can justify a massive dose of 240 mg (12
tablets of 20 mg Ritalin-SR taken on an empty stomach). The safety
profile of Ritalin depends on various individual factors and the amount
I took was many times the recommended dose and can be dangerous. This
is not a dosage guide, but a personal experience report.
The second session was aimed at breaking the “sustained release”
mechanism. The Ritalin-SR tablets have a white coating and an inner
formulation that looks like crystallized powder. I crushed 3 x 20 mg
Ritalin-SR tablets for insufflating purposes and took the other 15 x 20
mg Ritalin-SR tablets orally. That’s a massive 360 mg of Ritalin
throughout a 1/2 hour period, which in hindsight was not a good idea.
I wanted to finish the rest of the Ritalin blister packs so I took
15 x 20 mg Ritalin-SR tablets orally (crushed to defeat the sustained
release formulation, making it instant release) and then started to
insufflate the 60 mg of crushed Ritalin (from 3 tablets). I knew it
wasn’t a good idea by the time I finished snorting the powder…my
heartbeat was racing, my chest started to hurt and high intracranial
pressure was experienced.
…but the rush is rather pleasurable. 😉 It did take a bit of a
toll on my body due to my hypertension problems though. I noticed that
flushing is very prominent on high doses of Ritalin, something I did
not experience with other stimulants like methamphetamine but is also
present in prescription amphetamine based compounds like phentermine.
It lasted about 8 hours in total before tapering off during the
second massive 360 mg dose. It has a lot of similar properties to
amphetamine based stimulants in high doses, and is quite euphoric. I
felt like I’ve been worked over by a 300 pound man when it was over,
but it was worth it. The high dose I took made me see Ritalin as a
legitimate stimulant instead of the “weak CNS stimulant” I presumed it
was.
However, like with most prescription amphetamine like compounds I’ve
consumed, it seems to have a much heavier body load compared to
dexamphetamine or methamphetamine. I would not take this over
methamphetamine, but it was nice to experience Ritalin. Just be careful
with the dosage, I’m being lighthearted here, but 360 mg nearly gave me
a heart attack. 😉 Take care if you have hypertensive or cardiovascular
problems when experimenting with CNS stimulants.
