Adderall v Ritalin?

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Does anyone have an opinion on the different effects? Also, does anyone know the price difference? I've been on Adderall for a year and it works great, but I can't find the extended release for less than $100 for 30. Does Ritalin extended release cost less? I've never tried Ritalin and my therapist suggested it as an option.

Please respond, I've tried to search on the internet but I keep finding forums where the opinions are from recreational users.

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If you try Ritalin, Ritalin will work either better or worse for you than Adderall. All the meds used for ADHD are different from one another. Am ADHD Inattentive and for me the old medicine - coffee - caffeine compounds (NoDoz, Tirend) works better (not a cure) than Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, or Adderall XR (also not cures). Keeping a written drug diary is a good way to slowly figure out what a med does/doesn't do and which med is most effective (not a cure) for a person. Good luck.

Thanks for responding!
Yes, definately not cures. But a really great crutch. I have only been taking Adderall for a little over a year although my mom always knew I had it. She just doesn't rely on medication much. She just felt like I had to try harder. She is great, but I really wish I had medication in school. It really makes life a little easier.
Mainly I'm looking for cost reasons, but I don't want to pay less for an ineffective drug. a really good therapist. We discuss medication options and she lets me decide. I'm supposed to tell her what I think at next months session. I really can't find legit costs at all right now. I'm not sure what mg I'm looking at either. I take 15mg of adderall, but I don't know if I would be switching to 15mg of ritalin. I don't want a dip in concentration and focus, but I don't want to feel like I'm having a heart attack either.
As for coffee, I drink it all day. It doesn't even interfere with the adderall. I have hyper adhd.

I've tried both. I can't really explain the difference, but I preferred the feeling of adderall much better. I felt a little more jittery on ritalin I think. Recreational users I know always say ritalin is a "dirty" drug, but I don't know what that's supposed to mean. If you don't want to try ritalin there is also focalin and vivance.

Yeah, it's hard to go by what recreational users say because their opinion is based on the high. I want the opinion of an ADHDer who knows about focus and concentration.
Have you tried the other things? Have you heard anything about Strattera? I've only taken Adderall so I have no idea about the other types of drugs. Do you know about the cost without insurance? Right now I'm taking 3 immediate release pills per day and I pay about $50 per month. The XR too expensive and I was hoping I could get an extended release of something else because I'm sick of taking so many pills. Before starting this I didn't take any pills, now it's 3 times a day.

Yeah, don't listen to the "recreational users". They're looking for a high, and half the time they'll overdose and the other half the time they'll snort the stuff. It's not even the same thing--not the same effect at all.

Unfortunately your biology is unique and the only way to tell whether one thing works better than another is to try it. If your psychiatrist is open to discussion about meds and price, I think you should just put down your priorities as far as medication goes and then match that with what s/he knows about what's available and how much it costs.

I am ADHD-I and my experiences so far are--
Caffeine: Works somewhat, but the tolerance issue is problematic.
Ritalin: Too much, too fast will simply put me in a daze. Taking a very low dose works, but it wears off very quickly.
Strattera: No effect--no side effects, no benefit.
Concerta: Gave me headaches the first three days, but after that was fine. Worked like the low-dose Ritalin but lasted longer. Similar effects to coffee, without the jitters. Effects are starting to wear off after a year and a half of use and we are considering raising the dose.

Of course it's up to your doctor, but I have heard that Ritalin isn't such a good drug for ADD (or Asperger's-related issues) anymore. I'm on Adderall XR capsules 30mg once/day, and I get them in generic form, which is costly as you said. They were only available in brand-name a year or so ago, and that was more like $500/month ! You might ask your doctor about generic Adderall tablets in 5mg or 10mg, and take them 2 or 3 x/day. That's a nuisance to take pills multiple times, but those are about $30 for a months supply (60 or 90 pills).

Charles

I am taking Adderall 15mg 3 times a day now. The extended release is too expensive. If I had to pay $500 I would just do without. That is ridiculous!
My therapist is open to other meds but she doesn't know the drug prices. I'm not sure if Ritalin or any other ADHD drugs are generic other than Adderall. I might just be stuck with multiple dosing for now.