Blahblah Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) I was wondering the other day as I was studying for an exam (and taking Ritalin) whether I would retain and be able to access the material in my brain during the exam without taking Ritalin? ex: you take your stim to study, but then if you do not take it during the exam, will you not be in the right "chemical zone" to do as well on the exam without the drug? (This is purely a hypothetical question, not something I plan to do!)..I know that stims influence your focus and attention, but apart from that, do they have a strong effect on memory, retention and learning? Edited January 23, 2018 by Blahblah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I believe glutamate and acetylcholine primarily are responsible for memory formation and recall. The racetams are supposedly good for this, some more than others (and some have been disproven to be good for young, healthy people). I don't think stimulants are going to help you with this (even though I think amphetamine does induce glutamate release, not sure about methylphenidate). I don't think the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are going to help much in this department either in healthy individuals, even though they have been studied for ADHD, I believe, as well as memantine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blahblah Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 Interesting. I knew you'd be able to answer this question I am someone that likes to learn more about how the meds I'm taking work. Speaking of Glutamate, I also take Lamictal which I read directly inhibits the release of glutamate. Since it has antiglutamatergic action, does that mean that it can mess with your memory? I know in the past when I took higher doses (above 200mg) I had problems with word finding and other cognitive dulling effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintalto Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 From my experience being on and off adhd meds for the past 12 years, my memory isn’t hugely affected by them. I retain as well when off as I do on them. Over the years my memory has been poor due to various drugs, or after periods of psychosis. Ritalin has never seemed to help me out with that either. It’s always been more about focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 I’m just curious-why would you not take your meds during the exam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 2 hours ago, Blahblah said: Speaking of Glutamate, I also take Lamictal which I read directly inhibits the release of glutamate. Since it has antiglutamatergic action, does that mean that it can mess with your memory? I know in the past when I took higher doses (above 200mg) I had problems with word finding and other cognitive dulling effects. That's true. I wouldn't be one to say for sure, but in my experience, lamotrigine has messed with my memory in high doses, too (the first time I took 200 mg and especially when I was on 400 mg). Right now I'm on topiramate for the 3rd time (2nd time was brief due to kidney stones). It's very antiglutamatergic and I'm definitely finding myself having cognitive issues and word finding problems. Ugh. Oxcarbazepine also made me have word finding problems, but not as bad (I titrated up on them one at a time). But I don't know if oxcarbazepine is antiglutamatergic or not. Such is the tradeoff for being mentally stable and not having seizures I guess... lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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