Can Ritalin really improve my grades?

[Robin Hood]

yup, that's what i've said forever, except i would call it bio-psycho-social-phenomenelogeco-empircal psychology, also, disorders don't exist, they just exist as discrete entities because of communicative value, but they're too heterogeneous and reliant on societal norms and contexts to call psychological "problems" disorders, getting up at 11 am is only a "disorder" in a society that's 9-5, if 12-8 was the social norm (as it can be in many 24/7 cities like new york, the disorder ceases to exist, because you can't qualify you're constructivism with it has to be distressing to be patient anymore)

 

Yes, a lot of times, it's society that fixes what is a disorder. Some things are just different ways of doing things, and may not be a concern to the affected person. For example, someone who has DSOD may not have any problem if he's working during the night, you can be a doctor and be an all-nigher, because the hospital can't take care of patients only during the day. But in our society, 9-5 is the actual norm (I once read that in 1917, people used to sleep at 5:30 PM). At 5, everything is shut, eventhough everybody sleeps at minimum 10 or 11. Another problem is that, except for grocery stores and restaurants, everything is closed at the same time at 5, so if you have to renew your health insurance card, you may have to skip some work hours.

[MedsMyDream]

Ahh, there's your problem right there

 

Why bash other universities?

[m30wc0w]

do you guys actually think that someone like OP should take ritalin? he has no disability, he's just not happy with his marks & he does not seem to have considered the idea that maybe he is just not adept at synthesizing information. the use of pharmacological agents in this situation is, it appears, to be a pretty drastic step; he might solve his problem with either more experience or studying in a different way, both of which do not result in the incurrment of the risks involved with using something like ritalin.

[psychoswim]

do you guys actually think that someone like OP should take ritalin? he has no disability, he's just not happy with his marks & he does not seem to have considered the idea that maybe he is just not adept at synthesizing information. the use of pharmacological agents in this situation is, it appears, to be a pretty drastic step; he might solve his problem with either more experience or studying in a different way, both of which do not result in the incurrment of the risks involved with using something like ritalin.

 

I totally agree with you.. Sounds ridiculous really to want to take ritalin because of 2 lowish marks on 2 exams? Just study smarter or try something different. All this medication to study talk is nuts, I'd never heard that stuff before... generation change?

[Femto]

well, the thing is, ritalin creates a snowball effect, you think very logically and are serious at first, and you're good at it, so you continue to think this way, so it's reinforcing, however, if you're aware of the physiological effects of ritalin, you can choose not to enforce the unfavourable ones, i'm not any more serious/less abstract on it, because i make an effort to think abstractly on it, people don't realize the power you have over your emotions etc. and it's nothing you can explain to someone, just something you have to phenomenologically experience... but even things like biofeedback show that we can regulate things as visceral as our heart rate, but because we adopt a reductionistic materialistic paradigm, we believe that there's no top-down effect, and actually perpetuate the initial effect the drug has (i initially felt aggressive, serious, emotionally blunted, but new that was the drug, now i'm always in a really happy, empathic mood, and am actually working on developing my concrete thinking skills (since i'm way too abstract a thinker all the time). the same concept is exemplified in placebos, which have substantial effects many times.

 

 

candor, sometimes it bites

 

Totally agree...and this view is making me increasingly frustrated, especially since there is this huge causation/correlation confusion over brain states and experience. Kripke proved dualism in my view...the mind is distinct from the brain, no more evidence needed than the possible worlds thought experiment. A "top-down" effect also seems to manifest, and perhaps I should try to implement this more. So you can make yourself think more abstractly by thinking about something, which makes you think about something else...abstractly?? lol

[aaronjw]

Totally agree...and this view is making me increasingly frustrated, especially since there is this huge causation/correlation confusion over brain states and experience. Kripke proved dualism in my view...the mind is distinct from the brain, no more evidence needed than the possible worlds thought experiment. A "top-down" effect also seems to manifest, and perhaps I should try to implement this more. So you can make yourself think more abstractly by thinking about something, which makes you think about something else...abstractly?? lol

 

oh dear god not two of you....

[psychoswim]

oh dear god not two of you....

 

My brain is just overloaded right now.. I can't read through all those posts! lol

[JB.]

oh dear god not two of you....

 

Make that three

[Morzan]

Make that three

 

four. want me to start site? ritalin101.com.

 

also a friend of mine is taking ephedrine + caffeine, says he noticed a significant increase in concentration. eohedrine is sold over the counter as a 'nasal decongestant'.

[aaronjw]

four. want me to start site? ritalin101.com.

 

also a friend of mine is taking ephedrine + caffeine, says he noticed a significant increase in concentration. eohedrine is sold over the counter as a 'nasal decongestant'.

 

don't have time to get into the details but this is a really bad move. Double tapping with stimulants like caffeine plus ephies is going to lead to adrenal fatigue it not careful. Its very difficult to get off these two substances together and they actually become very addictive.

 

As a competitive bodybuilder I used them for years when dieting and when I finally realize how bad they were, it was a rough ride when I came off.

 

Just a cautionary tale to becareful

[drkwhy]

Yup, its a new course, thats part of the problem. We don't have any past tests. I do memorize all his slides and everything but all his questions are so random, and most of his questions aren't even in the material he's taught us. He asks useless questions about specifics which he never talks about in class.

I really do need ritalin...sigh.

 

Whoa...His questions aren't random:p They're actually right off the slides...I haven't been to a single class after the third one and I got a 25/30. That's not to brag or gloat but to show you that it IS possible and that you need to change the way you're studying if you want a better mark.

 

The only reason why it seems hard is because he changes the scenario or asks you to link two experiments, or ideas, or whatever, and asks you to interpret the information he gave you in the slides.

 

Although I partially agree with what McMarauder said, relying solely on memorizing won't do anybody good. Nobody wants somebody that can't USE the information given. Memorizing is essential but you gotta be able to manipulate it.

[drkwhy]

As for the ritalin...there are better sources buddy. And most of them are free too

 

They are....................vitamins and minerals from a balanced diet, exercise, and sleep. Don't neglect those 3 things.

 

EDIT: Especially the B vitamins...those things are magical :|

[psychoswim]

^^ +1 to exercise in particular!! Even when you feel dead tired, nothing like some exercising to wake you up.

[UBCStudent128]

Anyone try piracetam? Heard those are sold over-the-counter in US (don't know about Canada). I don't really know any ways to get my hands on prescription drugs so.......

[McMarauder]

Well that's not very good. I certainly hope you are not bragging over an 83.

 

It's very good in comparison to OP's grade and the class average (68), but definitely not competitive for medicine.

[McMarauder]

 

Although I partially agree with what McMarauder said, relying solely on memorizing won't do anybody good. Nobody wants somebody that can't USE the information given. Memorizing is essential but you gotta be able to manipulate it.

 

Those two go hand in hand. If you've memorized it or "know it" well enough, you should be able to apply it to novel situations. That's what profs really mean when they say "KNOW IT".

[drkwhy]

 

Well that's not very good. I certainly hope you are not bragging over an 83.

 

It's actually VERY good for me. Considering the amount of effort I put into that course.

 

And I don't understand the need to emphasize the bragging...especially after I said that was not for bragging or gloating purposes.

[drkwhy]

Those two go hand in hand. If you've memorized it or "know it" well enough, you should be able to apply it to novel situations. That's what profs really mean when they say "KNOW IT".

 

That's what prof's MEAN but it's not always the case among students.

[apache]

i don't think medicine's aims should just be to help the ill, but towards improving the human condition for the well. but that's just my opinion.

 

this obsessive guy has probably 25 books worth of info on his site:

 

http://biopsychiatry.com/

 

the links are so vast you could read for days and still not finnish

 

banning therapeutic mdma couple's therapy is a crime in my view, it's all about serving the economic interest of the war on drugs, which is really profitable, a good job source, and good for cheap labor from poor ethnic minority prisoners.

 

maybe our north american lifestyle is to blame, you really think you need a 3.9 gpa, volunteer for 7 organizations, go to africa, commit an inane amount of hours to studying useless artifacts to prove you can succeed in med school, maybe that helps in the self deception but the reality is anyone with a 3.0 gpa and a 30 mcat can make a decent doctor, they just place such ridiculous expectations so as to select for the most brainwashed, obedient people, it's called social selection, only admit people with characteristics that will propagate the interests of your professions lobby... which is why new ideologies are suppressed

 

this article talks about social selection tangentially:

 

http://medicinesocialjustice.blogspot.com/2008/12/medical-student-selection.html

 

do you guys actually think that someone like OP should take ritalin? he has no disability, he's just not happy with his marks & he does not seem to have considered the idea that maybe he is just not adept at synthesizing information. the use of pharmacological agents in this situation is, it appears, to be a pretty drastic step; he might solve his problem with either more experience or studying in a different way, both of which do not result in the incurrment of the risks involved with using something like ritalin.

[m30wc0w]

i don't think medicine's aims should just be to help the ill, but towards improving the human condition for the well. but that's just my opinion.

 

this obsessive guy has probably 25 books worth of info on his site:

 

http://biopsychiatry.com/

 

the links are so vast you could read for days and still not finnish

 

banning therapeutic mdma couple's therapy is a crime in my view, it's all about serving the economic interest of the war on drugs, which is really profitable, a good job source, and good for cheap labor from poor ethnic minority prisoners.

 

maybe our north american lifestyle is to blame, you really think you need a 3.9 gpa, volunteer for 7 organizations, go to africa, commit an inane amount of hours to studying useless artifacts to prove you can succeed in med school, maybe that helps in the self deception but the reality is anyone with a 3.0 gpa and a 30 mcat can make a decent doctor, they just place such ridiculous expectations so as to select for the most brainwashed, obedient people, it's called social selection, only admit people with characteristics that will propagate the interests of your professions lobby... which is why new ideologies are suppressed

 

this article talks about social selection tangentially:

 

http://medicinesocialjustice.blogspot.com/2008/12/medical-student-selection.html

 

100% agree, the war on drugs is a ****ing joke. if you're one of the tony soprano-like dudes who's making money off of drugs, the system in north america is the best system you could ever ask for

 

wait are you actually recommending mdma as a drug to treat emotional pain?

have you EVER met anybody who did this **** on the regular? it's not a good drug for that... if you've ever taken it you'd know just how ****ty and depressed it can make you feel...

[apache]

yeah, like half my friends, they're all also high functioning professionals

 

the reason they feel ****ty is because they weren't using pure mdma, and were using doses above a therapeutic level, and mdma isn't meant to be used as a crutch like an ssri, but to facilitate feelings of openness and trust, fostering communication between couples who may have emotional reasons to deceive each other, or who are unable to discuss motivations of behaviour, why things annoy them, who aren't very self-reflective. when you dose properly, don't have meth-amp, lidocaine, coke mixed in (ecstasy isn't mdma, it's mdma plus whatever your local drug dealer mixes in with it - that's why oxycodone and adderall are so much more valuable than heroin or street speed, because it's pure and pharmaceutical grade)

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/19/ecstasy-harm-brain-new-study

 

go look up the recent studies of people who were habitual mdma users, the early studies didn't factor in other risk taking behavior, mixing drugs and booze, dosing, ses, and a million other factors, you'll find that i'm 100 percent right on this, i don't talk **** about biopsych if there's no "good" research behind it.

 

wait are you actually recommending mdma as a drug to treat emotional pain?

have you EVER met anybody who did this **** on the regular? it's not a good drug for that... if you've ever taken it you'd know just how ****ty and depressed it can make you feel...

[m30wc0w]

yeah, like half my friends, they're all also high functioning professionals

 

the reason they feel ****ty is because they weren't using pure mdma, and were using doses above a therapeutic level, and mdma isn't meant to be used as a crutch like an ssri, but to facilitate feelings of openness and trust, fostering communication between couples who may have emotional reasons to deceive each other, or who are unable to discuss motivations of behaviour, why things annoy them, who aren't very self-reflective. when you dose properly, don't have meth-amp, lidocaine, coke mixed in (ecstasy isn't mdma, it's mdma plus whatever your local drug dealer mixes in with it - that's why oxycodone and adderall are so much more valuable than heroin or street speed, because it's pure and pharmaceutical grade)

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/19/ecstasy-harm-brain-new-study

 

go look up the recent studies of people who were habitual mdma users, the early studies didn't factor in other risk taking behavior, mixing drugs and booze, dosing, ses, and a million other factors, you'll find that i'm 100 percent right on this, i don't talk **** about biopsych if there's no "good" research behind it.

 

half of your friends require couples' therapy? or do you mean that half of them roll on a regular basis without you perceiving any sort of emotional effects?

how "early" do you mean when you say that early research on mdma was unreliable? i looked at a few papers from the past 10 years and they all declare it as harmful to the brain.

[apache]

post 2005 research, the initial widespread study the us gov used in their flyers was flawed because the researcher accidentally ordered methamphetamine instead of mdma on the rat brains, oops, minor mistake... but we even have prescription methamphetamine because hell, it's safe enough to use sometimes... its called desoxyn.

 

half my friends as in people who use mdma on a reg basis.

 

half of your friends require couples' therapy? or do you mean that half of them roll on a regular basis without you perceiving any sort of emotional effects?

how "early" do you mean when you say that early research on mdma was unreliable? i looked at a few papers from the past 10 years and they all declare it as harmful to the brain.

[Mars_Bound]

Hey guys, I'm in a dilemma here. We just got our BIO120 second midterm marks and i got 70%, in the first one i got 66%. The problem is I studied extremely hard for the second midterm, listened to his audio lectures again at home and made notes and I studied the textbook as well. I absolutely have no idea how to improve my grade, I'm hoping I can get 80+ on the exam so i can get a B+ average. What I really want to know is if I take ritalin the night before will I really do better on my exam? Is it illegal to use ritalin without a prescription and if I do need it, where can I get it from, i go to U of T btw.

 

Ritalin may help. Ritalin or Adderal that is. But what you need is for those proteins involved in memory formation to not degrade, that is they need to remain once transcribed and formed. A photographic memory perhaps? I am working on this for my research. Unfortunately we are far from that 'smart/genius pill' or the surgical operation that one cna do to re-wire neurons in the brain to make things stick.

In the future one day maybe.

 

But yah, I know the frustration. Makes it hard to get into med school. After all, we didnt choose our brains or how smart our brains would be. And no, simply 'believing' you cna do it wont create the physiological changes in the brain, anymore than simply believing you can levitate will actually make you levitate.

[Mars_Bound]

I found that ritalin took my studying to a whole new level. I completed twice as much in half the time, and still remember the material I learned to this day. On the other hand, my friend was a wreck on it, so try it out before you start going nuts.

 

Study drugs are just as much an advantage as having a rich family and not having to work a job, or having a family connection to a prof that lands you a research position. People need to get over it.

 

agreed.

 

Now, how do I get hold of Ritallin or Adderal?