Published on 12, July, 2020
hi all
i haven't found anything very conclusive or informative, but there's some mention of ritalin and cannabis attaching to the same cb1 receptors??? if so, can pot out compete ritalin, rendering ritalin ineffective?
I don't smoke pot a lot, but i do take thc or pot almost every single night... usually just enough to sleep - sometimes more, lol. never in the day. if i smoke too much at night, say, half or a whole joint, i feel it the next day. a pot hangover.
i'm also definitely interested in people who notice no effect and are happily indulging in both ritalin and pot.....
20 years ago, i tried ritalin, and could barely tolerate 5 or 10 mg. i'd get jittery, and noticed it could really focus me. now, since i take thc or pot, i'm up to 20mg... i don't notice many or any side effects --- it seems to help my focus. we've been upping my dose.............5 ...10......15 over three months... now i just started 20.
thanks so much. stay healthy.
Ritalin has a totally different mechanism and acts on different receptors in the brain to cannabis. Ritalin is dopaminergic, and basically causes there to be more dopamine in the brain by stopping the reuptake of it, whereas the THC in cannabis mimics the body's own cannabinoids and binds to the CB1 receptor.
That said, the CB1 receptor has knock on effects to other systems in the brain, including dopamine. What makes cannabis addictive and makes everything you do feel good and more rewarding is a dopaminergic effect. So combining it with methylphenidate wouldn't be recommended.
It's also not a good idea to mix stimulants with depressants (e.g. alcohol with caffeine or cocaine) because it allows you to get significantly more of both drugs due to the competing effects. Although cannabis is not a traditional depressant, it does have a sedative effect in high doses and the Ritalin would counteract that. If cannabis helps you sleep then you'll probably need more of it if you've also taken Ritalin. And if Ritalin makes you alert and focused, you'll probably need more of it if you are regularly getting high on cannabis.
There was a study in rats which showed the number of CB1 receptors increased after stopping taking a high dose of Ritalin, but decreased after stopping taking a low dose. So I would say although these drugs have totally different mechanisms of action, the brain is trying to keep a constant balance (homeostasis) so there will always be some interference. Cannabis is going to affect the dopamine pathway, and Ritalin may be affecting CB1 receptor density indirectly.
thanks, untoward... i only take ritalin in the morning or early afternoon; currently one 20mg tablet, fast acting. i only take thc or smoke cannabis in the evening - for sleep... generally 30mg thc around 9 or 10pm.. i have quite a bit of trouble sleeping, due to chronic pain, etc...
i don't see my need for thc increasing --- but i am concerned how i regularly take it... i do see me and my dr trying to work up an effective dose for ritalin --- 20mg currently. afaik, that's a 'low' amount? but i'm still kind of concerned...