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Route of Administration Changed Outcome
Methylphenidate
Citation:   Purin. "Route of Administration Changed Outcome: An Experience with Methylphenidate (exp115393)". Erowid.org. Jun 16, 2021. erowid.org/exp/115393

 
DOSE:
10 - 54 mg oral Pharms - Methylphenidate (pill / tablet)
  50 - 80 mg IV Pharms - Methylphenidate (pill / tablet)
BODY WEIGHT: 114 lb
I used to be very into stimulants when I was much younger [24 now]. I really preferred amphetamines (particularly Vyvanse; less-addictive my ass) but would happily take anything that'd get me energetic and feeling good. My sibling at the time had a prescription for Ritalin as well as Concerta, and little junkie me would often sneak into their room and pilfer as many pills as I could without it being obvious.

Initially, I just stuck to popping some Ritalins in the morning before or at the start of school, maybe along with a Concerta if I knew I had a long day ahead of me or if I just wanted to be vibing all day. I was incredibly cautious about doses of the drugs I was taking, never just knocking back a handful of pills and hoping for the best. I was (and still am) very meticulous about knowing how much of a drug I'm taking before I ingest.

If I just wanted an energetic buzz throughout the school day, I would take between 15 and 30 mg of Ritalin, the instant release. If I were taking it in tandem with the Concerta, I would adjust accordingly, and only have about 10 mg or so of Ritalin since the Concertas my sibling was prescribed were the maximum dose, 54 mg. I was used to being on drugs at school, everything from cannabis, to opiates, to DXM, anything. Methylphenidate, out of all the stimulants I've ever taken, always made me the most focused, making it perfect for school. For clarification, I have never been diagnosed with ADHD, nor do I think I have it, but I feel like methylphenidate gave me the effects stimulants are supposed to give to people with ADHD.

If I was on just Ritalin alone, from start to finish, I would maybe be "high" for approximately four or five hours. About 30 minutes in, I would really notice a tingling in my body, as well as a much more subtle drive to *do* things. Anything. Get up, walk around, adjust the picture frame, take notes ardently, anything. When this feeling peaked, maybe an hour or so later, I would notice this sense of encouragement, of drive, washing over me. It wasn't as if I felt confident or that I could take on the world or anything like that, more like "Okay, these tasks that seemed impossible just a few hours ago don't seem so bad now. Sure, they're difficult, but they're definitely doable." and that was the feeling I enjoyed most about methylphenidate.

I always considered it to be in between caffeine and amphetamines, in terms of both potency and effect. Caffeine was a fine enough stimulant, but incredibly boring; it got my body into higher gear, but did nothing for my mind. Drink enough red bulls and my body would be ready to run a marathon and then some, but my mind would still be groggy and half asleep. That, and I'd be on the verge of peeing my pants. Amphetamines gave me a rush and euphoria that no other stimulant ever did, and my body would follow suit too. I felt powerful, capable, happy, able to truly do anything. That, and it would completely abolish any feelings of hunger; being an active anorexic at the time, amphetamines made me feel like a skinny legend. However, they were easy to binge on and stay awake for days on end, barely eating more than half a clementine during the whole ordeal. With methylphenidate, I got more mental stimulation than caffeine but didn't get the addictive rush of amphetamines.
With methylphenidate, I got more mental stimulation than caffeine but didn't get the addictive rush of amphetamines.
It didn't noticeably suppress my appetite, but I was often so focused on what I was doing, I didn't remember to eat. I thought it was a nice balance.

That is, of course, until I tried injecting it.

My sibling was prescribed a few different brands of methylphenidate from time to time, some of which had more insoluble fillers than others. My favorites in particular were these yellow 5 mg pills; sure, I couldn't easily get more than 15 mg in one syringe, but that still meant I could get three whole pills into my arm without any trouble like the little grey ones which had a thick sediment that could never fit into the needle. In my idiotic teenage mind, if I wasn't getting these fillers in my arm, then I wasn't getting any of the drug. To this day, I don't know how I've managed to avoid any sort of heart or vascular issues, but I am incredibly grateful.

Injected methylphenidate is incredibly different from oral methylphenidate. Along with the feeling coming on immediately as opposed to in a half an hour, there is a noticeable rush. Along with the actual warmth I'd feel upon plunging this pale yellow solution into my arm, I'd feel a more subtle, possibly even metaphorical warmth come across my body. Certainly, it caused me to feel more energetic and awake, but more than a stimulant, IV methylphenidate was more akin to a straight up euphoriant. It made me smile, it made me feel happy and alive. Admittedly I wasn't particularly interested in depressants at the time, but instead of numbing out on booze or Xanax, IV methylphenidate made me feel like any problems I had were insignificant, unworthy of my worry.

That is, of course, until the effects wore off about 20 to 30 minutes later.

The nice thing about the whole experience being so short was that I could do it at night without it drastically affecting my sleep. The bad part about the experience being so short was literally everything else. Flying on a pink cloud of stimulant joy for 15 to 30 minutes, then crashing back down to earth remembering everything that's wrong in my life. This made it particularly easy to binge on, and binge I would. I don't know how it didn't build up in me, but I could go through upwards of 50 to 80 mg a night over the course of about two hours. This may not sound like much, and to the real speed freaks out there this definitely isn't, but to an underweight teenage girl with a bad habit of doing anything that'll get her high, combined with my general predilection towards poly-drug use, this was quite a bit.

Over the course of my injectable Ritalin-fueled nights, the euphoria would wane after maybe the second or third injection, only to be replaced by feelings of vague stimulation and comfort, but no rush to speak of, just a drive to shove more into my veins. The tolerance built so quickly, and compared to other drugs it waned fairly quickly, but it still required me to go at least two or three days without any Ritalin or Concerta, oral or injected, to properly reset myself.

I tried snorting it and wasn't a fan. I've never been a fan of snorting drugs, I've not found it to be particularly effective in my case. I'd crushed and sorted Ritalin, even Concerta, and found it to pale in comparison to just swallowing or shooting them.

I don't inject drugs anymore, I haven't in almost ten years, and I prefer it that way. I don't have much interest in methylphenidate at all. It turns out if I have a healthy sleep schedule and lose my dependence on caffeine, I typically have enough energy to get through the day without the need for exogenous stimulants. Regardless, I find this an interesting and unique experience. I've met many an obscure drug user in my time, but I still have yet to meet anyone else who consistently injected methylphenidate, so I find this to be important knowledge.

Exp Year: 2012ExpID: 115393
Gender: Female 
Age at time of experience: 15
Published: Jun 16, 2021Views: 4,455
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Pharms - Methylphenidate (114) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Preparation / Recipes (30), Various (28)

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