Would GP prescribe RITALIN for depression?

Resolved question:
Would a GP prescribe me Ritalin if I asked him?
I definitely have depression and my GP knows this.. I read about Ritalin and now I think it really could help me. Thing is, it obviously has a potential for abuse so I don't know if my doctor would prescribe it. I don't know if I have ADHD, I might. Anyway, I feel that all my depression related will go away if I can get myself to be productive which is right now impossible for me. I mean it's huge effort to go to buy groceries. Do you think I should ask my doctor for a prescription?
Thanks

Submitted: 4 Days
Category: Psychiatrist

Expert:  Dr. Srikanth Reddy replied 4 Days.

Hello
Thank you for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through.
Ritalin is a very good drug for ADHD and an ADHD can many times mimic as chronic depression. If its an ADHD, ritalin will be very effective but if its depression then giving ritalin alone may not be a good strategy. It would be advisable to take a primary antidepressant such as desvenlafaxine or mirtazapine or prozac or escitalopram. Riatlin can be given for a brief period along with the anti-depressant.
So the best strategy should be to make a proper diagnosis and to confirm whether it is a depression or an ADHD or both together. In all the cases ritalin will be effective and you can ask for a prescription of ritalin from your GP. But I would suggest that you should go for a face-to-face psychiatric consultation to confirm the diagnosis.
Hope this helps
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
Kind regards,
Dr. Srikanth Reddy MD

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