Has anybody ever combined Ritalin with an antidepressant?

Specifically, an SSRI (i.e. Paxil, Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, etc.)...or any other antidepressant for that matter. Antidepressants don't work very well for me (especially SSRI's), partly because they usually make me lazy and unmotivated. SSRI's do, however, help with my depression. I was thinking that Ritalin...which I have a prescription for, would counteract these side effects as well as help my ADHD.

Talk to your psychiatrist about it- mental health meds are complicated enough with the help of a professional, so don't try to medicate on your own.

I've definitely been on similar combos before- they didn't cancel out each others side effects like I hoped they would. It actually started creating some really unpleasant side effects that neither drug had produced on its own.
Have you ever just taken the ritalin for a few months without any SSRIs? This ended up working really well for me. Though, in my case, the depression was very strongly linked to low self esteem caused directly by the ADD, so... once that was under control and I could build some confidence, the depression cleared up again.

Don't give up, and don't make any changes to your medications unless you've been on the current combo for a few months and you've consulted your prescriber.

Good luck!

Yes, I have heard of psychiatrists prescribing Ritalin and an Antidepressant at the same time for the same patient.

Talk to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist if it is safe to do so. Also check with your doctor. Also check the instructions that came with the medicine.