Ritalin

I started taking Ritalin several years ago. I took the extended release version and it helped me a lot but even taking 30mg 2 times daily it didn’t seem to last long enough. I later switched to the shorter acting version and I had the same issue. I was taking 20mg 3 times daily. I’m going to talk to my doctor about switching to something else that will last longer. Except for the issue with how long it lasts I was very happy with the results.

I was prescribed this in college and it helped my concentration and memory greatly. However on the days I don't need it, I get very dizzy and tired, so I guess I need it daily now.

Normally My brain is like a crowded office and all of the employees are yelling at each-other arguing over they believe is correct. They are unable to get anything accomplished due to the arguing. However once I take the Ritalin it’s like the boss comes out and demands everyone to get silent and gives them directions on how to collaborate together. Normally, it feels like my skeleton is uncomfortable in my skin. I can never relax and feel like I always have to do something and I’m always worrying. Once I take the Ritalin it feels like my body is aloud to calm down and I have the opportunity to be comfortable where I’m at. Normally, it feels like my heart is guarded and it’s very hard for me to feel gratitude , love and sadness. I have to really focus to feel these emotions but my thoughts often get in the way and I’m unable to feel them. However with Ritalin it once again calms the thoughts down and lightly lowers the walls around my heart. I’m more able to feel sympathy for people and feel love and loved. And I’m able to feel sadness and cry. So when I’m on the medication I’m able to breathe. I’m able to reflect and be more present in the moment. Unfortunately it does not last long , it takes about 45 minutes to kick in and lasts for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. And I can feel the anxiety returning, the uncomfortableness in my bones , my heart closing off and all the thoughts flooding back.

I have recently been diagnosed with ADHD and have started taking ritalin twice daily. For individuals such as myself with a very high IQ score (99th percentile), it is very hard to get an ADHD diagnosis as trends in the test results are congruent with those of ADHD but the raw data is overall much higher than typically expected. Although I already knew I had ADHD, it took me years to convince my parents that it was something we should look into, my school grades were always great and they had no reason to expect something different. I was just their talkative smart daughter. After taking ritalin I have noticed that I am able to stay focused at a higher lever for longer durations, leading to more work being done in less time and I now have more time for activities that i'd much rather be doing. This also benefits my mental health greatly. Before taking ritalin I would spend all of my time in school working twice as hard as my friends just to learn and focus at the same level, resulting in great levels of mental fatigue and recurrent bouts of depression. Now, I get home from school and I have the energy to do homework or go for a walk if I please. My overall energy levels are more regulated and I feel like I connect with my friends better. Although it hasn't been very long, so far my experience with ritalin has been very good.

I'm (15m) and everyone around me my whole life has thought that I have had severe ADHD but I have never been diagnosed up until a couple of weeks ago. I've been struggling with addiction to drugs for about the past year up until I started taking Ritalin. I've felt so much relief and it feels like a weight has been lifted off of me. Fighting addiction has been much easier since I started taking Ritalin because I'm not always looking for something to calm me down and get high on, I'm just already calm and don't feel the need to take anything else to calm me down. I have been doing a lot better in school and I'm starting to follow through with things I'm supposed to do like homework, chores, etc. If you are a parent with a kid that has undiagnosed severe ADHD I'm begging you PLEASE just take them to the doctor.

I'm (33f) only a week into ADHD diagnosis and taking Ritalin so I might not be the best judge, being so new on the block, but all I feel is relief. Relief at having an official explanation for how I've been all my life and that it's not just all in my head (well you know what I mean), and relief that there's something that can help. I've settled on a dosage that works for me which is 20 mg/x2 on weekdays and 20 mg/x1 on weekends. I'm sleeping better and more at ease when I'm at rest, and while I haven't seen a jump in hyperactivity that I was warned about, instead the only way I can describe it is that I have will power and I am able to do things because my mind now says "I can do that" instead of the loud chorus of "I should do that/I need to do that/Why aren't I doing that" and all the rest all at once I would get in the past. I wouldn't say things are perfect - the social anxiety and avoiding things is still around which sucks because one of my biggest dramas is refusing to go into the office, but I feel better and calmer than before, i'm in the office more and it doesn't suck, I'm no longer falling asleep at my desk, I'm slowly getting more things done around the house like clearing my floordrobe, and I can see light at the end of this thing. Diagnosis in my country (NZ) is hard and long so it's pretty rare, and rarer in adults, and rarer still in women, but we are seeing growth. I only know one other woman's experience on Ritalin and she is undiagnosed due to the high cost and time constraints. I had to get a referral from my GP who first tried me on Sertraline which was horrible, before sending me to a psychiatrist. ADHD diagnosis and psychiatric care is not funded here so the process so far has cost me around $1500 and counting just in the past few months, but finding Ritalin has been worth it, and while I know it won't be the case for everyone, I hope other women in my country read this and get the help they need.

First I’m 71 years old and I finally diagnosed myself about 4 to 5 years ago. At an appointment I told my Doctor that I think I have ADD. I told him my symptoms and he agreed with me. I started on Concerta 35 mg twice a day. Then I increased to 2 35mg tabs in the AM and 1 more mid afternoon but that soon wasn’t enough. I did learn that the generic forms didn’t work as well. The only thing that worked was the name brand. After a few years I switched to Ritalin. While I felt different it seemed to help a lot. After a few weeks I noticed that I was following thru on projects & chores. My biggest problem was putting things off and it makes me wonder how different things would have been if I started taking this back when I was in school. I always put off homework or reports and by High school I didn’t get very good grades. I say that I had ADD because I wasn’t hyperactive at all.

Ritalin (Methylphenidate) is the only drug that relieves my (Treatment Resistant Depression) TRD, I had an Rx for 60 mg Daily, then I switched to Concerta 54 mg, Focalin 10 mg BID and Focalin ER 20 mg Daily. It was comparable but not the same. Now I’m on Vyvanse 70 mg, it helps me concentrate but does nothing for my TRD. I have to go back on Methylphenidate or Dexmethylphenidate.

I Narcolepsy & have been taking Methylphenidate (AKA Ritalin) in 20mg pill form for over 40 years, since 1982. These have helped a great deal, especially during my USAF career. I've never had any problems with this medication, though it takes a bit to get use to the first time using it. It's not bad, a little rush feeling, but that goes away after about a month. For me it was controlling talking or explaining projects, like others I tend to over explain or talk a lot in conversations using this medication, I had to learn to control that or tell the person I was explaining a project to, to stop me if I was going overboard, that it wouldn't hurt my feelings and told them not to feel bad because it was the medication I was taking. It is one of the minor side effects you need to get use to. But I found that people are usually good about it when I tell them how the medication effects me and it is okay to tell me they got it and I can stop. After Leaving the USAF I had one great Doctor over at the VA that told me this was about the best and least expensive med for my condition. He told me the newer meds all use Methylphenidate but are combined with other meds that do basically the same thing but will have a time release, or could cause other problems, or work on different parts of the brain. Thing is they are more expensive to do basically the same thing Methylphenidate does. I have been on some of these other medications and for me they don't work half as good. In fact I had major problems sleeping at night with the 12 hour time released ones, another one gave me depression and one spiked my blood pressure. So for me this works better than anything else I've tried. Every time I see a new drug on the market or another Doctor tells me there is a better medication I should try, I get suspicious. When I look up the side effects, they are always worse that the plain meds I'm taking now. So after the experiences I had with a few of the newer meds for Narcolepsy, I will not take them and I tell the Doc "If it works, don't fix it". To me the Drug Corporations are always looking for something new to push, some are fantastic and others are nothing more than a rebranding of the meds that have been out for decades, at a higher price to try and make more money off of something that costs less and does the same job. Over the years, I've learned not to trust drug corporations or Doctors that push somethng new, especially the younger Doc's. I always question, get a second opinion and research the medications they are giving me. If the Doctor doesn't like that then they are in the wrong profession and I consider them dangerous. If any drug company doesn't like what I wrote, that is their problem, because they gave me good reason not to trust them. Well that's my 5 cents worth. But always listen to your Doctor and your gut. It is a good thing to get a second or third opinion if something doesn't feel right or the medication is giving you problems. Do some of your own research too so your are better informed, can ask the right questions so you and your Doctor can make the right health decisions that are best for you.

It took a bit of trial and error to find dosage that worked for me and I almost gave up after trying higher doses and that made me agitated. When we got the dosage right it was almost as if someone had flicked a switch and turned my “old brain” back on! When I take it I’m able to cope with noisy or busy environments and can function almost as well as I did before my injury. Without it I still struggle with fatigue after short bursts of focus and find noisy/busy environments overwhelming. My function has continued to improve as I’ve continued taking it.

My son, then 9 years, was forced on Ritalin by the school and who also gave it to him without my consent. I tried to stop them. but just keep on giving it to him. After about 3 weeks the package was finished and ask me to get another packet. I refused for by that time the child had lost almost 3 kg in weight, no appetite and in a complete zombie state. No interest in anything and very low response. Not sure what the Ritalin strength was what they gave him, but taken the effects in consideration, it was too strong for him. I took him out of that school and start to feed him vitamins to build up his strength which took almost a year to take effect. He never gained weight and never had a good appetite in his life which ended 5 years after the insident after developing scrilose at age of 13. He died of lung and organ failure at age 15 which test results close to what serious effects that can be caused by Ritalin. Pretty sure he showed a serious allergic reaction to the drug for he was never tested if he can take the drug. Seems the drug buggered up his health and he never recovered from it. Now nobody wants to take the blame for it and I'm just told that it couldn't have been caused by Ritalin. Just take his health before the drugs and after and anybody will agree what caused it.

Ritalin 20mg was the first ADHD stimulant medication I tried after my re-diagnosis in Oct 2022. It didn’t really work very well for me. It kicked in quickly but only last 3 hours. The crash after wear off was awful. I had headaches, vision disturbances, lack of appetite, restless sleeping patterns, and mood swings. So after a month, my ADHD meds were changed. The good did NOT outweigh the bad.

I’m 15 yo trans male. Been on Vyvanse for 1 year or so. Switched to Ritalin 3 weeks ago, 30mg. No change other than being unable to focus and tics were worse. Moved up to 40mg a few days ago and my depression is worse, anxiety is worse, I’m simultaneously emotionally drained and unstable, constantly hungry, gaining weight, and having frequent breakdowns and meltdowns. My parents don’t believe me so I’m f*cked until my follow up appointment.

i am 32 years old and have a very strong case of ADHD i had never taken Ritalin before today and i have never felt better in my life, i have notice a lot of thing that feel better in myself than i have whlist taking ritalin, i wouldnt turn back to not having them as its made life much better and more focused and made me feel more comfortable to be me

I self administer Ritalin according to my needs. When I take the drug I’ll be able to accomplish in 45 minutes what would normally take me al day to work through. I am not a fan of the come down as it makes me crabby and extra hungry so I don’t medicate every day, only when I really need a boost of productivity for work. My lifestyle allows me to be unproductive and distracted a lot of the time, so I am lucky to not need to take it every day, but when I was working a standard 9-5 and when I was at school I took it regularly, and the difference in my ability to concentrate and work was noticeable - when I take it people make comments how peaceful and relaxed I am. Just having time moving at a consistent, steady pace makes all the difference in the world. Dry mouth and loss of appetite were the most common side effects for me.

I keep reading reviews talking about how bad Ritalin is. Let me just put it this way. I am 48 and was recently diagnosed with ADHD/combined. The Ritalin has resolved ALL of my mental issues (including anxiety and depression). What were 48 untreated years like? I was in a constant state of anxiety. My mind constantly raced with self-hating thoughts. Every. Last. Task. Took. So. Much. Emotional. Resolve. To. Start. Or. Complete. The past few years I have contemplated suicide just to stop the emotional pain. I now struggle with serious regret over what my life could have been had I been diagnosed and treated many decades ago. The risks if NOT treating ADHD are far worse than the potential dangers of the medication itself. I have only been on Ritalin for 4 days - but they have been the best 4 days of my entire life. I LOVE feeling calm, cool, collected, and with enough energy to do anything. I do not miss being constantly tired, apathetic towards everything, chronically forgetful, and clinically depressed with severe social anxiety disorder. This medication is a MIRACLE for me.

I have ADD and ADHD. I am on Lexapro for anxiety and take 20mg of Ritalin per day. I must be one of the lucky ones, as Ritalin has worked well for me so far after having been on it for 3 months. It has made a huge difference to my daily functioning- concentration, calmness and sense of well being. My family (wife and 4 adult children) have all commented on how much better I seem. I don't have an addiction problem, and if I thought I was becoming addicted, I would stop taking it immediately. But, I understand why some users report an addictive quality to the drug. It does sometimes produce a slight euphoria, which is very pleasant. I am fully aware of this and to counter this, I usually take half a dose (5mg) four times a day rather than 10mg twice a day. To help with tolerance to the drug, I usually take one or two days off from the ritalin. I don't really like it, but I do it to keep me 'unaddicted' as well. I grateful that a drug like this exists. There are no signs of the 'meltdown moments' I constantly used to experience. Looking back at some of my texts over the years remind me I don't want to be that person ever again! I feel like more functional person now...my true self.

People with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD) are suggested with Drugs like Ritalin in the name of Medications, at a very small age like 7. Where it is not their choice to accept it or not, because of this they get addicted to it for their whole life. It should be stopped because we can stop this in initial phase only, once it become the need of the patient, it is very hard for anyone to leave this. I better suggest this to parents to not give this drug to their kids, better go for some other treatments. And the one's that are addicted should break their dosage from time to time to get rid of this. I know how it feels to live your life on some drug.

Ritalyn has helped me so much with my ADHD and helped me function much better in all aspects of life

I'm on day 5 of this medication. Ritalin 10mg in the morning. From next week I start 20mg in the morning so I'll update this review as time goes on. I was recently diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with classic symptoms. From day 1 I noticed about an hour after taking the medication it felt like a fog lifted from my mind. I could focus more clearly and actually get things done, my memory seems better, I can recall people's names and my vocabulary improves as before words were just lost sometimes in my head. I take the medication around 9am. By about 6pm I feel the fog starting to settle back in. So far the only unsettling side effect is racing mind when I'm trying to sleep. But it hasn't made me any more tired even though I'm getting less sleep. Next week my dose goes up to 20mg and 2 weeks after that it'll be 20mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon. I'll keep you posted...