RITALIN Reviews (METHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.4 (214 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare RITALIN with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on RITALIN: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR RITALIN | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | ADDHD Adult | I had to write, because I think that anyone who has actually suffered with ADD or related conditions, knows that we are not looking to be addicted to anything. I am so sick of reading about how everyone abuses ritalin. and we are all just a bunch of druggies who just want to feel sorry for ourselves. For almost 50 years I refused to admit to ADD, from the old school, I did not believe there was anything "like that". If I only prayed harder or stopped feeling sorry for myself, it would get better, soon always soon. Until I started taking Ritalin, I was just a mess, that is all I can say. Low self-esteem, always wishing I was dead, never sticking with anything, never having a focus, always feeling like I could not think straight, and feeling guilty because I felt that way, why was I lazy, why didn't I try harder, why do I ruin everything, why am I a failure. After Ritalin, things just don't seem so overwhelming, I feel like a person who can do at least something, I feel | 53 | 1 years 10 1X day | 6/2/2011 | 5 | | 8/12/2004 | 5 | hypersomnia/narcolepsy | Some appetite loss, weight loss, jitters, sleeplessness (if taken too late) | 39 | 3 years 10mg/3x | 3/16/2014 | 4 | add | | 12/10/2003 | 3 | | 5/29/2008 | 3 | | 9/25/2008 | 1 | Chronic Fatigue | increased heart rate, heart palpitations, dizziness/vertigo, headache, nausea, nervousness | My doctor prescribed this to me to see if it would help with chronic fatigue I had been experiencing. I am very sensitive to medications so usually I would be nervous about trying something new, but I know young children frequently take this drug, so I figured "how bad can it be". I certainly have felt worse from other medications, but this one was definitely a bad experience. I only tried it 4 times. I would take one 10mg pill each time (my doctor told me to take 10mg 3x daily...thank goodness I did not!). My heart rate would always skyrocket. I am an endurance athlete and work out 7 days a week for at least 90 minutes each session (my chronic fatigue had been interfering with my workouts which is the main reason I was so eager to find something to help). Usually my resting heart rate is very low, between 55-65 beats per minute. Each time I took Ritalin my heart rate would go up to about 150 beats per minute which was terrifying. I would get extremely nervous (I am | 31 | 4 days | 12/20/2008 | 1 | THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH A SOCIETY THAT DRUGS IT'S CHILDREN AND FUTURE. | | 5/24/2002 | 1 | I was ADHD im afema | 1 days | 12/31/2011 | 5 | ADD, OCD, ODD | Dry Mouth Really Bad, rotting teeth (falling out), Lack of sleep, Weight loss (which is good for me) | Changed my life and I wouldnt be without it, Down side is all the side affects apart from weight loss...after 8 years my mouth is still dry and my teeth are decaying badly! Wasnt Diaganosed till i was 16 as no-one belived i had ADD only my family, In the End went to ADD/ADHD private clinic in Horsham as was diagnosed stright away. Was on My Tablets from 16 - 21 and then i hit a downer in my life, but i have just sorted myself out and am now back on my meds properly...I MEAN THIS IF YOU NEED THESE TABLETS THEN TAKE THEM dont do what i did and mess your self up. I am also on Concerta XL and Clonidine | F | 24 | 8 years 30MG x 6 3X day | 3/14/2012 | 5 | ADD | Jittery, occasional slight heartburn, racing heartbeat, decreased anxiety, improved sleep, dependence/tolerance... | I took this for a month and was very happy. Finally, for once in my life, I could concentrate! Say I was going to do something today and know that it would get done! I also experienced a decrease in anxiety, focus on the present so much that I'd forget the past more easily, and it normalized my sleep pattern. For the first time in my life, I was going to sleep at the same time every night, and it was by midnight, and waking up at the same time every morning. While I was waiting to get my Ritalin, my housemate offered me to try some Adderall IR 10mg. I tried that and ultimately thought it was better than Ritalin with its slight euphoria and less jitters/heartburn. Adderall turned out horribly in long-term, and my psych wanted me on XR, which was even worse than IR (I did XR 30days, then IR 30days). Then psych put me on Concerta when I asked to go back on Ritalin. Fail. I asked to go back on Ritalin again, and my psych starts telling me that if XRs don't work for me, I must not have ADD after all (she's the one who diagnosed me!!!), so she put me on Wellbutrin for depression instead (I told her I wasn't depressed!). Wellbutrin scares the crap outta me, and I just want to get back on Ritalin. Experimentation has now cost me another year of my life wasted. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! | F | 24 | 30 days 5 MG 2X day | 8/13/2013 | 5 | Depression- eating disorder | Worked Wonders - Has helped me control my appetite- improves my mood and abilty to function and has given me a new enthusiasm for my life.. There are periods of ups and downs during the day tho' when the dose starts to wear down and I'm sometimes tempted to increase the dose on my own and this concerns me - dont want to be come an abuser. | F | 50 | 4 months 10 mg 2X day | 11/17/2011 | 5 | Narc/dep | None | F | 38 | 8 months 20mg 2xD | 12/3/2011 | 5 | ADD/ADHD | Well, when I was about 5 i was put on ritalin for my adhd. I would always scratch and pick at sores. or even scratch until i MADE sores especially on my scalp. it was just like, if i felt a bump anywhere, i wanted it gone, and i would spend hours scratching. yet, my grades improved so much as well as my behavior. I was taken off of ritalin at about 10th grade. I was put on conserta. everything was still the same but i didn't itch. now, at 20 years old, i still take conserta during the day, but i take 10 mg ritalin as needed to help me with school work in the evenings. and I've been scratching like crazy again. i didn't realize that it may have been the ritalin causing this until just a few hours ago. | F | 20 | 15 years 10 1X AN | 12/6/2011 | 5 | ADD | I am so calm. Ritalin is a miracle. but, drowsiness, appetite lose, and if on too high of a dosage, you will feel like a ZOMBIE!! | F | 14 | 3 years 30 MG | 9/4/2012 | 5 | ADHD/Depression | arthralgia (aching joints), possible thinning of hair (not sure about this one. I have noticed that my eyelashes seem thinner and shorter, but I don't know if that can be attributed to Ritalin or something else (I haven't taken my vitamins in about a year, a year in which I worked night shift=very hard on one's body...currently OFF night shift and JUST started taking vitamins again.) | I absolutely love Ritalin (aside from the side effects I mentioned). It has done wonders for my focus, motivation, and general ability to get things done. I think that if this medication is used as prescribed (I take it everyday, HOWEVER, if I am not working or otherwise doing something that involves a lot of concentration and/or focus I will take *medication holidays*) it will work beautifully. It should ONLY be prescribed to those of us who REALLY need it. It has improved my quality of life tremendously and I finally, for the most part, feel *normal.* I was on Adderall for two years prior and I feel Ritalin (IMO) is better overall. Adderall made me feel as though I was *on* something and worsened my depression/anxiety once it wore off. With Ritalin, I feel as though my anxiety is actually relieved and my depression is alleviated while on it. So far, so good. | F | 37 | 5 months 10mg 2X day | 4/2/2013 | 5 | Adult ADD | headaches, abdominal pain, insomnia, occasionally speediness, initially very groggy as dose wore off but only for about fifteen minutes then evened out. | Started 2 weeks ago, take 10mg @ 3-4 hours. Taking generic brand. I am 40 and have struggled to hold jobs all my life. Very bright, very hard time studying. Always saw it as a character issue. Got sober 15 years ago. Very, very happy in sobriety but very frustrated with unbelievably poor memory, concentration, emotional lability, very low energy. Advancing professionally, inadequacy of behavioral tools (time management, lists, et al) reaching crisis point; friend intervened, suggested I see doctor for diagnosis. Ritalin has changed my life. Am very scared of potential for addiction but cannot overstate how NORMAL i feel for the first time in my life. I can do what I see other people doing all the time. I do feel speedy sometimes which scares me. Dose total @40mg daily which is pretty standard. Goes against much I am taught in recovery but at this point I have found I have to make up my own mind on many issues (not alone, but solely responsible for decisions) and have been | F | 40 | 16 days | 11/17/2005 | 5 | Adult ADD | see review below | (continued from previous comments, below) ...point I have found I have to make up my own mind on many issues (not alone, but solely responsible for decisions) and have been ok past 8 years doing so. I can see potential for abuse but have no desire to abuse it because i don't want to lose this, i need it to work. I can think, i can concentrate, i can hold a train of thought for more then 10 seconds. I can sit through whole meetings. I can write again. I dont' feel like I use all my energy just managing my own brain and behavior through the whole day coming home exhausted. My work performance has turned around 180 percent. My boss now loves me. I love my job. I feel like I used to feel maybe 10 percent of the time on a really good day, like the clouds have parted and the sun is out in my brain, but instead of 10% it is 90% of my time. Oh, and my massive social anxiety and minor panic attacks have almost disappeared overnight. Instead of avoiding conflicts I am able to work them | F | 40 | 16 days | 11/17/2005 | 5 | Adult ADD | See above | (finished from above) Right now I am sticking the generic ritalin because i like that it is short-acting and can get out of my system fast, and i can monitor and control the levels closely. i don't mind having to take the pills more often. I am nervous about taking this stuff but it is a godsend as far as i'm concerned. I have to wonder how my life would have gone if i'd been diagnosed as a child and gotten the help i needed - not just meds, but if meds, so be it. so much self-hate, so much social rejection, so much failure, so much money wasted, so many school programs i flunked out of or quit, could have been avoided. by now i'd have a ph.d. because i would have been able to cope with the dissertation. it's sad, but my life is good, so i can accept this path. please don't dis ritalin for eveyone. also taking this way (10mg every 3 hours) instead of 20mg twice a day seems to eliminate the "spike" effect for me that is part of the addictiveness. no euphoric rush, jus | F | 40 | 16 days | 11/17/2005 | 5 | ADD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | none | ritalin really helped give me breakthrough the fatigue that was crippling me. | F | 31 | 6 years 20 3X day | 7/24/2011 |
RITALIN (METHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE): This medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ADHD. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain. Methylphenidate belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants. It can help increase your ability to pay attention, stay focused on an activity, and control behavior problems. It may also help you to organize your tasks and improve listening skills. This medication is also used to treat a certain sleep disorder (narcolepsy). (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)