Drug Ratings for RITALIN-SRAverage Rating: 3.5 (36 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR RITALIN-SR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 3 | adhd | loss of appetite,infrequent meltdowns when drug wears off at end of day. | M | 9 | 9 months 20 1X D | 3/8/2011 | 1 | For having no function/drive | Felt as if bugs were crawling all over my body. Major 'head and spinal' zaps throughout the day. Out of control anxiety.I felt emotionless, zombie like, could not cry, could not laugh, life was MISERABLE! In fact it was sheer hell! Lots of eye, mouth and jaw tiks too. | Was encouraged to try this med to give me that 'get up and go' motivation.Within 24 hours I was constantly suicidal with the darkest, most horrific thoughts going through my brain. Decided that rather than jump out my 5th floor window, I would stop taking the Med's.Within days I started to feel more like a human being. A am absolutely *horrified* that this particular POISON is already given to very young children who's brains do not stop growing until they are in their early twenties! Seems criminal to me! I actually thought that the Psych Dr's somehow knew better. Now I realize the MONUMENTAL mistake I made as my anxiety levels are now totally out of control 24/7. The insomnia is still chronic, two years after going off the med. I have become reclusive, anti-social and when in a crowd of friends, make an incredible fool of myself as I say the most inappropriate things out of the blue. Something which NEVER happened to me before the Methylfenadate. Yes,lost weight but swopped that for major gastric and balance problems. Take very expensive life long P.P.I drugs now.(Apparently just another one of many possible side effects of this drug.) I CRY for the person I used to be before Methylphenidate. It's a devil drug & needs to disappear off the earth! | F | 53 | 16 months 10mg 1X D | 8/4/2010 | 3 | Trouble concentrating at work | (Good) First day I felt sharper, more sociable and talkative. I was able to pay far more attention to details or anything I saw or heard. (Bad) After a while I felt like I couldnt stop focusing on everything around me, Felt paranoid that people were looking at me which was weird, sometimes when I breath I feel like my chest is not expanding fully, a bit of anxiety at certain times that I need to remind myself it is the drug... Eating and drinking is big (Feel very messed up if I'm low on energy due to hunger and all symptoms are intensified. | I'm testing this stuff out for what I feel is inattentive add. The second day I'm on it today, I really didnt notice any of the positive side-effects from the day before, but I still got the chest breathing thing and the insomnia. If I don't sleep tonight that will be 3 nights without proper sleep and I think I need to get off of it. Its too bad, because I feel like it is helping me concentrate at work and talk with people better. | M | 27 | 2 days 20 mg 1X D | 6/29/2010 | 4 | ADHD | BAD: dry mouth. Stomach pains, go away once I've eaten but come back later on that night. No appetite but still have my usual cravings. Calmed my down alot and made me concentrate on one thing at a time. Calmed my depression down and stress level isnt as high. | I have tried many differents drugs for all the problems I have. This time I hit two problems with one stone. I am happy with the drug. | F | 21 | 3 months 10 1X D | 5/7/2010 | 3 | Add | Upset stomach and hemmorids - makes it painful to think about eating, but I cannot take this med without eating or I fall asleep right away. I have to drink more water when on this medication. Also I take a break from it on weekends, as I find the build up makes me cry. All in all, I am very, very, calm, and the hyper-vigilance is gone and I am able to direct my attention properly without excessive displays of anxiety. | Wow, I have to wonder why nobody has never given me this drug before. It makes me wonder if I would never have lost a job, or walked away from a job due to boredom. I had a head injury in 1993, and from there everything changed and I became depressed, a changed person, inattentive, quick to anger, and unable to focus- debilitating anxiety. Now I am 40 and and things are going very well, and I am entering a third career and I feel very settled for the first time ever. | F | 41 | 30 days 3-4 3X D | 5/5/2010 | 4 | ADHD(subtype innattentive, aka ADD) | I get depressed unless I take a drug holiday. I am probably going to have to take a couple consecutive days off a week and let it clear, otherwise the symptoms will persist. (according to my doctor) | I started taken this in the 7th and 8th grade and then stopped and did not start up again until I was about 31 years old. My brother also took this as a kid and he hated it and finally refused it. I think if a kid does not want to take it they should not have to. It very much helped me with school as a kid. I did not feel any jitters. I felt very normal on it and like one normally should. My brother did not. Parents use common sense and ask the question "is he more happy with it"! | M | 35 | 6 years | 1/13/2010 | 4 | ADD | Shaky hands and blurred vision @ times. (Rare: Deeper than normal hyper-focus) | Behavior modification contributed a great deal to my progress and was made possible with the use of Ritalin. Initially started on Ritalin short acting but it was very difficult to dose and schedule without high points and resulting crashes throughout the day. Switched to Ritalin SR, again had to experiment with timing and doses but was worth the effort. Excellent effects on focus and ability to follow a schedule. Impulsiveness has improved but not resolved. Additionally, new ability to cope with major change without going into a month long anxiety. | F | 43 | 6 months | 11/30/2009 | 4 | ADHD | So strange - it works great, sometimes I crave cigarettes sometimes I don't, I am surely more focused and get my work done, I sometimes hyper focus on projects which causes a lack of sleep... lately I have been getting delayed side effects. Like 3 hours after my last dose I get shaky, VERY dizzy and sometimes my hands tingle and I get a headache... any thoughts why this would be happening so late in the game? I have taken the medicine for over a year now. I make sure I am hydrated and have eaten a large meal also, yet I have been stil having these effects lately. | F | 26 | 1.5 years | 10/23/2009 | 5 | Dry mouth mostly now | I have been taking this drug since 1993. In the beginning it was a bit of a nightmare; insomnia, manic behavior, irritability, aggression and really horrific dry mouth. After we got my dosage correct it has been heaven. I went from failing out of college 3 times – yes 3 times, to graduation with honors and am now getting an MBA. In my experience the best thing you can do with this drug is to take it on a very consistent schedule. Taking it on an erratic schedule really is a recipe for disaster. This drug has saved me from spending my life in frustrating loop of unfinished thoughts and incomplete hopes and dreams… | M | 36 | 16 years | 10/9/2009 | 5 | ADD | Insomnia, mild mood swings, no hunger or thirst. | For me, studying for a bachelors degree in engineering, Ritalin is a lifesaver. My first semster I got very close to be kicked out cause of low grades, next semster I got mediocre grades but at the expense of cancelling all that you can call social interaction. This was before I was diagnosed. Now I can really focus on my school, I learn faster, better and managed to cram 4 weeks of work into 1 week. Ultimately, giving me an edge on my fellow classmates. Because I can get my papers done faster, I got time to be social again, and Ritalin actually makes me wanna socialize with people. I've gotten my energy levels up to the roof, and I'm started lifting weights and martial arts. Two of my hobbies I had to cancel to get by school. I dont want to make Ritalin the Wünderwaffe who will turn your life around, but for me,personally, I doing very good atm. | M | 27 | 1 weeks | 9/8/2009 | 4 | ADHD | change in personality, made me more of a boring person | much better at concentrating and produced much better work | F | 21 | 6 months | 8/10/2009 | 4 | Adult ADD | Dry mouth, spaciness, weird body heat inconsistency (hot/cold), insomnia, stomach cramps | This was fourth ADD drug I tried and so far it is the best. I am on low dose (20mg) as I'm sensitive to everything. First week was best, felt totally like myself but calmer, more focused, less emotionally reactive. Now after 10 days I am having a little trouble sleeping, have dry mouth, sometimes stomach cramps, and feel spacey. However it is hard to remember to eat/drink on this drug, it suspends all those urges, and the side effects are better when I do remember. Just try to stay ahead of the drug and eat/drink anyway. If I take it 10am or after I can't sleep until around 2am. Half-life is long in me. Still, this is saving my job and relationships, so HOORAY. I worry about creativity but couldn't finish stuff before anyway...would be nice to follow through. | F | 35 | 15 days | 2/15/2009 | 2 | Concentration problems (1975) | Virtually everything associated with a common day Methamphetimine addict: Picking skin off fingers, horrific stomach cramps, instant switches from being outgoing and lively to a strong withdrawl and oftentimes depression. Eating also affected in a dangerous manner caused rapid weight changes, usually in negative fluctuations. | I was given this drug back in 1975 and kept on it until 1983, when I finally refused to take it. The ensuing result was my life actually improving. While there is a need for this drug in limited cases (which I also have seen after working 13 years in the juvenile probation department and seen very acute hyperactivity in some probationers), oftentimes it seems to be misprescribed as a quick fix by a number (certainly not all) of parents and some doctors that obviously wish to please their clients. In many ways, this drug stole a great deal of my youth away due to not medically following up on the side effects coupled with a desire for a child that paid more attention. I would get three concurring opinions from three different doctors before I would ever consider putting my child on this, or a similar medication. | M | 41 | 8 years | 12/21/2008 | 1 | add | i was given this drug very young, i forced to take it for about 8 years 3 times a day at max strength, i stop taking them when i wzas about 12 or 13 maybe a little older hard to remember, i now i have to what i believe to be a long term side effect, some mentel problems, sucj as memeroy loss, forget words, i get shakey, there is alot that is druf did. | i beleive this drug should be banned, how can you give it to a kid because they are hyper or can't focus???? THERE KIDS!!! | M | 24 | 8 years | 11/21/2008 | 5 | SPD with Autisitc Traits | Loss of specific food cravings!!! Weight Loss!!! | Rating for my 8yr old son... He was recently diagnosed as Global Developemental Delay and SPD which is Sensory Processing Disorder with Autisitc Traits. He has always had a very hard time with the SPD as it's hard for them to function. Its like trying to keep a dying car working properly on the road. Anyway, he was prescribed Ritalin SR for the first time 2 months ago. Immediately we noticed an improvement. There were no tantrums that day, he did not scream when his siblings touched him. Then after a week I asked him why he liked his medication and he said it helps him think. I was against medicating him for so long as I worked in pharmacy 15 years and heard all the horror stories! Well, he has lost about 10lbs THANKFULLY! He's 4'10" and was 126lbs with a 34" waist and is now down to 116lb and 32"! For him the loss is great but we make sure he gets plenty of nutrition. We have talked with his teachers and they say he is doing very well. He has been increa | M | 8 | 60 days | 4/11/2008 | 1 | M | | 3/17/2008 | 4 | Adult ADHD | Insomnia | I like the product, it helps with focus and feel better overall. The only problem is laying in bed from 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM before falling to sleep. | M | 18 | 5 months | 10/18/2007 | 5 | Adult ADD | None | I tried the Ritalin SR but preferred the 'punch' from the regular Ritalin. I would prefer to take the generic for cost reasons but found that the brand was more effective. I take 20mg in the morning and another 20 in the afternoon if I have something in particular to do. The Ritalin helps me organize, prioritize and read and respond better to social cues. I began Ritalin in September, 2004. I'd lost my job and had a child to support; while I wasn't depressed, I was overcome with anxiety and couldn't concentrate on the very thing I needed to do, that is, to get a job. The difference was dramatic. Within the same day I calmed down and could focus. My psychotherapist had been encouraging me to investigate Adult ADD. I finally did, when I couldn't figure out what else to do; I was desparate. Together with my psychotherapist, the Ritalin changed my life. For me, these are the essential partners. I couldn't have done it without the combination. | F | 62 | 3 years | 9/13/2007 | 5 | ADD | None, perhaps a bit of appetite supression but nothing that is interfering with my life | To respond to the last comment, there are several types of ADD. Not all who have ADD are hyper, in fact, that is only one type of ADD. Many people, particularly women, suffer from hypoactivity which makes them sluggish and always out of it. They are unable to focus properly because they are constantly falling into a daydreaming state and their mind just floats from subject to subject rather than focusing on what needs to be done. For these people, which includes me, Ritalin-SR has been a life saver. I am finally able to keep my mind focased and thus have been able to maintain a steady job for 4 years and buy my own home. I am going back to grad school this winter. I have tried many antidepressants for my ADD, but it was Dr. Amen's book on the 6 types of ADD that made me try Ritalin-Sr. It is the best thing that ever happened to me. | F | 36 | 3 days | 8/13/2007 | 4 | adult add | Appetite suppressant, often hard to time doses right, I have to be careful with caffeine now that I take it. | I did alot of research before giving in and trying Ritalin for being Adult ADD. in my field, which is sales, being ADD is very common. what i had not realized is that for many years (including college) I had been using caffeine to try to counter the ADD naturally. If you are truely ADD, caffeine has a similer effect to ritalin in that it allows you to focus and does almost nothing to wake you up. If i had 12 diet mountain dews in a 10 hour period I might get the rush other people take for granted. But it also allowed me to study for 12 hours straite to pass classes so I wasnt complaining. I just kept quite about how caffeine never effected me how everyone said it would. The ritalin is the same. If ritalin does not calm you down, then ask yourself if caffeine does, if neither do, then likely you are NOT ADD. For me Ritalin is 60% good, 40% bad. With paperwork and being focused at work and studying and such its a God send. HOwever for fast thinking on my feet, for multi tasking, for thin | F | 39 | 4 months | 3/21/2007 | 4 | ADD | (continuation) | Insomnia: Oops, you shouldn't have taken it less than 5 hours before sleep. Usually the ritalin will make me stress outabout anything I can think of. If you are trying to sleep, don't think about any bad thoughts or anything you have to do the next day. Try to picture something relaxing and keep a fan in the room. shaky hands: If you don't eat enough before you take the pill, they will shake like crazy and you get dizzy. So eat! And if you forgot, try to force something down your throat anyway (even though eating is almost painful)-it will make you feel way way better. Overall, I think ritalin is great, I probably would have failed out of college by now without it. Plus it is much better than adderall. My roomate takes adderall and it is much more intense and will crash you very hard, it can turn you into a bit of a crackhead and it is very addictive. | F | 22 | 6 years | 1/26/2007 | 4 | ADD | Bad: dry mouth and dehydration, craving cigarettes, lack of sense of humor, extreme slugishness when pill wears off in afternoon, anxiety - also sometimes I get way too focussed on something unimportant and can't stop (like surfing the net or absolutely having to finish an impossible math problem for 3 hours, even though I know I should move on and be productive)-slight paranoia, shaky hands(this is bad because I work in a chem lab haha) Good: Able to focus in class, good for studying and working in academic environment(all-nighters), better at math and problem solving, I don't fidget and squirm as much, it is easier to look people stright in the eye and to actually hear what they are saying. Great cure for laziness. I also have great philisophical conversations b/c it's easier for me to connect ideas. I don't zone out and daydream anymore. When I don't take it for a few days I sometimes go off into lala land and you can scream my name but I won't hear you. (However, this is a favo | They diagnosed my twin brother and I when we were kids (ADD is common among premature babies)I took it in grade school, and then started again at the end of high school when classes got hard. Of course ritalin is great to have in college, but be careful! Lots of people will offer you money around finals week, or steal it from you. Here is my advice to anyone with similar side effects as me: Dry mouth: Drink lots of water, duh. Drink a full glass with the pill and a couple more throughout the day. Try to stay away from coffee and pop, unless you drink water right before. extreme sluggishness: make sure you take your second pill of the day BEFORE the first wears off, otherwise the lag will take an hour out of your day. Don't forget to keep drinking water (gatorade is awesome too). If you don't take a second pill, then drink 1 cup of coffe around lag time and screw the dehydration thing. Paranoia: Take a deep breath, you probably won't care once the drug wears off. Insom | F | 22 | 6 years | 1/26/2007 | 4 | Adult ADD | Positive: -Increased concentration; increased alertness;decreased appetite; weight loss; increased bowel movements (decreased constipation - a problem I have always had); increased libido (I take Zoloft as well, which has left me with practically no sex drive, so the ritalin really helps counter those effects) Negative: -Jittery; increased heartrate; fear of addiction; (comes with increased happines - not quite euphoria, but I definitely enjoy what I'm doing more when I'm on the Ritalin) insomnia; terrible headaches; fear of long-term health consequences; sometimes I get overly-focused on something that is not what I am intending to do (i.e. posting on this board instead of writing a paper.) It's not the same distraction that I have without the ritalin (b/c I am not distracted while posting) but I get overly concentrated on the "wrong thing" (i.e. i don't take time to prioritize before i take the ritalin, so I get caught up in whatever i start to do once I take it.) | I am on the generic brand; I tried the name brand but did not notice a difference in either positive or negative side effects, so I went with generic for cost-effectiveness. I take 20mg every four hours, and I am wondering if a smaller dose would decrease my headaches. I have tried extended release, but because I have such an irregular schedule, I need to be able to concentrate in short bursts. However, the slight Overall, the benefits much outweigh the negatives for me; I am actually able to get my work done; this has been a lifesaver in graduate school. | F | 24 | 1 years | 11/10/2006 | 5 | EDS related to sleep apnea | Increased sweating. Slight temporary blood pressure increase. | Helps keep me awake while driving and during boring meetings. Worked better for me than provigil and a lot lower cost. | M | 41 | 4 months | 9/8/2006 | 1 | ADHD | The popular ADHD drug Ritalin used by millions of Americans has been linked to linked to heart attacks, strokes, hypertension and sudden deaths. | M | 29 | | 6/30/2006 | 5 | Depression | Weight loss, slightly elevated blood pressure. Euphoria on first dose. | I am morbidly obese--started generic at 300 lbs. I came out of my deep depression the next day. I was unable to do any exercise, now I can do everything,I've lost 25 lbs. Been on it for 2 months. I too am aware of risks, but I have my life back. Everyone that sees me says I look great and that I'm a totally new woman. I want to loose more weight and start cardio fitness as soon as I get over an upper respiratory illness. I had surgery last month and was feeling great and walking within an hour. Recovery was quick. No more joint pain, great energy--what's not to like? | M | 53 | 2 months | 6/13/2006 | 3 | Narcolepsy/Cataplexy | Dry mouth. Really out of it at first. Loss of appetite, so I've lost weight. I'm having trouble with getting the timing down. Sometimes it starts to wear off before I take another dose, in which case I get extremely sleepy. I had been taking Cylert for the past 12 years, but it has been discontinued. Not sure if I'm liking the alternative (Ritalin). | F | 34 | 30 days | 5/22/2006 | 5 | Depression | My antidepressants just stopped working and my MD added this plus wellbutrin to my lexapro.IT has worked very well. keeps me alert at all times. | M | 45 | 2 days | 1/9/2006 | 1 | add | rage, homicidal | I am writing for two friends who tried it. The first did well 1 year but then just went nuts, tried to run people off the road numerous times, turned on parents and went homicidal. The other just lost all touch with reality, couldnt eat, couldnt sleep, full of anger. VERY BAD STUFF. but they were on 20 mg instead of the lesser doses. | M | 16 | 1 years | 11/13/2005 | 5 | Add as an adult | None as of yet. | This drug has helped me tremendously! I am a much calmer, focused person now. | M | 36 | 12 days | 9/26/2005 | 4 | ADD | Dry mouth (xerostomia), loss of appetite. | Ritalin is great for my ADD symptoms. It does EVERYTHING it's supposed to do. It slowed down my brain so I could function like a normal human being. (I can think about one thing at a time instead of 12!!!) It's like I was stuck in fast-forward, while everything around me went unbearably slow, and the ritalin fixed that. BUT... It makes my mouth so dry I want to rip my throat out and throw it at someone!!!! And appetite??? I don't have one. I cannot tell the difference between being unbearably full and completely starved. Today I had like 3 grapes for breakfast, and then at 8pm I realized that I hadn't eaten all day. So I ate dinner. I wasn't hungry, but I just thought I should probably eat something. I guess I don't really mind this, because I don't exactly NOTICE forgetting to be hungry... But it might be an issue for people who aren't used to it. (I've been on ridiculously high doses of ritalin since i was 9) | F | 21 | 12 years | 7/24/2005 | 1 | ADD | Neverousness, jitters, convulsions, insomnia, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. | Lets give a 10 year old kid who can't concentrate amphetamines. Great idea. I was on this drug from the ages of 9 to 14. Probably the worst years of my life. When I complanied to the perscribing md, he put me on the extended release version. Thanks doc. Please do not give this drug to your children because they are not doing well in school. I was so nervous I started smoking when I was 14. My life and performance improved 100% after I refused to take this garbage any longer. I credit this drug for my current anxiety disorder | M | 25 | 5 years | 10/8/2004 | 4 | ADD | Headaches | MOre focused better preformance in school more able to study harder academic material | M | 30 | 4 months | 10/2/2004 | 5 | ADD | Decrease in creativity, loss of appetitite, slightly increased heart rate. | Ritalin has always worked for me. I went off a couple of times in college, and the only times my GPA was low was when I was off. Now that I am working, I find I can contribute even more than normal when taking the Ritalin. I don't take it on the weekends, unless I am working on research. I have NEVER experienced any withdrawl symptoms. My doc warned of them, but nothing. I believe that the Ritalin is what keeps me on track, and I always feel motivated when on it. Its just too bad that too many abuse it, and I have to go to my doctors monthly to refill. | F | 24 | 16 years | 7/3/2004 | 2 | ADD, no Hyperactivity | Slightly dry mouth | At first I thought I noticed an increase in focus, at 20mg. This lasted a day or two. After 3 days, increased it to 40mg, and noticed almost no difference from the 20mg. If there is improvement, it is subtle. Or perhaps it simply doesn't work for me. | F | 31 | 7 days | 3/22/2004 | 3 | insomnia, appetite loss | M | 17 | 6 years | 8/13/2001 |
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