Ritalin and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Jad...
• June 28, 2019

For ADHD "First off, it was horrible for me. I will never go back to Ritalin ever again. I was on 10mg of Ritalin and it lasted around 2 hours. It was the weirdest experience. I felt simultaneously euphoric, jittery and stimulated, but also lazy and just wanted to sleep (???). It did give me a strong boost of energy which lasted throughout the day. After 2 hours was when things got really bad. I guess this is the 'crash'. It made me horribly depressed, anxious, and filled with rage. The anxiety was so bad that every single thing I set eyes on would trigger me, like looking at the laundry basket filled with laundry. I also felt extremely anti-social and didn't want to talk to anyone, not even my husband. Finally towards the end of the night I would return to my normal self again, but you can imagine the emotional roller-coaster I experienced the entire day. I tried to brush it off and chalked it down to stress. But looking back now, I am 100% certain that it was all due to the Ritalin."

• Jad...
• June 28, 2019

For ADHD "First off, it was horrible for me. I will never go back to Ritalin ever again. I was on 10mg of Ritalin and it lasted around 2 hours. It was the weirdest experience. I felt simultaneously euphoric, jittery and stimulated, but also lazy and just wanted to sleep (???). It did give me a strong boost of energy which lasted throughout the day. After 2 hours was when things got really bad. I guess this is the 'crash'. It made me horribly depressed, anxious, and filled with rage. The anxiety was so bad that every single thing I set eyes on would trigger me, like looking at the laundry basket filled with laundry. I also felt extremely anti-social and didn't want to talk to anyone, not even my husband. Finally towards the end of the night I would return to my normal self again, but you can imagine the emotional roller-coaster I experienced the entire day. I tried to brush it off and chalked it down to stress. But looking back now, I am 100% certain that it was all due to the Ritalin."

• Ann...
• March 22, 2018

For ADHD "I was diagnosed with severe ADHD - inattentive type, and Ritalin literally is the difference in me getting through my To-Do list or just wondering what in the world I have been doing all day. Over the years, I have run across multiple medical professionals who will not prescribe this medication. Like an idiot, I listened to them and tried other medications. ALL of these medications had worse side effects and did NOTHING to correct my ADHD. They tried all of the non-stimulant medications and Bupropion HCL - none worked and several had VERY bad side effects. Medical professionals who refuse to listen to their patients should lose their license to practice. You are messing with people's lives here, people! The worst side effects I had with Ritalin were appetite suppression and mild anxiety, specifically if I drank too much coffee with the medication. This is over a period of 15 years on the medication."

• Dir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2013

For ADHD "I find Ritalin allows me to focus. With my ADD and bipolar, I couldn't even read a book. My doctor says, though it's a stimulant, Ritalin tends not to push bipolars into mania. I was self-medicating my ADD with caffeine, which made me anxious, so I'm glad the Ritalin replaces that. I'm on a low dose now and hope to increase to where the positive effects last longer, as they are short-lived now."

• Sea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2012

For ADHD "I'm currently going through nursing school at a university near me, and from the start of this past semester, I had a real tough time staying focused and doing my homework. Went to see a nurse APRN, and she gave me a script for Ritalin, 10 mg, 2x a day. This medicine has been a godsend for me, I always complete my assignments on time and have been getting A's and B's on all my tests. It lets me sit down and study for 6 hours at a time, but if I hadn't taken the Ritalin, I wouldn't have half the work done that needed to be done. Plus, I've not had a single issue with it such as withdrawals or anxiety."

• Anonymous
• June 11, 2011

For ADHD "I have severe ADHD. For a while, I didn't know what was wrong with me, constantly daydreaming, lazy, unorganized, acting impulsively, and very hyper. The medicine has changed my life. All these symptoms are gone, except I'm still a bit hyper and impulsive, but only slightly. It does exactly what it says on the tin and changed my life dramatically. I could actually focus. Bad things would be if you are sensitive to stimulants like coffee. It will make you jittery, it gives you a slight mood and energy boost. I'd recommend taking it in small doses first."

• Ali...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2020

For ADHD "I'm a 20-year-old woman, 179 cm and 61 kg, who just got diagnosed with ADD for the first time in my life, after living with it untreated for so many years. So, my doctor wanted to prescribe me Ritalin, though in small doses, so I didn't just go all in from the start. I started with 10 mg, which didn't have an effect. Then I took 20 mg, I felt a little more energized, but nothing else. Then I tried 30 mg today. I felt extremely fresh in my mind, instead of the weird slump I'm usually in. Very happy, which suggests that what I lacked before was dopamine. Still no difference with anything else, like my poor concentration and focus, but on the other side, there are no side effects as of late. Other than the things that I've already struggled with, like depression and anxiety. Not a bad experience thus far, but I'm still a little bit nervous about how 40 mg and 50 mg will affect me."

• Rey...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2019

For ADHD "(18 M) I recently got diagnosed with ADD and was given Ritalin. 5 mg per day as a start-up dose. I have dabbled with other drugs in the past, like cannabis, LSD, mushrooms, and morphine. I took Ritalin for two days before deciding to quit. Never in my entire life have I ever felt this level of addiction, nor have I ever crashed this bad on any drug. I have suffered with severe depression, OCD, and anxiety for some years. The crash gave me a rebound to my past psychosis."

• Edd...
• July 11, 2015

For ADHD "Helped me a lot. Been using it for 8 months, and now I'm on a 20 mg, 2 times a day. I never had the power to just sit still and stay on one task. Now I'm able to actually sit down and focus on one task. I'm 16 and was diagnosed at 15. Ritalin doesn't last long enough, though, which is the only downside. Only lasts for 3 hours, but it's good because you could get your appetite back. No side effects, just a little nervous at times and headaches, which are rare. Also, suppressed appetite the first hour you take it."

• RPa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2018

For ADHD "30-year-old male. Recently diagnosed with ADHD. Been taking 10 mg three times a day. 8 a.m. (with breakfast), 12 p.m. (with lunch), 4 p.m. (with snack). I realized after a week that I cannot mix it with coffee, if I do, it makes me feel very anxious and 'jittery.' However, I don't find the side effects that bad at all without coffee. I do want to keep playing with the doses to tweak it, but off to a good start. Glad I realized it was the coffee making me feel like rubbish before I gave up on the drug."

• RPa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2018

For ADHD "30-year-old male. Recently diagnosed with ADHD. Been taking 10 mg three times a day. 8 a.m. (with breakfast), 12 p.m. (with lunch), 4 p.m. (with snack). I realized after a week that I cannot mix it with coffee, if I do, it makes me feel very anxious and 'jittery.' However, I don't find the side effects that bad at all without coffee. I do want to keep playing with the doses to tweak it, but off to a good start. Glad I realized it was the coffee making me feel like rubbish before I gave up on the drug."

• 34F...
• August 9, 2022

For ADHD "Made me feel so horrible, even at its lowest dose. Didn't help, just made everything weird, and then when it starts wearing off, depressive and anxious. I have all symptoms of ADD, but I have anxiety under control through diet and exercise, and I've never struggled with depression, but Ritalin literally made me ADD PLUS anxiety and depression. No thanks."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2019

For ADHD "After trying Dexedrine and having a few unpleasant side effects, my doctor had me try Ritalin. I was on it for about 2 weeks before I decided I wasn't going to take it anymore. Severe depression, increased anxiety, and worsened general ADHD symptoms were the norm on this drug for me."

• Ash...
• November 15, 2016

For ADHD "I wanted to update about my medication. I am now 20 mg of Ritalin twice daily and 50 mg of Zoloft generic once daily. Having suffered bipolar depression, PTSD, ADD/ADHD throughout different periods in my life. I also have Borderline/Mild General Learning Disability, a labeling in terms that is least offensive to Mild Mental Retardation or Borderline/Mild Intellectual Disability. In my case, the GLD is extremely least severe in the slightest degree. Ritalin actually works very well for me, while Zoloft treats the anxiety, depression, and some mild obsessive-compulsive behavioral thoughts, but nothing extreme, severe, or serious. In some people, depending on DNA and how generics affect medication, the effects might be very different, etc."

• Sky...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2022

For ADHD "Just got diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed Ritalin (10 mg 3 times a day, starting with 1 and increasing it every few days). It’s my 6th day taking it, and it feels like it’s doing the complete opposite of what it should be doing. It’s worsened my anxiety and depression, I feel robotic and numb, my moods fluctuate more than usual, I can’t focus, I feel tired and lethargic, irritable, nauseous, dizzy, racing heart, and none of my usual coping mechanisms that I had before I started meds are helping at all. It’s helped so little and made me feel so much worse. I've started dreading having to take them. I called my doctor today and am waiting for him to call back so I can speak to him about it."

• Aki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2021

For ADHD "38 years old male, diagnosed with ADHD at age 37. Took Ritalin for the first time, and it made me feel awful. At first, I just felt like my blood circulation was weird, but then I felt fatigued, anxious, and stressed. I had difficulty spelling correctly when typing. I had difficulty focusing, both figuratively and literally. For about an hour, I had to concentrate to focus my vision when I was reading something. It basically was a slightly less worse reaction than what I had to Strattera."

• Aki...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2021

For ADHD "38 years old male, diagnosed with ADHD at age 37. Took Ritalin for the first time, and it made me feel awful. At first, I just felt like my blood circulation was weird, but then I felt fatigued, anxious, and stressed. I had difficulty spelling correctly when typing. I had difficulty focusing, both figuratively and literally. For about an hour, I had to concentrate to focus my vision when I was reading something. It basically was a slightly less worse reaction than what I had to Strattera."

• Anonymous
• December 16, 2011

For ADHD "I am a 20-year-old man, going to university and had or still have troubles concentrating with my ADHD, mostly staying on one subject. Started taking Dexedrine, first, it made me restless and gave me lots of anxiety. Could not hold up a normal conversation or sit still, it made me feel uncomfortable. Then tried Concerta, it was effective somewhat but did not help as much as I had hoped. Could not notice much of an effect. Ritalin gives me the concentration when I need it most."

• cad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2017

For ADHD "I was prescribed the 10mg IR Ritalin to be taken three times a day a few weeks ago. To say the least, I have developed a tolerance to the drug. It has a bad comedown 2-3 hours after I take the drug. But it has done wonders for my depression and ADHD symptoms. The only downside I found is that it makes me feel like a zombie, too focused, much nervous, and has nasty after-effects. But so far it has been a revolutionary step in my life. I will try switching to the LA version, though."

• Stu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2016

For ADHD "I started on 10 mg short-acting. I'm in the process of finding something different. I'm a student and in a competitive field studying nursing. I'm a busy person, and this didn't help me in any way except for test cramming and homework. It would last about 2 hours, and if I wasn't done with my work, I needed to take another. The doctor said to use it on an as-needed basis. But I want something that will help me through the day. Help me focus on everything I need to do in the day. I can't take this short-acting stuff because when it wears off, I'm nervous, and I feel cloudy-minded and weird. I don't want to be around people at this time because I feel off. I'm going back to the doc on Monday. I heard Adderall doesn't have the nervousness side effects."

• Ema...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 27, 2021

For Narcolepsy "In 2017, after years of struggling with sleep issues, I got myself a sleep study. It turned out I had narcolepsy without cataplexy after a full nighttime study and MSLT. At first, I was taking 10 mg of Ritalin 2x a day, that wasn't working, so she switched me to 10 mg of Ritalin 4x daily. I was finding that I'd get terrible headaches from it, so she tried me on Provigil 200 mg. That alone wasn't working as your body adjusts to it. I started supplementing with 10 mg of Ritalin 1x a day. That also wasn't working. I now take Provigil 200 mg at 5 am and supplement that with 20 mg of Ritalin at noon and move on to another 10 mg of Ritalin around 4 pm, and I'm getting through my 12-hour workdays, plus still have energy when I get home! It's absolutely wonderful to feel like a normal functioning human being again. No headaches, no anxiety, concentration is perfect, and I feel like me again. Adjust your meds if it's not working, fight to feel better."

• Sle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2021

For ADHD "I switched from Modafinil to Ritalin this year. Every time I take this medicine in the morning, I stay awake. But with a lot of side effects. Fast heartbeat, morning sickness/nausea, dizziness, exhausted, trouble sleeping during the night, anxiety, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, often migraines or headaches. I try to avoid the medicine if I can. I like Modasomil more."

• Nls...
• July 23, 2021

For ADHD "Recently diagnosed with ADHD. Also suffer anxiety and depression as well. Was a nice start. My mind was calmed. I have bad social anxiety. I was able to have a conversation with the barber without all of the intrusive thoughts, which was just amazing for me. But that’s all the good that came from it. By that evening, it was clearly worn off. I have sensory processing disorder too, and when this wore off, it felt like my senses came back with a crash. Everything was way too much. My anxiety was horrible. I called a friend around to come get me because I was having the worst panic attack ever. And on top of that, I kept humming and rocking. I couldn’t seem to control it. I felt absolutely crazy. I took an extra Xanax and was able to relax and calm enough to not feel panicked. So disappointing because it started out so good. Hopefully, I can find something that quiets my mind without the horrible come down. But I would never take Ritalin again. Absolute nightmare."

• And...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 22, 2021

For ADHD "I had a horrible experience with Ritalin. At first, it was fine when it was initially prescribed. I only took it during the weekdays or on some weekends when I had grad or teacher work to do. I was prescribed 5 mg. After a few months of taking it, I noticed my heart was racing; I would initially ignore it. But then it started to get worse, and I would get a little more concerned. I also noticed I was super irritable and would get frustrated easily. Finally, after taking it 3 days in a row, coupled with being super stressed about being quarantined and teaching from home, my heart raced super fast. My anxiety was also worse because I was freaking out about my heart rate. I ended up calling 911, and the paramedics wanted to take me to the ER to get further testing done. After a few tests, the cardiology team wanted me to stay overnight. They wanted to check if I had a heart attack at the age of 32; it was negative. I am a healthy female and always have been. That was scary and not worth it."

• Ant...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 11, 2022

For ADHD "Ritalin gave me a horrible experience. In the morning, I seemed to be okay. For a couple of hours, it gave me focus, but after that, I became anxious and irritated throughout the day. I became confused, poor decision-making, and felt extremely weird. This works for some, but did not work for me. Horrible experience with this drug."