Ritalin and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Ton...
• April 10, 2011

For Narcolepsy "I have been on Ritalin for 20 years. It has worked great. While working full time, I took 20 mg twice daily. Now retired and taking only 10 mg each morning, I feel more tired, but being retired, I function well and can rest anytime I need to."

• net...
• December 13, 2019

For ADHD "I have ADHD, and today was my first day on Ritalin, and it sucked! The effects lasted for an hour, and when it did work, I felt like a zombie and didn't want to move. It also made me tired and kind of sensitive to sound. And, it didn't even make me feel focused, so really, what's the point?"

• law...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2015

For ADHD "Ritalin has changed my life for the better. Family and friends could see how happy I was. I was able to finish what I started instead of 20 projects. A fill-in doctor said he would not prescribe me my Ritalin because I was 61 years old, that I was too old. My regular doctor is out of town. I am withdrawing and very tired and depressed, and I want to die, or I will if. These thoughts of the afterlife will be painless, live alone, and no one will find me for days."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• sle...
• February 6, 2017

For Narcolepsy "I was diagnosed when I was 6 years old, and I am now 25 years old. I have taken Provigil, Adderall, Nuvigil, Ritalin, and now methylphenidate ER. I could not take the recent medication due to the side effects I used to get all the time, and it wasn't until I started taking Folican XR that my life had changed. I felt like I was never diagnosed at all. I started taking Folican when I was maybe in middle school up until a year ago. I was put on another medication, which is methylphenidate, which seemed to make me more tired. The things I could do as a person without narcolepsy, I can no longer do them. Emotionally, that by itself put strain on me. This by itself seemed to do nothing. 10 mg 1-2 a day. When I was on Folican, I took 15 mg 3 times."

• pro...
• April 17, 2023

For Narcolepsy "I suffer from bipolar disorder, and my depressive episodes are just living hell. I literally can't get out of bed and talk to others. I also suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. Ritalin made me a little, I wouldn't say happier, just more jazzed up. After 2 to 3 hours, the comedown and crash happened, and it made me go through a depressive episode. I stopped taking it and again changed to Modafinil. It doesn't have any crash or comedown. My problem was that its effects weren't strong enough for me, and I witnessed that at least in my case and many other people's experiences, Modafinil is way more effective and a lot safer than Ritalin. Once I worked on Modafinil for 11 or 12 hours straight without any pause at all. However, on Ritalin, after 2 hours and something, I became too exhausted. These stimulant meds aren't effective enough for a person who really suffers from a mental condition."

• Kiw...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 24, 2022

For ADHD "Been on both short-acting and extended-release 20 mg. Both did their job well. I have inattentive, and this medication cleared my cluttered mind, helped me focus, helped me complete tasks. Short-acting came with undesirable side effects, though, when it wore off, like lethargy, insomnia, and a headache. This medication is very difficult to get in New Zealand, as it’s a controlled medication, however, if you truly have ADHD, there’s a high chance stimulants will work really well."

• Anonymous
• February 14, 2011

For Narcolepsy "I have been taking Ritalin for about 3 months, and it gives me a boost from being sleepy for about an hour. After that, I become very tired and sleepy. Maybe I should up my dosage."