Ritalin User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• Bee...
• April 6, 2016

For ADHD "Diagnosed in 1992 with ADHD & prescribed Ritalin. Before I took Ritalin, I was forgetful, daydreamed, moody, couldn't focus for long, did soft drugs, drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and was negative-minded. Now, I do none of the above. It makes me feel motivated to go to work every day, and I read novels from page 1 to the last page. Before, I never had the patience to read past page 1. My doctor prescribes me 60 mg per day. To start my day, I take 1 SR 20 mg with 1 10 mg; then 4 hours later, I take 1 10 mg; then 4 hours later, I take 1 SR 20 mg. The problem is, after the first 8 hours, I know I need a 10 mg for the next 4 hours. But my doctor won't prescribe me over 60 mg per day because he thinks that is the maximum allowed per day. Any suggestions?"

• jus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 22, 2023

For Depression "I have had treatment-resistant depression (TRD) for 8 years now and tried multiple medications to help. I was prescribed 5 mg to be taken six times a day of Ritalin, and it has turned my life around. Within an hour, it was working, and the effects are still profound almost two years later. I pair it with magnesium on days it doesn't hit as well, and I'm back to new. Should be prescribed for more serious depressives. Just look at the reviews here for it. Zero withdrawals ever."

• kim...
• March 27, 2013

For ADHD "I had taken every form of Ritalin while in elementary and junior high school. It helped me focus, but I felt like a zombie, and my mom always felt like it was not really me. I was always angry when I would start to come down from it at night, so in high school, I started taking Adderall, and it was such a great change."

• Anonymous
• September 26, 2010

For ADHD "My son was diagnosed with ADHD last week. He has always been super hyper, climbs on furniture, spins, sticks his tongue out, and can't look anyone in the eyes without fidgeting around. I didn't want to believe it, but when my parents and my grandparents, also the dentist, asked about him, I knew things were getting worse. He was seen by three specialists in NH and was given 5 mg of Ritalin, 1/2 morning, 1/2 afternoon. He has already had a profound change in his behavior. He doesn't stick his tongue out of his mouth at all and makes crazy noises. He can sit calmly now and concentrate, he actually played with some of his toys, which he didn't really do before. Only con so far: after 4 hours, he has aggressive behavior and cries over nothing. Just started, maybe that's why."

• 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."

• Dic...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 11, 2019

For Narcolepsy "I started on Ritalin for narcolepsy at 10 mg twice a day. Did not keep me awake. Went to 20 mg twice a day, still didn't work well. 30 mg twice a day is working well. I feel so much better, and I'm more active than I have been in years."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 25, 2013

For ADHD "I've been taking it for 7 years, and it turned my life around. I am severely dyslexic and have ADD and am on 30 mg to 40 mg a day. However, as of recent, it has started making me slightly disoriented and even slightly sleepy, and my thoughts come faster than I speak (used to happen before I started taking Ritalin with my dyslexia), but it feels worse. I just started interning at an ad company, so not the best of times!"

• Clu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2016

For ADHD "I am a 28-year-old female. I have been taking 20 mg of Ritalin per day for 8 weeks, first short-acting, then tried the long-acting. By far, the short-acting helped my concentration in school, work, and my social life. When I switched to the extended release, it felt like it wasn't doing jack, even though I was taking the same dose. The only thing I don't like about the short-acting was the loss of appetite. So annoying. But I'm about to start back with the short-acting and with 40 mg per day. I can't wait to have my concentration back!"

• Tob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2016

For Narcolepsy "Recently diagnosed with narcolepsy and was given Provigil. That did nothing. Given Ritalin and this is doing nothing either. Started at 10 mg twice a day. Increased to 30 mg twice a day. This is nothing more than a decent cup of coffee. Lasts no longer than an hour. Need better help for my tiredness."

• 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."

• htf...
• August 27, 2009

For Narcolepsy "This medicine is doing its job. I actually fell asleep standing up in my dining room. Hit my chin on the table (ouch). Now, I don't fall asleep at inappropriate times (after I take my first dose). I do have concerns about its habitual possibilities, which I must say, my doctor did not warn me about. I will have to keep a close watch on my behavior I guess, but it is working."

• o4m...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 23, 2018

For ADHD "I’ve been on Ritalin for almost a year now, and it hasn’t been great, but at the same time it hasn’t been bad. It helps me study and focus, but once it wears off, it leaves you feeling like you were a zombie the whole day. All in all, it’s okay, but it does have some side effects you should be aware of."

• Bee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2023

For ADHD "Don't love Ritalin. I can feel it doing something but I'm not quite sure what it is. I'm definitely quieter and can sit for longer periods of time. It suppresses my appetite a fair bit and I can feel myself wanting to be able to do tasks, but in terms of organization, motivation, and mood control, it does nothing. I crash pretty hard and find myself getting irritable in the afternoon once it wears off. I find that I'm really triggered by noises and stresses in the environment around me and I can be more angry when on it. Overall, compared to dextroamphetamine, Ritalin is significantly worse for me."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• February 15, 2010

For ADHD "My 8-year-old daughter is on Ritalin at the moment. We find she is getting migraine headaches, she has lost 3 kg due to lack of appetite, and she is very emotional coming off it, and she doesn't sleep much. On the other side of things, she has shown a large improvement at school with her concentration going from the bottom of the class to the top of the class in just 3 months."

• Jea...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 9, 2016

For Narcolepsy "Taken Ritalin over 15 years for narcolepsy. Provigil to $$. Over the years, I have increased to 40 mg two times daily. Have not (and won't) increased dosage in over 5 years. Retired now, so it's easier to adjust mg. If I feel it's not working, I will stop taking it for a week or two (if possible) and then go back 10 mg at a time. May be time-consuming but never had addiction. Considering the SR."

• 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."

• nco...
• July 21, 2018

For Narcolepsy "Let me start by stating that I am a 24-year-old female with a history of idiopathic hypersomnia, coarctation of the aorta, and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). I was recently in a car accident and received my second concussion. Upon visiting my neurologist for headaches/migraine complaints, I brought to his attention my debilitating fatigue I've experienced since the last concussion. I've been to multiple doctors, and they pushed aside this symptom. I was almost in tears when my neurologist prescribed Ritalin. Day 3: improved concentration and more energy! So far, so good. I was worried I would have problems because of my heart conditions, but it is anatomic and not rhythmic, so I'm okay! He also assured me this will help with weight loss, which is great! Hope to continue to see great results with this medication."

• Jul...
• April 13, 2009

For Narcolepsy "I had to quit Ritalin, despite starting on a very small dose, because it gave me tremors and a 'wired' (but not alert) feeling. The problems did not diminish within 2 weeks, and that was all I could stand."

• Anonymous
• April 13, 2009

For ADHD "I used Ritalin when I was in 1st grade. Until I was in 6th grade, these tablets helped me a lot with ADHD. But I outgrew the hyperactivity. The reason I rated it a 9/10 was because in 6th grade the medicine was working well, but I was on 200 mg of it, so the doctor had to take me off of it fast. Then I had a Ritalin crash in an overnight hospital. But other than that, it is a great drug for treating ADHD. It helped me pay attention and not jump off my mom's dresser (the dresser story is true about me)."

• Kwa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 2, 2018

For ADHD "Side effect for women. I took this for 8 months and bled every day. I was in my mid-20s and did not realize it was this pill. Even one pill of the lowest amount will cause me to spot. This is a rare condition of 0.07%. The bleeding was horrible and constant. I spent hundreds of dollars getting tested on my female body to see the cause. Once I realized it was the meds, I stopped. Scariest time of my life!!! Be warned, ladies. This could happen to you."

• 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."

• elv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2022

For ADHD "I took Ritalin, and I got sick for 2 days. Took it again, thinking it may have just been a coincidence, and it made my heart beat so fast I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I switched to Focalin, and it was even worse."

• Ros...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 15, 2021

For ADHD "I am a 20-year-old woman, 145 pounds, and have been diagnosed with ADD since I was 8. I had tried numerous medications to try and help over the last 12 years, but it always seemed the side effects outweighed the good it was doing. I wouldn’t eat and felt depressed/zombie-like on other medications. I take Ritalin 10 mg twice daily. It usually lasts around 3-4 hours. I have to stop and tell myself to eat something sometimes, and my heart rate becomes faster, but other than that, those are my only side effects. I feel great at the end of the day and am very productive during those hours. Ritalin is the first one that works for me, and the side effects don’t outweigh the good it’s doing for me."