Is Ritalin good for children?

21 Jan 2005

re: I have two grandsons on Ritilin. I also worry about the long term effect this has on children. The oldest has a behavioral problem also. They have both been on it several years now with no adverse side effects. I am concerened about the effect it has on their eating. Neither of them are fat so it seemed the drug caused weight loss.Another point to think about is being labled,my grandsons have to have the school nurse to give it to them at school.

21 Jan 2005

The most common long term effect I have read about regarding children taking Ritalin is a stunt in growth. There are other side effects, but this seems to be the one I have read about the most.

22 Jan 2005

thanks eileen and amack,
i have been watching this page for a few days now, yere word s are comforting;);),
anybody else want to share??

mike from ireland

29 Jan 2005

I was prescribed Ritalin and I have found it to be... a miracle worker in a way. The first few days I was a little shaky and I found myself 'playing table drums' whenever I didn't have any work to do. After a few days all negative effects seemed to disappear except for my usually enormous appetite (no lie i come from a big italian family) but that is nothing I have to worry about because I still eat more then most people my age. If your really worried about Ritalin, don't be. The press made it sound worse then it is. A good tip would be to get the time released form and start at a low dose. I find that my focus is better even when I haven't taken any in a few days. (Leading me to believe that soon the medication will be unnecessary)

I hope this helps :D

4 Feb 2005

my son was put on concerta then a lower dose and now ritalin.
he sped on the concerta to the effect of incoherant babbeling and all he could do is draw draw draw.(from 1 dose) then on the lower dose he was aggitated and upset still could not concentrate (1 dose)
now he is on ritalin and is acting out harmful behavior to others and most upsettingly towrds himself. I dont agree that he is ADD/ADHD
but his dad keeps him on it. I think dad is snitching. HELP

10 Feb 2005

21 Feb 2005

I am 48 years old and have been on Ritalin for about 6 months. It is a god-send as far as getting me once again motivated. I would definately say there is some kind of accelerant associated with this drug. I am on a low dose for MCTD and it has helped tremendously. I don't think I would recommend it for children based solely on my experience. I can not see where this would benefit a child, I believe this would only mask a problem and make it easier for either the public school or the parent that does not have the time to deal with the issues currently affecting the child. MY OPINION!!

25 Feb 2005

Hello,
This is my first post on this site so hello to you all. I'm 26 years old and this will mark the 20th year I've been on medication for ADD/ADHD. Wow how time flies! I was diagnosed by a child psychologist at age 7 with ADD and started out with Ritalin during Second Grade. From there on, I was on Ritalin (age 7 to 13), Dexedrine (age 13 to 16), Adderall (16 to 21), nothing for a while (21 to 24), Strattera (24 to 24), and back to Adderall. They (the meds) all work and "feel" different. Some work, some kinda work, some are just weird, but there's nothing really to worry about. :)

14 Mar 2005

Main problem I see with Ritalin is loss of appetite. I took Ritalin at one point and it made me not want to eat and such.