The following information is NOT intended to endorse drugs or recommend therapy. While these reviews might be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgement of healthcare practitioners in patient care.
I'm a 40 year old male who didn't have the benefits of medications when I was in school. ADD wasn't as well known back then. I was diagnosed with hyper dyslexia. I always thought that it was strange because I didn't see letters backwards but I just accepted it. I was officially diagnosed with ADD in my mid 20's. I have taken most of the medicine options over the past 12 years including Concerta, Strattera, Adderall, Ritalin and Ritalin LA. Couldn't sleep on Concerta, I was out of my mind with Strattera, Adderall was like popping caffeine pills and Ritalin was too high maintenance as it neutralized after 2-3 hours. Then I found Ritalin LA. It's not the magic bullet but it's the best that I have found so far. It costs me 10X generic but worth it.
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I felt very groggy and out of it for while on this drug, I felt like I could barely form a thought and had great difficulty interacting with people while on it. I had no feelings, no emotions it felt like if I had to choose an emotion it would be disoriented.
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For years I had been battling behavior problems with my son who is now 10. He was not a bad child but had no concentration span, would fidget, annoy others and was falling way behind children the same age as him. Finally we managed to get him seen by a specialist. He is now been on Ritalin 15mg for 4 months and the change is unbelievable. He is already catching up with his school work, making more friends as he understands them better and is generally just more content and happy. At first he was teary and clingy when first put on them but that soon went. The only down for my son is that he is not as hungry as he used to be and lost a lot of weight in the beginning but is steadily putting it back on now.
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Well my experience with Ritalin really changed my life and I really mean really. This medication has a lot of pros as well as cons. Without Ritalin I could not do anything in school, I was literally paralyzed. Everyone did better than me but I tried the hardest and I just couldn't do it there was no way. So when I got Ritalin it made a huge impact on my life, I mean huge. This substance really changed me, the way I acted the way I thought. It was amazing I fell in love with it. I took proper amount everytime 40MG - 60MG. Now I have been taking Ritalin for 7 years. The only cons are, it makes you very still after a while, and depression but I can deal with it.
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I love Ritalin. I have a wonderful peace that I never had before. I am 61 years old and have just started taking it for the last few weeks. I can actually concentrate now. I am not so fidgety. I wished had this about 55 years ago and one thing I noticed, I am dreaming where I don't remember dreaming in years.
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My 7 year old son has shown ADHD symptoms for about 2 years or so but due to many changes in his life, I was unsure of the reason for this behavior. Now we've been settled in for >9 months and he has not improved, we have decided to medicate (after dietary changes and omega 3 gave no help). He has been taking Ritalin 10mg for 12 days now. The 1st week he had only morning dose at 8am. This wore off around 1pm. This week I've dosed him 4 hours later also. From 1st day the change was amazing. He was attentive and followed instruction throughout his swim lesson and his school teacher found great improvement in attention span, concentration and finishing tasks. He is not as angry or frustrated now. The only negative is that I find he gets emotional and 'teary' as it wears off.
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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 200mg of it so the doctor had to take me off of it fast. Then I had a Ritalin crash in a overnight hospital. But other than that it is a great drug for treating ADHD. It helped me pay attention and not to jump off my mom's dresser (the dresser story is true about me).
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Diagnosed with ADHD at 53. Who knew there was a reason for my quirky personality. Tried Stattera and slept 15-18 hours a day, was switched to Ritalin and thought this was it. I really like how I feel, calm, focused. My friends noticed. I did great for a couple of weeks and then became extremely impulsive and inappropriate. I was focused, but on warp speed. I gained 10 lbs in a week, because I could not stop eating once I started, I went on shopping sprees, driving jags, blurted out without the think before you speak button. Once I started a task I had to finish, my kids were late to school, you get the picture. This was definitely not the drug for me. I stopped taking it a couple of days ago, I am still feeling the effect.
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I've been on this medicine for about a month and lost around eleven pounds. I initially got on it to stay more focused in school although I don't have a serious case of ADD but I don't mind the weight loss. I could spare a few pounds. You get a rush for about 45 minutes after it kicks in and that feels better than it should. I feel I can concentrate when I use it, but I'm not myself when I take it. My personality is dulled a bit and even if I have homework to do, I'll find something to distract myself. Whether it's choosing a simpler assignment or just writing because I still feel like I'm being productive.
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Racing heart and head rushes when you first start taking the medicine... It was my life saver for high school and college and even now through life.. I can actually accomplish things in an orderly fashion.
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My doctor originally put me on Ritalin, and I stayed on it for 2 months. It made me very sick to my stomach, although it did improve my concentration. I have since switched to another medication and am doing much better.
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Richdancing said: 
Marni Z said: 
