How do you feel about Ritalin?

Question

I will not tell anyone out there how I feel right now, but I just want to know what you guys think of the drug Ritalin and ADHD. Tell me if you use it and why, if you do not believe in it and why, and just your thoughts. Thanks.

Answer 1

i was told i was adhd cause i shake and have problems concentrating, but honestly i lost my spirit when i was on it. i hated it, but maybe because i was also diagnosed with depression

Answer 2

I work in the mental health field, specializing in children.  The drug itself is not bad, but it is not for every person and all adhd/add diagnosis are not alike.  A consult with a psychaitrist would be best.

Answer 3

My brother put his son on Ritalin when he was about 7or 8.  Now my nephew is 20 and is addicted to drugs, can't keep a steady job etc.  The school wanted my sister to put her daughter on the Ritalin because she was difficult to handle.  My sister refused.  Now my niece is going to collage, works two jobs, is getting married, buying a house etc.  My son's grade 2 teacher insisted that my son was ADHD because she constantly had problems with him.  I told her my son was not ADHD and that I wasn't going to even have him tested.  My son in grade three Global Testing was about 10 points short of being gifted.

I don't believe in giving children drugs to slow them down.  They need to be taught properly how to behave when.  So kids need to be challenged more than what they are being challenged in the typical school.  There are other reasons for kids to behave they way they do and as parents and teachers it is up to us to find the answers, not drug the kids.

Answer 4

I am ADHD. but I dont take ritalin. I am on adderall. im a sophomore in high school. and my grades have improved sooo much. im more focased and on task. I dont think there is anythign wrong with it. but thats adderall. if ritalin does the same exact thing as adderall then. i think its great

Answer 5

I think it ADD/ADHD is much over-diagnosed, and consequently, Ritalin is overused.

There ARE kids with severe behavior problems, and REAL cases of AD(H)D, but  parents today are less willing to let their child act up at times. Kids have a lot of energy, and are very rambunctious--they need to burn some of that power off every day.

My brother recently put his 8 & 10 yr old step-sons on it...and I was SHOCKED when I saw them. They had turned from excited, lively, curious little handfuls, to absolute zombies. It nearly broke my heart.

Answer 6

amazing.

Answer 7

As a kindergarten teacher I am all for drugs used to treat ADHD when a student has it so severely that they keep themselves and/or others from learning.  This is something that parents, students, and teachers need to discuss collaboratively so that the best decision will be made.

Answer 8

I think Ritalin is fantastic for those who need it.  The problem is it is over-prescribed and highly addictive.

Answer 9

I took ritalin when I was a kid and I dont remember if it helped. I did get a prescriopiton for it not that long ago I took it one time and it was horrible I was at school my heart was speeding so fast adn I could not sit down and do any work and it was not a good feeling. My friend took ritalin for awholle adn said it worked welll; but wore off after awhile.

Answer 10

Drugs are drugs, period.  If used for a purpose that is helpful and constructive, then I'm all for it. Any drug that is abused, be it  prescribe or not, is bad. However, drugs should not be  used to "cover up" OR mask a problem, which is what I feel this particular drug does.

Answer 11

I have seen it work miracles in some children. I have also seen children turned into zombies.

Teachers and parents must work together with the medical profession to observe and document student reactions to medications. Teachers should be informed when a medication is added or changed because most often students take medication during the school day and parents do not see the reactions. These observations must be reported back to the physician in order for that doctor to make informed decisions to change dosage or type of medication.

I now have one student who begged me not to report his hyperactivity level to his mom or she would put him back on Ritalin. That was three years ago and his freshman year in high school. He said he felt like others were moving around him when he took it. He said it affected his eating, but that was not apparent since he has always been very muscular. However, he has worked very hard to focus and has both good and bad days.

While I am sure his reading would have improved more the last three years with medication, I cannot say that would have been best for him. He has developed many coping strategies and is well-liked by everyone. He has held his job longer than any of our other students. He is much more mature and thoughtful than our other students.

Answer 12

While I was working in a school, I saw the effects that Ritalin had one student. My one student who had severe attention deficit problems flourished while on Ritalin but it came with a price. Although he was able to concentrate more on his work and just concentrate more in general, his personality/mood slowly changed. Although he was a child who kept to himself, he gradually became more isolated, more subdued. It was almost like he was fading as the drugs took over. As of today I still don't know how I feel about this drug, but I will say that drugs like Ritalin are very potent and a parent and doctor should really think hard before prescribing drugs to their kids.

Answer 13

Okay, I have ADD and am on Concerta which is similar to ritalin. I think that used properly, it can be an effective tool. I use it to help me concentrate, without it a clock ticking softly or a people breathing heavy will break my concentration. No matter how hard I try, I cannot concentrate.

What I think is wrong is some of the answers. Many people who are ADD suffer from dependency issues. Not because they took ritalin, but because it is part of the ADD problem. People with ADD are able to do almost anything without the meds, except concentrate fully. It is just very hard to do so. The fact that someone is gifted in way proves that they doesn't have ADD. I was diagnosed in college with ADD and was in GT classes my entire life.

The sooner people realize that ADD/ADHD does exist the sooner it will be easier for people to accept that just because it is over diagnosed, some people do have problems with it.