The Medication Question

The question ...
I'm often asked if ADHD meds are "Bad for me or my children."
From a non-medical-professional (and completely not liable) position, I'd have to say it depends on what the medication is and who's taking it.

My Answer
I take Ritalin four times a day — 80 milligrams in total. Some side effects I've sporadically experienced are a mild hotheadedness lasting for minutes at a time, loss of appetite and ... actually that's it. The drug wears off rather quickly for me, lasting 3-4 hours per pill at the most. I assume this mitigates any lingering dangers as a day or two off the meds completely 'resets' me to pre-Ritalin status.
Mood wise, I haven't felt any mood swings because of Ritalin, nor irritability or any psychotic behavior. I've also experienced none of the other horror stories I'm sure we've all heard (many of which are veiled sales pitches for herbal remedies or competing meds) — especially about children on Ritalin.
Of course, I'm an adult and went undiagnosed until I was 29. So I have no childhood experiences Ritalin experiences to speak of.

Other meds ...
When I first started getting treatment for ADHD, I did try other meds to see what worked best. Long-lasting varieties of meds had no effect, except to empty my wallet faster. Non-stimulant meds DID have a mood altering effect, making me extremely grouchy and raised my temper to unnatural (for me, anyway) levels. It also didn't help the symptoms much.

Ritalin remains my medication of choice and has been for almost two years now. However, I don't take it on weekends, if possible. I also don't take it on vacations. Maybe this helps to keep me from getting de-sensitized to it (as can happen with other mental-health meds).

So far, it's worked well for me, but ADHD is a different experience for everybody, so your medication mileage may vary.

Yours in the clarity search,
Carlo