This registry is a place to share positive or negative side effects of using Ritalin. If you directly experienced a side effect while using Ritalin, then we encourage you to enter it here. Please note that entries here are the experiences of individual users, and in no way means that you or anyone else will experience the same side effect, since the same medication affects people in different ways. Please always contact your physician.
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July 15th
2005
5:07 AM
I was sent to psychologist after psychologist as a child because I couldn't pay attention in grade school. I was finally put on Ritalin. I'm 45 now and a parent myself and suffer from mild, but unexplainable bouts of anger as a result of Ritalin. Here's some of what I've learned through experience: First, 99% of the time, pharmaceuticals are not the answer. They do a good job of masking symptoms and depriving you of quality of life, but not treating the larger problem. Second, public school is no place for intelligent children. The pace is so slow and uninteresting (and I might add un-necessary) that it is easy to diagnose nearly any child as ADD. Home schooling is the best option. Private school is next but really expensive. Second and most important is diet. A diet high in sugar is awful for attention spans. If you send your children to school after a breakfast of sugared toast, or sugared cereal, as mine did, they won't perform well and will "crash" in a couple of hours. Manufactured foods and artificial sweeteners are also part of the problem. Our brains and bodies are not designed to be run on things that are artificial. Last, ALL network TV, and most cable TV is a hopeless, mind-numbing, reprogramming tool. Turn it off and open the books. Enjoy music or the silence of nature. Your kids will be better off for your efforts.
-- By coffeeseven | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private MailHope that helps. Rick ******