Scary side effects of ritalin | ADHD Information

My doc insists on the XR which costs me an extra bundle.HE thinks there is a difference, but really whatthehelldoesheknow? :-)
I took three 20's today. Usually just take two.
I wouldn't rule out that it works differently if not better, like it takes effect with a bigger spike. The rest could be anxiety, but ask your doc about it fershure.
A beta blocker is a type of Blood Pressure medicine that blocks adrenalin. It's often used by musicians to stop stage fright.Thanks everyone. What is a beta-blocker? I am not
familiar with that.

I left a message for my pharmacist. Beatrix...30 mg/day...are you taking 10mg x 3 times a day? If you've taken the 30mg all at once, that could explain your side effects.   Also, depending on how long you've been on 'Ritalin,' could it be that it's just starting to kick in even more, and you may have had these side effects even on the generic? Just thinking out loud here.

I just started generic Ritalin (not XR also) yesterday, after taking Concerta (same drug, but XR)...So far no side effects, but no effects at all.    I'm taking 10mg two times a day. I asked the pharmacist if she thought there was a difference between the generic and name brand Ritalin, because I've heard what you have said many times on the board...that non-generic works better. She said there shouldn't be any difference, that it may just be psychological. However, I wonder.    I would prefer to have started on 'regular' Ritalin; however, I'm only covered for generic (whenever a generic brand exists) by Medicaid.

Oh sorry should have said I take 10mg 3x per day. My
doctor prescribed it as 20mg in the morning and 10
in the afternoon, but that made me WAY too speedy
and then two hours later I crashed. So the 10mg 3x
per day seems to keep me pretty calm, steady and
focused.
I have been taking it for several months, so I don’t
think it’s that. I guess I worry that I’m maybe having
some weird allergic reaction and that I’m going to
have a heart attack or something – who knows.
The generic vs. brand name thing – very weird. I did
some research and have seen that others are
complaining of the same thing, the brand name just
works better. The only theory I’ve seen is that by law
a generic can have a variance of +/- .15% in active
medication in each tablet, but that doesn’t seem like
it would make such a dramatic difference. Another
thought was that it might be something in the
inactive ingredients that make it work better,
because generic don’t have to have the same
inactive ingredients. It’s all a great mystery to me.
I’m like you as well – my insurance won’t cover the
brand name under normal circumstances. In fact my
pharmacist gave me the brand name but logged it in
as generic.
When I was on Ritalin I found it to be true that the generic stuff was not nearly as good. As far as the side effects go, you are experiencing the fact that this stuff we take is not candy, and has its risks which, hopefully, are worth it.Also, Beatrix, have you spoken to your doctor . . . or pharmacist (which I prefer to discuss my meds and side effects with, rather than doctor)? It's what I would recommend concerning the side effects you are experiencing, especially if they concern breathing and scare you. It is something to be concerned about.

Chest pain, (muscle pain) is the most common side affect of Ritalin. It's anxiety. You may think of anxiety as purely a mind issue (depression etc) but sometimes it is brought on by meds. There's a long explanation about dopamine, adderenalin etc but I can't remember all that (even on Ritalin.)

There isn't any heath danger but it's not pleasant either. I use a beta-blocker in addition to Ritalin.

Hello everyone. I am on 30mg. per day of ritalin (not
XR, just the regular). Now I usually take the generic,
but last month my pharmacist was out of the generic
so she just filled half my prescription with the brand
name ritalin. The weird thing is – it works better! How
can that be?
Anyway, my main concern though is that although the
brand name seemed to provide better relief of my
symptoms, I also felt some tightness in my chest
and had real difficulty taking deep breaths – my
breathing was too shallow. This really worries me. I
don’t mean to be paranoid, but…ok I’m paranoid!
Does anyone know anything about this or have you
experienced it? I’m not taking my meds for now,
really not sure what to do.
BTW am a 29 year old female.
Thanks in advance for any insight.