Long-Term Brain Damage from Ritalin/Focalin Use

oclementine
Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:43:31 +0000

I too was a part of the ADD diagnosis generation. I took medication on and off through elementary school, never during middle school, and started again in 9th grade, stopping in my second year of college.

During elementary school I took Ritalin, and Concerta during the later years. I almost resent being put on it as a kid, although perhaps “resent” is too strong a word. I hardly think a 3rd grader who’d rather goof off in class than do math worksheets should be medicated. And there were some kids who were clearly having extreme difficulty in the classroom setting - I only occaisionally had trouble concentrating, and was never disruptive or physically hyperactive.

When I decided to go back on Concerta in high school, that was a lot more motivated by my wanting to use it as a weight-loss aid than thinking I had ADD. I will never forget the last time I took Concerta in my second year of college. I had a design project due the next day, and so I used it to pull an all-nighter. My thoughts raced in a very unproductive way, my heart was pounding the whole night. Mentally, I was in hell…I really can’t describe the sensation too well. All I did was pace back and forth outside, chainsmoking, for several hours. I was too strung-out to work, and I had only taken the standard dose.

Concerta will turn you into an anxious, emotional wreck with prolonged use. The active ingredient, methylphenidate, is very chemically similar to the methamphetamine molecule.

It also dosen’t matter whether methylphenidate leaves your system on a daily basis (which I doubt anyhow), it can still cause damage during the time it’s in your body. I don’t know anything about its potential to cause brain damage, although I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it did. All I know is that the psychological side effects can be devastating - it is essentially a small dose of medical-grade methamphetamine, and it’s a dangerous drug.