This week both a friend and a patient told me that their doctors had advised that they stop taking Ritalin because of fear of long term effect on their heart. Ritalin can sometimes increase blood pressure and pulse rate, but there is no evidence that it is harmful to the heart. If it does increase blood pressure, that can be a concern. As with any medication you have to weigh risks vs benefits, but Ritalin seems very low risk. I personally do not take it because when I tried it the mild benefits were pretty evenly balanced with the mild side effects- mild GI discomfort and mild jitteriness. Probably partly because my ADD is mild and I have a lot of strategies that work to cope with it.
Coming next: more about safety and about side effects in general.
doug
Pete Quilly, ADD coach, advised me that the blog would be better in black rather than the blue I’ve been using. I would welcome our comments on this?
200 posts! Who’d have thought?
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