- The most overlooked side effects of Ritalin are emotional. Patients on the medication can experience a range of symptoms. Some of these initial side effects are temporary and go away after a couple of hours of the medication being taken. A good example of that is something known as rebound, where depression or anxiety appears a few minutes after the medication is taken. Others, such as difficulty sleeping, jittery feeling or even the appearance of tics and repetitive movements are also possible. These effects can go on for a prolonged period of time.
- Ritalin can have some serious side effects, such as psychosis or paranoia. These particular effects are rare and often only occur in people who already have a predisposition to it. Cases of seizures and sudden death have been reported as well. Ritalin can cause drug dependency in certain people.
- When it comes to physical side effects, Ritalin is well-known for causing loss of appetite. This can lead to weight loss and it can even lead to malnutrition in young children. This can be temporary, while the body is adjusting to the medication, or it can be permanent. If it persists, a doctor may recommend a different dosage, or he may simply time the medication so it is not taken around mealtime.
- Other common side effects of Ritalin include headaches, gastrointestinal upset, increased blood pressure, and blood glucose changes. This is more often seen in older patients, but it can happen in children as young as five. Many of these symptoms can be solved by changing the diet, eating more often or taking additional medication to control the symptoms. Many go away on their own after a few weeks when the body gets used to the medication.
- Some patients experience severe sensitivity to Ritalin and develop symptoms like fever, skin rashes, palpitations, abdominal pain, and cardiac arrhythmia. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, it may be necessary to reduce the doses or stop the medication completely.
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