Advice about Ritilan

My 2 boys ages 5 and 8 have been put on Ritilan by the Doc to help them concentrate at school,anyone got any advice about this

My step-son is on it at the moment. I was totally against it at first, but it was amazing how he improved at school with his behaviour and his ability to learn and retain concepts. However, if the dose is too strong, it could make them docile and lose their appetite. His growth over the past yeaqr has slowed down quite a bit.

Without knwoing anything about the drug and without having any medical background, I still have the feeling that kids should be put on such medication only if absolutely necessary. Seeing that both your kids are being put on it, I wonder whether your doc just likes to prescribe medicine that is convenient for him and shows fast results, rather than looking at other issues (whatever they may be). It does seem that HK docs (expat and local dosc alike) like to prescribe medicine very much....


Maybe get another / second opinion?

what was he

There is this misconception that ritalin is givenfor naughty children. This is not the case. Children who are prescribed this are not children who have poor parents. These are children who have a genuine medical need. ADHD may not be life threatening but without medication many children cannot function successfully in school or out of it. It is a stimumant like coffee or coca cola. It does not dope kids. It allows these children to fire on all cylinders, to focus on the important and to block out the 'white noise'. In HK I have been impressed at the seriousness that GPs have given to the medication of my child. They did not prescribe it on a whim. An Ed psych report is vital as well as showing your proactive approach, looking at diet, behavioural modification and vitamin supplements.


Ritain is a controlled sunstance and needs to be taken seriously but the difference it can make is phenomenol. It is not a miracle on its own. The child still needs to have boundaries. Medication is not an excuse to allow bad behaviour.


Anyone who has made the decision to give their child this should have looked at all other options AND read up on the effects in detail (good and bad) There are other stimulants on the market that as well as Ritalin.


I just feel, as a parent of a child on this kind of medication, people must understand that it is not entered into lightly. You must look at the child's needs emotionally as well as physically and give them every chance to function in a normal enironment and succeed to the best of their ability.

I am not an advocate for giving drugs to young children however children as young as 3yrs have been put on this type of medication. Often it comes across as anti social, boisterous behaviour. This can make the child unpopular with other children as they can be scared and intimidated by their actions. Not all these children are ADHD but I know of many cases where families were under tremendous presure as their child was not welcome to play with other children. They became isolated and attention seeking. Their problem was diagnosed as young adults and by then they had become a sort of socal misfit.


All I am saying here is that you have to look at the case of each child. I am assuming that blueyonders hasn't done this without educating herself on the pros and cons.

As a parent we did it all. Diet, behavioural modification, vitamins.....that is still on going. I no longer feel I need to justify my child's medical needs as I know that the positive results have out weighed the negative.

As far as I knew Ritalin was non addictive? There are a few other options and probably better ones on the market but these can be expensive. Concerta is a slow release which means there is no drop in the day when it come out of your system. It has a 12 hour sustainability. Worth looking into as well.

thanks for your input

Trust you are aware of the long-term side effects of Ritalin but not the after effects. It is not advisable to put your children on Ritalin. There are other natural herbal products that can help to boost attention span and enhance focus motor skills. In the UK, Omega 3 has been prescribed on a sample group of ADHD children. Children who are ADHD have mostly hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness symptoms. It is better to combined natural drugs ingredients with behaviour modification therapy. Through behaviour modification therapy, the short attention span can be overcome by prolonging each sitting by 5 mins or so. Bear in mind, ADHD children can never sit still for more than half an hour, hence you can only extend it over time. The therapy will also help them to focus, become less impulsive, and learn to be organised. ADHD children are not slow in learning. They just adapt to different methods of teaching which is unfortunately not by sitting still. ADHD children are intelligent children and they can memorise very well by looking and touching activities. I am sure you have heard of people calling some professors 'nutty professors'. They are not nutty, they have ADHD. Adults also do have ADHD. ADHD people are very disorganised and forgetful. You would have to draw up a fixed timetable for them to follow. You can log on to www.spark.org.sg to find out more about ADHD and also ADHD blog adhd_singapore@yahoogroups.com to check out what the other Asian parents are experiencing with ADHD kids and some others advise on how to cope with ADHD children, teens, adults in this part of the world.

Trust me, Ritalin is not good for your children. You should stop that soon. Ritalin comes in several dosage. The mild one last 4 hours, another stronger pill lasts 8 hrs and the strongest one can sustain their attention for about 12 hrs. But the after effect is what you need to observe in your kids. Their behaviour can be very extreme after the dose wears off. They get very frustrated easily with the slightest issue, smash things up if they can't get their way etc. Perhaps different children suffer different after effect symptoms, nevertheless, stimulant drugs are not good for kids. Go for the natural ingredient supplements and dietary. Forget about Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Daytrana, Dextrostat or any kind of stimulant drugs. Make an effort to change the diet of your kids. Limit the sugar, cut out snacks with artificial chemical ingredients, more natural, organic snacks or food, helps. BTW, ADHD runs in the family, one of you may have the condition too.

ethlee, can I say that as a parent of a child with ADHD it is so wearing to hear the 'change diet, take omega 3' etc etc....do you not think that parents who have a child on medication have not thought carefully about this. Tom Cruise is a prime example of someone who shouts his mouth off about it but has not lived it. It is not a vitamin deficiency. It is a medical condiion that requires medication. I wish it was about behaviour modification and diet. That would have made my life and my child's life so much simpler.


I know my child is bright but I know that without his medication life is very different for him.