I was hooked almost immediately, and I put away at least a liter a day until a few months ago, when I started taking methylphenidate. Then I cut back on the Coke drastically, and now take in a lot only when I'm trying lower doses of my medication. I did okay on methylphenidate for a while, but I found it to be a lot like caffeine. I'd go up fast and down even faster. My psychiatrist then switched me to Concerta, which is methylphenidate in a timed-release capsule that works for 12 hours instead of 4.
Life improves dramatically on the days when the dosage feels right.
Ritalin doesn't give you 54 cards. Once you understand the condition a little, you start seeing it everywhere. If you didn't have it as a child, you don't have it now. Probably a lot, says Peter Jaksa, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Chicago and president of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association. Nobody knows how many adults are currently being treated for ADD, but whatever the number, Jaksa says it's not enough.