Side effects of Ritalin in children

Ritalin is a medicine that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it can be used even by the three-year-olds. The effects of Ritalin can be seen very fast, since it works in about half an hour after the pill has been taken. After that, the pill is efficient for four hours. Although the classes at the school may last longer than that, one pill can be enough. Child feels that it has control over its own behavior, which gives the child satisfaction, and due to that, there is no need for another pill. If a child feels the symptoms after some time, you can give him a second dose.Effects of Ritalin

Ritalin can be given in small doses, but it can also be estimated that higher doses are needed. As every other medicine, Ritalin can cause some unwanted effects. When given in small doses, it can cause lower pulse rate. It can also raise blood pressure. These effects that are caused by the usage of Ritalin are considered safe for the child. Ritalin may also cause loss of appetite but the appetite raises when the effect of Ritalin decreases. After that, the appetite can be even higher than usual. You should be aware of this, so that you can plan the time of the meals. There may appear the loss of body weight. When using this medicine, your child could have problems to fall asleep and that is why the child shouldn’t take the pill after 4 p.m. This is not the case with the adults who use this medicine. Sometimes the parents say that their child’s symptoms become worse in the evening.

High doses of Ritalin can also cause some adverse effects. High dose is considered to be a dose over 20 mg. When used by children, doses this high can result in tremor, headaches, irregular heartbeats and anxiety, but when used by teenagers and older people, beside these side effects, there can also occur euphoric feeling. There are some studies showing that Ritalin can sometimes bring out the presence of involuntary tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Today it is known that Ritalin can, in some cases, treat Tourette’s. There are no connections between the usage of Ritalin and some severe conditions. There was an experiment with rats that were given higher doses of this medicine, and it showed that they developed liver cancer more frequently, but the FDA is certain that this is not the case with humans. People who use Ritalin don’t have higher chances in developing liver cancer.