Table 8 Side Effects

Canada

For one thing, one of them made me really nauseous, really sick. […] I think it was a twelve-hour medication. And within a half-hour of me taking it I just felt like I wanted to throw up. I felt so drawn into things and I was really alert and I felt very sickly. But I was on it for six months, and eventually I begged my parents to take me off it.

France

I was taking Ritalin. I stopped because I felt too drowsy. I think it wasn’t good for my health.

Germany

Yes, there is one thing that I stopped because I got extreme eczema, extreme rashes on my skin but it took me a long time to find out that it was a connection between the medication and these skin rashes but apart from that I couldn’t speak of any side effects. It is like real crevices and really horrid in my face and all over my skin.

Italy

So many. Even insomnia, every night I had frozen arms and legs, I had nightmares, but skin problems (especially with mosquitos) were the worst of all problems (I never had before and after the therapy) and most of all respiratory problems (I didn’t breathe well, I yawned every moment) and at the same time I had no benefits. Only negative effects. […] Since then I have not taken anything.

The Netherlands

You have the calmness, mentally I felt good because I had rest. But physically, I lost weight, I didn’t eat anymore. […] And those chest pains, I had those too. Chest pains.

United Kingdom

I took Ritalin but it made me sick, so I couldn’t have that. I took Concerta and it did work for the first few weeks but it sort of makes me like a zombie so I sort of stopped taking it.

United States

I quit just because of the jitteriness…