I take 30mg of the stuff three times a day -- an amount that would put some people into cardiac arrest. Approximately 30-45 minutes after taking a dose, I feel a bit "amped," but not unpleasantly so. That overt ampedness goes away after about 20 minutes leaving me feeling "normal." You may feel hyper after taking it because you are taking too much or because you are taking it on an empty stomach which allows more of it to hit your bloodstream in one pop.

If you want to sort out the benefits from the side effects so you can decide if the price is worth the benefit, you have to consider what it does to your mind separate from what it does to your body -- this is just my opinion, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. In spite of a few minutes of being amped , a few brief waves of mild euphoria, a predictably suppressed appetite and occasional diarrhea, there is nothing notable that I would consider as a side effect from taking the Ritalin. In other words, the way it affects my body and the parts of my brain unaffected by ADD is insignificant compared to how it improves my ADD symptoms.

If you're so jittery and so disturbed by your pounding heart that you can't concentrate on your work/school, then you have to ask yourself if this drug is worth it. The only difference between being distracted by drug side effects and being distracted by ADD is that the drugs are more expensive. It is a fallacy to believe that if taking a little Ritalin makes one concentrate better, one must have ADD.

Most people, especially extroverts for some unknown reason, will experience improved cognitive function and concentration when under the influence of a mild stimulant. That's why us humans like our coffee. For an ADD person like myself, taking Ritalin appears to reduce the "noise" that competes for my attention; in reality, it increases my mind's ability to filter out the rest of the universe so I can devote my brain power to what I want to devote it to -- rather than having my mind uncontrollably try to process everything all at once. I think this is why a lot of people who take Ritalin say they are more relaxed and have more mental energy at the end of the day -- even after the Ritalin wears off.

I think the non-ADD person who takes Ritalin perceives a benefit because their stimulated mind seems to be working better than it did before. Just like if you slapped a turbo charger on your car's engine, you'd probably say it ran better. Anyway, don't take my word for it. Talk to your doctor. Ask him/her about something called Concerta. It's a new 12 hour, timed release version of Ritalin.