It would send me to another planet me thinks... I can't even take antidepressants so I can't imagine anything 'speedy' would work well at all for me..

It is not the same as taking caffeine, though… I wonder how it differs? If it makes you speedy and revved up that would not be good for me either. How can that increase concentration? It seems like it would do the opposite but it doesn't… I wonder…

"Not" a good idea. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325333#:~:text=Similarly,%20people%20with%20structural%20abnormalities%20of%20the%20heart,cases,%20Ritalin%20can%20cause%20or%20worsen%20Raynaud%20phenomenon.

Yeah, it's not a good idea. If anything seems too good to be true, it probably is. A quick fix would be nice. I just want my old brain back! :-(

I use to be addicted to ritalin because I could read for hours in University and never stop. I think it led to my first manic episode because it's a stimulant. Be careful

Two of my sons were supposed to go on Ritalin. The younger one had ADD, school was hard. One of the side effects is that it stunts your growth. He wanted to be a hockey player, and needed every inch he could have. He was about 11 at the time, and we never spoke about it, again.

My older son had ADHD. He had literally no impulse control, although he was a genius. We talked about with our doctor, and decided we would help him with his impulse control, and it worked. He became an electrical engineer, and has done very well at that. He had a friend in high school who was on it all his school years. He hated it, because it made him feel like he was in a straight jacket.

My grandson is also on it for ADHD. But they mostly use it at hockey, so he can concentrate on the game and the puck when he is playing, He should be on Ritalin for school. But that's another issue.

I could never take it, because stimulants make me hypomanic. I've never had issues with concentration, if it is something not interesting I can also concentrate quite well.

I would read about side effects of Ritalin, and studies of responses to the drug.

You might find it a lot easier to concentrate going to college. You will be paying for it, and a lot more emotionally invested in finishing your course.

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

Thanks to all involved in the discussion. I won't be risking it in my case. Coffee alone can make me unstable and cause broken sleep. I also tend to get excessive side effects and atypical reactions to medications.