Is it normal for you to shake when you are on Ritalin?
Today at practice I had to come out because my hands were shaking so bad and I couldnt make them stop. They stopped shaking as bad after a while but never stopped completly.
This has happened to me before but it was never so bad that I had to sit out. Even during school sometimes my hands will start shaking and sometimes even my legs and I feel weak.
The trainer at school thinks its a side effect from my ritalin. Could this be possible? Is there anything I can do to stop it or prevent it? Is there a certain amount of time you should wait after I take my meds before I have physical activity?

I had that also and it was so disappointing.
However, it would start as I came down off the medicine and progressively worsen. I can see how some people might become dependent on it because I felt like I need to take an extra pill to get me through.

Not good. I'll bet a different med. will suit you better. It did me.
Personally, I'd rather be lost and scattered than have to deal with shaking and trembling.

That's just my own insight. :)

~gourmet~

This is due to elevated plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) levels from the drug, stimulating the beta adrenoreceptors in your muscles and decreasing the minimum voltage required for them to fire. Epi gives you increased strength at the price of fine motor control (for when our caveman ancestors had to beat down lions and bears, I guess :p).

Don't worry though, within a month or so the beta receptors downregulate to a fraction of their original sensitivity (you actually have a histaminergic (allergic) response to their use!), and this will diminish.

Unfortunately Frangible I'm not so sure you're correct here. I've read anecdotes and seen theorized that this type of side effect worsens with time -- in fact, it's my own experience too. Needless to say I think we all understand receptor down-regulation and whatnot, but there's more than one system involved here and it's not so cut and dry unfortunately.

This is due to elevated plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) levels from the drug, stimulating the beta adrenoreceptors in your muscles and decreasing the minimum voltage required for them to fire. Epi gives you increased strength at the price of fine motor control (for when our caveman ancestors had to beat down lions and bears, I guess :p).

Don't worry though, within a month or so the beta receptors downregulate to a fraction of their original sensitivity (you actually have a histaminergic (allergic) response to their use!), and this will diminish.

I've been on some type of stimulant for 3 years and i still have trouble with them, which is why i'm switching meds. I think I'm just too sensitive to stimulants to the point where I get anxiety and depression from them. I have been trying to figure out if it was the meds or events that have taken place recently in my life that give me the anxiety and depression. I have trouble with how tense the meds make me, i might be focused, but my heart races faster than it usually does, my breathing is a lot shallower, and i just always feel like i'm wired. I don't have trouble with my hand shaking, but i can't sit still. My hands don't shake, but i am almost always drumming on a desk or tapping my feet. I am way more relaxed and laid back when i'm off my meds. I might be a mess and in a daze, but it's better than being stressed out on meds. This isn't the case with most people though, they usually get the initial shock from the meds and their body learns to adjust. I suggest that you give yourself a little time to see if you adjust to the meds, but if it gets worse, tell your doctor and they'll probably switch your meds.

i had a lot of the shaking when the Ritalin was wearing off. I also had jaw clenching. I don't notice it as much now, as when I first started taking it, but still get it a little.

Oddly enough, i was on Concerta before and didnt have any of that, just some dry mouth.

I was shaking like mad when i started taking ritalin. After a while i discovered it was due to Cafeine. I stopped coffee and shaking disapeared.