My dr put me on 20mg of Ritalin LA once a day. Ive taken them for a week. Ive had headaches, short temper, and a real low about 5hrs agter I take it. Is that normal with this med? Should I be taking a second dose in the afternoon? Am I taking to much? Ive got a couple weeks before I see my dr again so I was just wondering if this is normal or if I should call in a quicker visit.

Oh I will say it does seem to help me focus.

i also started with 20mg of ritalin LA & experienced irritability & impatience as it wore off at the end of each day. it seemed to help when i opened the capsule & took about 2/3 of it in the morning & the other 1/3 about 4 hours later. seemed like i wasn't feeling as cranky because the medication wore off more gradually than before.

i've since switched to generic immediate release ritalin. i start with 15mg in the morning, then 5mg every 2 hours, for a daily total of 35mg. it's a little inconvenient, but i can really control how much is in my system & it's much cheaper. i get 120 10mg generic for $10 as opposed to 30 20mg ritalin LA for $80.