There are so many articles surrounding ADHD and Ritalin. So many people who are for or against Ritalin. So many different kinds of opinions that one can't decide which one is right or wrong. I am here to tell my side of the story in the hope that you as reader will realize that if you do not try something beforehand, then you can't judge.

My son is almost 8 years of age and he have been diagnosed with ADHD last year. We as parents was also against Ritalin and talked about it so much that we decided that if the therapist do recommend Ritalin for our son, that we will refuse. So when the therapist did recommend Ritalin, we blatantly refused. In amaze, she asked why and we gave her our reasons. She then made a very good point, that how are we going to know Ritalin is bad for our son if we did not give it a try. She said that if the Ritalin do not work, there are other medicines also and that we will give that a try if Ritalin does not work.

So after making that point, we agreed. We got the medicine from the pharmacy and off we go. We gave the medication to him and knowing that the first week we won't see any improvement as of yet, but we were willing to give it a try.

4 weeks into the program, we were amazed at what improvement our son has made. The teacher at school informed us that he is now able to sit still, take in the information and able to verbalize it back to her. Before the Ritalin he even struggled to do all these things. He could not even interact with his friends, therefor he complained that no one wanted to play with him. We at home also could see a difference. He was able to listen, respond to orders and rules, was not aggressive as before and we could see someone in him for the first time. A person to whom we could talk to and interact with.

It's now almost a year since he is on Ritalin and not once can I say that he was like a zombie. He is doing so well in his schoolwork, he can interact with his friends, family and adults. Before the Ritalin he did not even have any friends because he could not interact with them efficiently enough.

I now tell people who are against Ritalin, that you can't judge this medicine before you or your child (who have a decease who need this medicine) have tried it. Yes, you may have seen a family member whom had zombie-like behavior on Ritalin but that does not mean that if you or your child uses it after you have been diagnosed with a problem which require you to use Ritalin by a specialist, that Ritalin will have the same affect on you or your child.

Don't judge before you have tried Ritalin.

(I want to thank Angel for all her support since my son was diagnosed with ADHD. Her support and advice still, gives me so much hope that I will be able to get through this journey with my son and ADHD. Thank you Angel.)