Most importantly, read the Medication Guide provided by your pharmacist before you start taking methylphenidate and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Secondly, this medication is taken by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once daily in the morning. Meanwhile, taking this medication late in the day may cause trouble sleeping(insomnia).

Swallow this medication with a full glass of liquid (8 ounces/240 milliliters). Do not crush or chew this medication. Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of side effects. Also, do not split the tablets unless they have a score line and your doctor or pharmacist tells you to do so. Swallow the whole or split tablet without crushing or chewing.

Side Effects

Nervousness, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, weight loss, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or headache may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacistpromptly.

An empty tablet shell may appear in your stool as a result, this effect is harmless because your body has already absorbed the medication.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Consequently,many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

This medication may raise your blood pressure. Therefore, check your blood pressure regularly and tell your doctor if the results are high.

In conclusion, tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: signs of blood flow problems in the fingers or toes (such as coldness, numbness, pain, or skin color changes), unusual wounds on the fingers or toes, fast/pounding/irregular heartbeat, mental/mood/behavior changes (such as agitation, aggression, mood swings, abnormal thoughts, thoughts of suicide), uncontrolled muscle movements (such as twitching, shaking), sudden outbursts of words/sounds that are hard to control, vision changes (such as blurred vision).