Devin Barclay never played in LA, but he did play in MLS, and there is an LA Times article featuring him, among others, talking about his struggles with ADD. Barclay maintains that the commonly prescribed drug Ritalin hindered his soccer development, even as it helped him focus in school.
Barclay is now out of the game at a professional level and back in school, going to college.
Another hyperactive kid is now playing for the Galaxy, after a concerned psychiatrist recommended soccer. Wonder what might have happened if he'd suggested Ritalin instead?
My name is Nikki Hughes and i would like to show you my personal experience with Ritalin.
ReplyDeleteI am 51 years old. Have been on Ritalin for 9 years now. I began taking it for depression after my marriage ended, and also in a misguided attempt to lose weight! I lost about 15 pounds at the beginning, had tons of energy, felt great...but the weight loss stopped within a few months.. I currently feel focused and motivated after I take it and am able to get a lot done. As well as the generic ritalin, I take 6 - 12 Tylenol 1 tablets a day. I know how bad this is, but can't seem to stop for more than a few days. The last nine years seem to be a blur...it's like I have lost those years....I hardly remember anything about them. I find this sad and frightening. I take what my doctor prescribed: three 10mg. tablets a day. I have tried many times to completely get off this drug but I now realize that I am truly addicted to it. If I stop taking it for more than one day I become extremely depressed and have very negative, hopeless thoughts and ideas.
I have experienced some of these side effects-
very irritable when it wears off; sometimes difficult to fall asleep, memory loss, hear music in my head that won't stop.
I hope this information will be useful to others,
Nikki Hughes