‘If you use it wisely it works well’

MY mom put me on Ritalin for ADHD but I didn’t like it, and I don’t think my younger self had any intention of paying attention in school — with or without drugs.

But it was a no-brainer to use Concerta for exams or semester tests.

The guys with prescriptions would sell in res, and others could get it easily because their parents worked in pharmacies or were dispensing doctors.

You could buy Concerta for about R30, so the markups weren’t high; we were just helping each other out.

There was recreational use too. Some guys would take one pill then crush the contents of another into four lines. They would bump every half-hour then study for 12 hours straight.

Guys would snort before going out and said it was

It made me feel guilty, almost like doping in sport

comparable to a good cocaine high.

A friend who studied pharmaceutical medicine said the difference between Concerta and cocaine is one link in the molecule of the active ingredient, so it was also quite addictive, and the guys who did it recreationally were often into other drugs.

I took the highest available dosage of Concerta. It really worked.

A friend used Ritalin in prescription dosages and it changed his personality. He quickly became irritated and irrational and thought it suppressed his emotions.

If you studied for three days or more on Concerta or Ritalin you would feel very emotional when it worked off and get a sense of craving something. The best thing to do was to have a few drinks.

If you use it wisely it works well, but it made me feel guilty, almost like being caught doping in sport.