Severe Chest Pain And Breathing Difficulty. Taken Ritalin Without Prescription. Dangerous?

Posted on Wed, 16 Nov 2011

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 Answered on

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi im 22 i weight about 53 kilos my height is 1,60 meter
Ive been taking ritalin 10 mg without prescription for the past week and now in having a terrible chest pain and cant breath properly what do i do ? Os it XXXXXXX ?
Thx

Answered by Dr. Jasvinder Singh (20 minutes later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.

Ritalin is a medication that belongs to the drug class called central nervous system stimulants and what you are having is an adverse reaction of the drug. Stop taking this drug and immediately consult your doctor. It may be a serious adverse drug reaction when you notice fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat.

It is an emergency, hence I request you to rush to your nearest hospital right away.

Never in the future, take such medications without consulting your doctors first.

Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.

Wishing you good health.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Jasvinder Singh (2 days later)

i went to the doctor the minute i got your response , he checked my hert rate and blood pressure and said it was completly normal. He asked me to do an xray of my chest and take 6advils a day , i did that my xray came out and he called me and said that everything was normal .Yet my chest is still hurting . What do you think might cause that ? I told the doctor about taking ritalin he said that he doesnt think that ritalin is the cause of that . What do you think it might be ? I am still hurting everyte i breath .
Thanks

Answered by Dr. Jasvinder Singh (15 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for writing back to me.

It is good that the x-ray chest has come out normal because it has ruled out any lung cause of this chest pain.

One possibility is of costochondritis which is an inflammation of the joints in your chest. There is no specific test or investigation for costochondritis. The diagnosis can only be reached after excluding more serious causes of chest pain that are related to the heart and lungs.

It is completely curable and treatment involves conservative local care with careful use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (like Advil which you are already taking) or naproxen as prescribed. Application of warm compresses may also help. If there is no relief even with medications, then steroid injections may be needed.

Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.

Wishing you good health.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T