Does Ritalin cause long-term brain damage?

Answer 1

Most studies of ritalin have been short-term, i.e. weeks to months. Short-term use of ritalin appears to produce no permanent damage in most cases. Unfortunately, the risks of long-term ritalin use in humans are unknown. To determine such risk with any degree of certainly, one would need at least a decade long well-controlled study of a large group of people. Such a study is certainly possible but quite expensive and difficult to conduct properly. The maker of ritalin is unlikely to pay for it, so until the government decides to conduct such a study, long-term effects of ritalin will remain unclear.

It is unlikely that commonly used doses of ritalin cause severe brain damage (except perhaps in rare cases) –  ritalin's use has been so widespread for so long that frequent major brain damage would likely have been spotted without any clinical studies. On the other hand, it is possible that ritalin can cause subtle neurological/mental changes over the long-term. Until this is properly studied, we won't know either way.