does ritalin cause heart problems? scared to take zoloft

i was told from a young age i had adhd, i am now 24 and a college student. i used ritalin from age 7-15 and now ive been back on it for a year in college 20mg generic ritalin sr its a god send as far as my focus i class and reading comprehension, however i have horrible anxiety 2-10 panic attacks a day. by doctor gave my a script for zoloft 100mgs a day, but my anxiety is so bad I'm scared to take it health problems are my worst anxiety i always think im having a heart attack, and now my pharmasist told me that ritalin can cause heart attacks and problems after prolonged use. Now im scared to take my ritalin because im afraid its gonna give me heart problems im a bit more then a year out from graduating and i really need the ritalin, but as far as the anxiety goes i like to have a few beers a couple days a week and dont know if its worth giving up for the zoloft. i just dont know what to do. tried strattera once and it made me depressed i just dont want zoloft to do the same in the middle of a semester when grades are so important? help

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

ritalin is a stimulant and may have long term effects, but certainly has short term effects in terms of increasing anxiety tension...you can ask your doctor about taking an even lower dose of ritalin or instead of zoloft, think about taking klonopin as you need it for anxiety relief...may be better in helping you study during this last year.