Can childhood Ritalin use cause epilepsy in adults?

[StrangeBrain]

Hi, I am 54 years old, female.  From around 1964 to 1969 I was put on Ritalin to control what they called a perceptual disorder/hyperactivity.  I was also put on Phenobarbital for around 9 months when the Ritalin did not appear to be working.  The Phenobarbital made me psychotic and prone to violent meltdowns.  It was several months before anyone made the connection.  I was then returned to Ritalin and remained on it until I reached puberty.

When I was in my mid-20's I spontaneously developed complex-partial temporal lobe seizures.  I had about 4 or 5 a year until my mid-30's when they went away and haven't been back.  All my neurological tests revealed nothing abnormal.  The last neurologist I saw said sometimes these things go away during menopause.

What I am wondering, is there a link between the Ritalin I was forced to take during childhood and the seizures I later experienced as an adult?  And if so, are there other potential conditions I need to be aware of and to inform my health care providers about?

[Wordnerd]

I know it's been a few years since this post: My boyfriend was put on Ritalin until he hit puberty as well. Around 19 he had his first seizure and from then on he had mild episodes sporadically through the years. Sometime he appear to get really dizzy and pass out. He is now 28 and he had two really bad ones two weeks apart. I too believe that there is a link between childhood Ritalin use and neurological disorders in adults such as epilepsy.

[tertor]

I took ritalin in late teens for adhd and developed epilepsy in early thirties. No history of seizures in family but my brother who also took ritalin in late teens also eveloped seizures as I did.