I take Ritalin (a lot) per day, and I think it exacerbates GERD and GERD symptoms because of its tendency to cause dry mouth/decrease salivation. Swallowing saliva helps neutralize acid in the esophagus, which is one reason GERD is worse when you sleep, cause you don't swallow as much...

I take Provigil, too, but it upsets my stomach, and causes dry mouth, too.

To make matters worse, Ritalin always makes me want to smoke more :(

Anyway, I'd suggest staying on the ritalin, but drink more water--and try to chew or suck on some non-GERD-aggravating gum or candy (if you have dry mouth).

If your ritalin is in tablet form, you might try putting the tablets into gelatin capsules to rule out the possibility that methylphenidate is causing more GERD symptoms simply by contact with your esophagus

I figured this one out a few months ago. I started drinking Malox or Mylanta before taking a Ritalin. This cuts down the severity of the coughing/Gerd by about 90%. The Ritalin makes reflux worse for sure, but as long as I don't take it every day, I think I'll be OK