This ADHD drug is effective, but it’s also easy to abuse and popular among teens and college students looking for a high that helps them study or party longer.
Ritalin, also known by the generic name methylphenidate, is a central nervous system stimulant that affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. Used to treat Attention deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Ritalin is also used in the treatment of the sleep disorder narcolepsy.
Ritalin has been used since the mid-1950s, with doctors prescribing it to treat a variety of conditions including depression, fatigue syndrome and narcolepsy. Ritalin gained FDA approval for treatment of hyperactivity in children in 1961. Today, the drug is prescribed to approximately 6 million people in the US, 75 percent of whom are children, with boys receiving Ritalin about four times more often than girls.
Ritalin increases alertness and productivity, acting similar to amphetamines in the nature and duration of its effects. It is believed to work by activating the brain stem arousal system and cortex. Pharmacologically, it works on the neurotransmitter dopamine. It is given in pill form and is not thought to be addictive when taken as prescribed by doctors.
Ritalin Abuse
As the most commonly prescribed medication for ADHD, Ritalin is readily available despite its "prescription-only" status. This has made it a popular drug of abuse by teens and college students, who use it as a way to stay awake and alert in order to party or study. Approximately 30-50 percent of adolescents in drug rehab report abusing Ritalin and The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey found that four percent of high school seniors in the US abused the drug at least once in the past year. Individuals who abuse Ritalin either swallow the tablets or crush them to produce a powder, which is snorted. Some abusers dissolve the tablets in water and then inject the mixture.
Some experts also see a possible link between Ritalin use and future cocaine abuse. Researchers at the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah believe that since Ritalin is a stimulant like cocaine, it can cause undesirable changes in the brain over time, making those who take the popular prescription med more prone to cocaine addiction than the average population, possibly unknowingly using cocaine as a replacement for Ritalin once thy are taken off the drug as an adult.
Ritalin Side Effects
Short-term effects of Ritalin can include nervousness and insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, changes in heart rate and blood pressure (usually elevation of both, but occasionally depression), skin rashes and itching, abdominal pain, weight loss, and digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence syndrome and severe depression upon withdrawal.
When taken as directed by a physician to treat a legitimate medical condition, Ritalin has proven to be a safe and effective medication. Medical studies have shown that individuals who have ADHD and who take Ritalin orally in proper dosages do not become addicted to the drug.
Individuals who abuse the drug, however, risk binge use, psychotic episodes, cardiovascular complications, and severe psychological addiction. In addition, abusers who inject the drug risk further complications because insoluble fillers in Ritalin tablets can block small blood vessels. Injection users also place themselves at risk of contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses.
This ADHD drug is effective, but it’s also easy to abuse and popular among teens and college students looking for a high that helps them study or party longer.
