Saturday, December 8, 2007

Ritalin: Wonderdrug or Cocaine?

Several years ago the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank in Washington D.C., issued a report questioning how Ritalin is administered to children and how its effectiveness is perceived by the public. Not many people know that Ritalin is a drug that is in the same class of drugs as cocaine. In fact, a practice among teen-agers is to smoke Ritalin (insert Richard Pryor joke here).

From Heritage:
"For one, the way Ritalin (clinically known as methylphenidate) works is widely misunderstood by the public. It improves attention span the same way amphetamines do—by stimulating the central nervous system—and has the same potential adverse effects, including weight loss and insomnia. Numerous medical studies, including laboratory tests with animals, have shown virtually no difference between cocaine and methylphenidate, she says. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classifies Ritalin as a Schedule II drug, subjecting it to the same strict controls as morphine.
Another reason for Ritalin's rise, Eberstadt says, is the "extraordinary political and medical clout" of the support group CHADD—Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. The group's history includes its 1995 petition to the DEA to reclassify Ritalin as a Schedule III drug, which would subject it to fewer controls and make it easier to obtain. It also includes the fact that CHADD accepted nearly $900,000 in donations during the early 1990s from the pharmaceuticals giant that manufactures Ritalin."
http://www.heritage.org/Press/NewsReleases/nr041299a.cfm


The report, Why Ritalin Rules, can be found at http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/3552192.html

5 comments:

Tom Head said...

I was prescribed Ritalin briefly for ADD. Didn't like it. Had headaches, caught myself staring at a fly on the wall for 15 minutes, etc. Ended up prescribed Dexedrine for a few years, which was much more effective, but I ended up dropping it because it revved my pulse too much.

Ritalin is a good drug on its own merits, but it's overprescribed and prescribed in a way that ignores the experiences of individual patients.

Anonymous said...

Ritalin destroyed my brother, who was misdiagnosed as a pre-teen, and then the Ritalin not only stunted his growth and kept him too skinny, it helped push him over into full-blown bi-polar disorder.

Physicians who prescribe Ritalin should be required to be fully trained into all aspects of psychiatry. If only we had known back then what Ritalin was really capable of.

And to think teachers at Jackson Academy asked me to put my boys on Ritalin so the boys would "pay attention". Can you believe it? Needless to say, I DID NOT and eventually took all my children to another school.

Kingfish said...

had a friend whose son was on ritalin. Then because he could never sleep, the child was on other medication to counteract the effects of ritalin. Was 13 and behind in his growth and very thin.

Anonymous said...

For people who think Ritalin is a safe and controlled substance, check out this Ritalin research which shows what people are really thinking about Ritalin.

I wouldn't take Ritalin myself, so why would I give it to my kids?

Anonymous said...

My name is Lance Burnet and i would like to show you my personal experience with Ritalin.

I am 56 years old. I have taken Ritalin for 30 years. I have been diagnosed with a mild form of narcolepsy. I use 4 (10 MG ) pills per day. The drug ahs worked wonders and eliminated the drowsiness and sleep attacks. My concern now is the length of time I have been on it. When taking a "drug holiday" it seems like my symptoms are worse.

I have experienced some of these side effects-
rebound effect when dosage wears off.

I hope this information will be useful to others,
Lance Burnet


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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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