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U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration -
The Drug Enforcement Administration has given permission to Safer Child, Inc. to reprint this article on ADD/ADHD and stimulants -- including methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Why is Stimulant Medication Abused? These drugs are sought after by individuals who want them for their psychoactive effects: to get high, stay awake for extended periods of time to study or party, to lose weight or mix with alcohol or other drugs to enhance their effects. Anecdotal reports from students and faculty on college campuses indicate that methylphenidate is being used as a study aid and party drug in the same manner that amphetamine was used on campuses in the 1960s.
Methylphenidate and amphetamine can be abused orally or tablets can be crushed and snorted or dissolved in water and injected. The pattern of abuse is characterized by escalation in dose, frequent episodes of binge use followed by severe depression and an overpowering desire to continue the use of these drugs despite serious medical and social consequences.
What are the Dangers in Taking Stimulant Medication? Methylphenidate and amphetamine are potent stimulants associated with high abuse potentials and dependence profiles. That does not mean that a child who is properly diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed a stimulant as part of his or her treatment would become "addicted" to their medication. Low-dose, oral medication is generally not associated with drug abuse or addiction. What it does mean, is that students who give or sell their medication to friends or classmates are not only doing something illegal, but may be contributing to serious harm. Called "Vitamin R," "R-ball," or "the smart drug," use of the drug by children and teenagers without ADHD causes short, intense periods of high energy. In most people, the effects are short-lived and there is often a letdown or "crash" after they wear off. During this "crash" the person can feel very depressed, sleepy, and sluggish. When these drugs are taken at high doses, serious, even life-threatening risks are involved and drug addiction is just one of those serious risks. High doses often produce agitation, tremors, euphoria, tachycardia, palpitations and hypertension. Psychotic episodes, paranoid delusions, hallucinations and bizarre behavior characteristics similar to amphetamine-like stimulant toxicity have been associated with methylphenidate abuse. Severe medical consequences, including death, have been reported.
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