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U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration -Stimulant Abuse in School-Age Children The Drug Enforcement Administration has given permission to Safer Child, Inc. to reprint this article on ADD/ADHD and stimulants -- including methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Stimulant Abuse in School-Age Children: Prevention is the key to our efforts to ensure healthy, responsible and successful lives for our children. As parents and school officials, we need to know the facts about the drugs our children may come in contact with. Two prescription medications being abused by school-age children are methylphenidate (commonly known as Ritalin) and amphetamine (primarily Adderall and Dexedrine). Both are approved and used in the treatment of attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder commonly referred to as ADHD or ADD. Because medications such as methylphenidate have such a great potential for abuse, DEA has placed stringent controls on their manufacture, distribution and prescription. The reports of methylphenidate and amphetamine misuse/abuse among adolescents and young adults are particularly disturbing since this is the group that has the greatest access to this drug. Adolescents don't have to rob a pharmacy, forge a prescription or visit the local drug dealer to acquire methylphenidate -- they have little difficulty obtaining it from a friend or classmate at school. Probably the single most disturbing trend is that adolescents do not view abuse of this drug as serious. This guide will help you understand why a medication such as methylphenidate is being abused and how you, as a school official or a parent, can institute procedures that will ensure that this medication is handled in a safe and appropriate manner. By working together, we can greatly reduce the opportunities for the diversion and abuse of these drugs.
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