Parents often worry that treating chronic childhood illnesses with medication could turn those children into drug addicts later in life. However, is not treating the illness the answer? Studies show that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are not treated with ADHD medications are more likely to become drug addicts than those who take the ADHD medications.

Methylphenidate, more commonly known as Ritalin, is a stimulant that has been widely successful in treating children with ADHD. Ritalin helps children sharpen their mental focus and increase concentration. Researchers have found that adolescents who get relief from ADHD symptoms with Ritalin are less likely to become drug abusers than those who do not take medications to treat their ADHD.

However, ADHD is not the only thing Ritalin might be good for treating. Researchers have now found that Ritalin can be used to successfully treat cocaine addicts who have problems controlling impulses. This discovery is a major breakthrough in substance abuse addiction research, as impulse control is one of the main reasons why substance abusers can’t stop taking dangerous drugs, even when they know they shouldn’t.

Given that lack of impulse control is a major component of substance addiction, and that Ritalin helps normalize emotional response in those with ADHD, it is no surprise that adolescents who undergo continuous treatment of ADHD with Ritalin experience fewer incidents of drug addiction than those ADHD suffers who are left untreated. Could ADHD be a precursor to impulse disorders later in life?

A small study at Yale University was recently conducted to test the hypothesis that Ritalin can help addicts control their impulsive behavior. Ten subjects were administered methylphenidate (Ritalin) before undergoing an MRI to record brain activity. The activity was measured when the subjects were completing computer tasks related to controlling impulses. The subjects who received the drug were better at impulse control while on Ritalin than when they received only a placebo (usually a sugar pill).

The brain scans of the Ritalin users showed changes to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VPC), the area of the brain that is involved in risk, fear, and decision-making. Researchers have found that the VPC is important in controlling behavior during emotional events and is involved in matters of impulse control. It is believed that the methylphenidate may be able to help stabilize an addict’s impulse response.

Dangers of Ritalin

However, Ritalin use, in and of itself, it not without its own dangers. The drug is a stimulant and has pharmacological effects similar to cocaine and amphetamines. As such, it can be highly addictive. Ritalin has not yet been reproduced by street dealers in homemade labs, however, because it is an affordable controlled substance that can be purchased at a local drug store or pharmacy with a valid prescription. Because Ritalin is typically prescribed to adolescents for treatment of ADHD, and those teens can then go and sell the pills to peers, it is easier for other young people to obtain it on the black market than other types of illicit, stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine (meth) or cocaine. One Ritalin tablet can cost as little as $.50 or as much as $5.00, depending on the prevailing supply and demand in the marketplace.

Ritalin, sometimes known as Vitamin R in adolescent circles, is misused, especially in high school and college populations. Ritalin is taken as an appetite suppressant, to heighten focus, and to produce a euphoric feeling. College students, in particular, use Ritalin when studying for exams as it keeps them awake and helps keep them focused on the books.

As with any pharmaceutical, Ritalin is not without side effects. Common side effects include headache, trouble falling or staying asleep, nervousness, decrease in appetite, or elevated blood pressure and heart rate. If Ritalin is abused (i.e., taken in greater doses than prescribed or taken without a prescription), it can cause the user to become addicted. Tolerance is also a problem with Ritalin, as increased doses could be needed to have the same effect as when the user began taking the drug.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/26/news/la-heb-ritalin-20100726