Ritalin, Good or Bad
...though is that the child's growth may be suppressed and therefore it is recommended that the child be taken off the pill during summer break so that the child may have their proper growth spurt. Ritalin has quickly become the prescription of choice by most psychiatrists. The numbers back this up. There are 350 MILLION dosages of Ritalin administered PER DAY in the United States. Of the world's supply of Ritalin, 90% is used in the United States and of that 80% is used by children. Among today's 38 million children at the ages of five to fourteen, reports say, 1.3 million take it regularly. With these alarming statistics you would think this must be some kind of cure-all, wonder drug. Well it really isn't. Like I previously stated it's a drug that's in the same class as cocaine. Basically it is just a milder form of cocaine. Several cases of children abusing the drug have been reported throughout the United States; some kids actually grind up their pills and snort them; others buy and sell them like runty, little dope dealers. Many doctors also believe that it is a gateway drug and extremely addicting. Why then is Ritalin so quickly prescribed? It's a quick fix, feel good quickly, psychiatrist looks good because of it, type of drug. Once prescribed it doesn't take long to begin to notice "results", results being that the patient feels better and symptoms go away while on the "high" from the Ritalin. But is the ADD cured? or just hidden? Knowing the nature of Ritalin (being like a cocaine high) chances are that most of the time the symptoms are just hidden. A child might sit still longer in class, read a book longer before getting bored or not act rambunctious during naptime. Although sometimes Ritalin doesn't even work as well as it is prescribed to do. Once dependent upon Ritalin to function "normally", this high feeling has many psychological effects on an individual. Sometimes a sense of invisibility sets in or a feeling of transcendence sets in because they "feel" so good while on the medication. Richard DeGrandpre, author of "Ritalin Nation," argues that we don't have slews of sick kids beset with new and improved mental tics. < Ritalin Nation >The mass prescription of behavior-controlling drugs for children has more to do with a society that refuses to deal with relational and cultural problems as such and instead uses dope to smooth over the rough edges , in essence making the drugs chemical crutches. Given that, the only real difference between using Ritalin and using drugs like cocaine, meth and ecstasy is that Ritalin and other kiddy dope come with happy-face stickers from the local pharmacist. Not only is Ritalin becoming a fixture in elementary schools across America, it is also becoming a fixture on high school and college campuses all over. Earning nicknames suck as "Vitamin-R and "the smart drug", Ritalin is quickly becoming the drug of choice for doing late night homework and studying as well as partying. With the drug giving you a high similar to cocaine but "not as bad" as some say, the little white pill is what coffee was in generations past, a jolt of energy so you can stay up and get done what you need to do. In a recent survey about 4% of high school students abuse Ritalin and about 20% of college students misuse Ritalin < http://www.belayer.net/ritalin_becoming_recreational_dr.htm >. With these kinds of alarming statistics you would think that it would be a problem of national attention. Many times however this problem gets look beyond because of the growing problems of alcohol and narcotics. ``It's like speed,'' Feussner said. ``Students know it's going to keep them awake. They know they can party hardy. What they don't know is. . . if you took cocaine and put it in a pill and took it at a low dosage, it would do exactly the same thing. It's a serious drug.'' < http://www.belayer.net/ritalin_becoming_recreational_dr.htm > With these kinds of appalling statistics about Ritalin on college campuses these days think about what kind of addictions we are going to have once the younger, over-prescribed generation of today reaches college. Ritalin isn’t the only drug prescribed to children with ADD. There are many more options and a new drug is introduced to the market about every six months. Concerta, Medadate, Adderal, Dexedrine, and Strattera are some of the options for medicating children with ADD. Rachel Martel, a licensed school psychologist says about these such medications, “I have seen stimulant medication enhance children’s performance, though I have also seen side effects cause the child and family unnecessary stress. It also concerns me that long-term effects are often unknown.” < Martel > Concerta and Medadate are both Methylphenidates so they are similar to Ritalin. Concerta is differs from Ritalin in that it is the first extended release formulation of a Methylphenidate that lasts up to twelve hours. So basically everything that has been previously said about Ritalin holds true for Concerta also. Adderal is again similar to Ritalin although since it has some a different chemical makeup it has some much more severe side affects. Some of the possible side affects include depression, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, headache, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, loss of appetite and weight loss. Since there are more side affects and they occur more often this drug is being prescribed less and less. Strettera is a fairly new drug on the market. Strattera is the first non-stimulant medication approved by ...