Stimulants DO NOT cause drug abuse

Thanks, for clearing the air. A perfect example of how the side effects of the medical condition are far worse than the side effects of the medications.

Let’s see some proof. You know the scientific kind.

There is a mountain of evidence that says otherwise but it seems that information is not welcome here.

Children’s drug is more potent than cocaine

Jean West
Sunday September 9, 2001
The Observer

The children’s drug Ritalin has a more potent effect on the brain than cocaine, a study has found.
Using brain imaging, scientists have found that, in pill form, Ritalin - taken by thousands of British children and four million in the United States - occupies more of the neural transporters responsible for the ‘high’ experienced by addicts than smoked or injected cocaine. The research may alarm parents whose children have been prescribed Ritalin as a solution to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

The study was commissioned to understand more about why Ritalin - which has the same pharmacological profile as cocaine - is effective in calming children and helping them concentrate, while cocaine produces an intense ‘high’ and is powerfully addictive.

In oral form, Ritalin did not induce this intense psychological ‘hit’. But Dr Nora Volkow, psychiatrist and imaging expert at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York, who led the study, said that injected into the veins as a liquid rather than taken as a pill, it produced a rush that ‘addicts like very much’. Interviewed in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association newsletter, she said: ‘They say it’s like cocaine.’

Even in pill form, Ritalin blocked far more of the brain transporters that affect mood change and had a greater potency in the brain than cocaine. Researchers were shocked by this finding. A normal dose administered to children blocked 70 per cent of the dopamine transporters. ‘The data clearly show the notion that Ritalin is a weak stimulant is completely incorrect,’ said Volkow. Cocaine is known to block around 50 per cent of these transporters, leaving a surfeit of dopamine in the system, which is responsible for the hit addicts crave. But now it is known that Ritalin blocks 20 per cent more of these auto-receptors.

‘I’ve been almost obsessed about trying to understand [Ritalin] with imaging,’ said Volkow. ‘As a psychiatrist I sometimes feel embarrassed [about the lack of knowledge] because this is by far the drug we prescribe most frequently to children.’

However, it was still not clear why a drug that has been administered for more than 40 years was not producing an army of addicted schoolchildren. Volkow and her team concluded that this was due to the much slower process of oral ingestion. It takes around an hour for Ritalin in pill form to raise dopamine levels in the brain. Smoked or injected, cocaine does this in seconds.

Dr Joanna Fowler, who worked with Volkow on the project, said: ‘All drugs that are abused by humans release large quantities of dopamine. But dopamine is also necessary for people to be able to pay attention and filter out other distractions.’

But opponents of Ritalin, labelled a ‘wonder drug’ and a ‘chemical cosh’, believe it may be addictive and has dangerous side-effects. Moreover, many believe ADHD is a fraudulent title for a non-existent condition once put down to the exuberance of youth. Professor Steve Baldwin, a child psychologist from Teesside University, who died this year in the Selby rail crash, campaigned against Ritalin. He pointed out similarities between the drug and amphetamines as well as cocaine.

Mandy Smith of Banff in Scotland has a son of eight who was prescribed Ritalin for nine months. ‘I am astonished the British Government have allowed this drug to be prescribed,’ she said. ‘It can destroy people’s lives. My son was a changed person when he took Ritalin. He was suicidal and depressed.’

Janice Hill, of the Overload Support Network, a charity for parents of children with behavioural problems, said: ‘Now we have thousands of children in Scotland taking a drug that is more potent than cocaine. What does it take before the situation is thoroughly investigated?’

A spokeswoman for Novartis, which makes Ritalin, said: ‘Ritalin is available as tablets only. It should only be initially prescribed by a doctor who is a specialist in child behavioural disorders and should always be used and monitored under strict medical supervision.’

Thanks Rebelmom, If you don’t mind I will post the link you gave on the Schwab Board, as alot of parents will be “relieved” to hear this.

Linda (Mayleng on Schwab board).

I subscribe to the Attention Research Update newsletter as well and I think it is great. Dr. David Rabiner provides an unbiased analysis of recent research and explains exactly what can and can’t be concluded from the results. In a recent update he reviewed the sparse existing research dealing with the question of stimulant abuse. From the limited research that has been done in this area, it appears that most stimulant abusers at elementary, highschool and college levels are not those for whom the medication has been prescribed but rather those who obtain it illegally. He concludes that the biggest risk for kids who have been prescribed stimulant medication is not that they will abuse it but rather that they will be approached by others seeking to buy or “borrow” meds. This worries me, and I have discussed it extensively with my child. He takes an extended release medication and so does not receive medication at school, but he certainly knows where we keep it home. I don’t *think* he would sell or give away his medication, or even that he would be approached by anyone to do so, but it is better to have broached the subject in advance and have planted the seed that this is not okay to do.

Andrea

I tried to post this response before, but it never appeared on the board. Assuming that this failure is the result of a technical glitch, here goes again:

I think the Attention Research update newsletter is great. Dr. David Rabiner, who writes the research reviews, gives very helpful and unbiased evaluations of the research. It is free and anyone can subscribe. A recent update reviewed the scant research dealing with the problem of stimulant abuse. Rabiner concludes that the current research, while very slim, tends to show that most stimulant abuse occurs among students who are not prescribed stimulants. Those who are prescribed the medication tend not to abuse them. According to Rabiner, the research shows that the biggest problem for kids who are prescribed stimulants is being approached by others seeking to buy or “borrow” meds. I have already discussed this subject with my child. Although he does not receive medication at school, he does know where we keep it at home. I don’t *think* he would sell or give away his meds, but I spoke with him about it anyhow to let him know that this is something that we don’t approve of and that is illegal and dangerous for others. Better safe than sorry!

Andrea

It is well documented that ritalin use leads to drug addiction. Ritalin is nearly identical to cocaine in how it works on the brain.

The other thing is. Although stimulants have a paradoxical effect and actually calm children down it has never been proven that stimulants improve focus and consentration in children.

Stimulants will quell hyper-active children but at what cost?

There are numerous studies that back up this assertion. Is anyone interested in reading them? I would be more than happy to post them.

Thank you.

For up-to-date information about research related to ADHD the CDC has funded a research-based Web site. Here is the link to this Web site which is a recent online addition.

http://www.help4adhd.org/

What are stimulants?
As the name suggests, stimulants are a class of drugs that enhance brain activity - they cause an increase in alertness, attention, and energy that is accompanied by elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate and respiration. Stimulants were used historically to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments. But as their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent, the medical use of stimulants began to wane. Now, stimulants are prescribed for the treatment of only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depression that has not responded to other treatments. Stimulants may be used as appetite suppressants for short-term treatment of obesity, and they also may be used for patients with asthma.

How do stimulants affect the brain and body?
Stimulants, such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin), have chemical structures that are similar to a family of key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants increase the amount of these chemicals in the brain. This, in turn, increases blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition, the increase in dopamine is associated with a sense of euphoria that can accompany the use of these drugs.

What are the possible consequences of stimulant use and abuse?
The consequences of stimulant abuse can be dangerous. Although their use may not lead to physical dependence and risk of withdrawal, stimulants can be addictive in that individuals begin to use them compulsively. Taking high doses of some stimulants repeatedly over a short time can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Additionally, taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures.

Treating addiction to prescription stimulants
Treatment of addiction to prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin, is often based on behavioral therapies proven effective for treating cocaine or methamphetamine addiction. At this time, there are no proven medications for the treatment of stimulant addiction. However, antidepressants may help manage the symptoms of depression that can accompany the early days of abstinence from stimulants.

Depending on the patient’s situation, the first steps in treating prescription stimulant addiction may be tapering off the drug’s dose and attempting to treat withdrawal symptoms. The detoxification process could then be followed by one of many behavioral therapies. Contingency management, for example, uses a system that enables patients to earn vouchers for drug-free urine tests. The vouchers can be exchanged for items that promote healthy living.

Another behavioral approach is cognitive-behavioral intervention, which focuses on modifying the patient’s thinking, expectations, and behaviors while at the same time increasing skills for coping with various life stressors. Recovery support groups may also be effective in conjunction with behavioral therapy.

Children being treated with stimulants are hardly abusing drugs. They are using medication in a controlled matter to treat their illness. Have you ever taken stimulants? I have, and I have spent a short part of my younger years doing coke. The two are nothing a like. You don’t get high from a theraputic dose of stims. You don’t crash coming off. It cannot be compared to drug abuse. Everyone with any real experience knows that.

Experience brings wisdom.

.

Rebel Mom

Many people who abuse drugs think they have everything under control. Many hard core drug addicts were on Ritalin. This suggests a connection.

Being that methylphenidate acts exactly on the brain as cocaine those persons who are using it who are predisposed for addiction are at even greater risk in becoming hopeless addicts like Robert Downey.

Those people who know Robert Downey say that he is a really decent person. Robert Downey may very well have had his still developing brain programmed by all the Ritalin he recieved as a child until being stoned on methylphenidate became it’s “natural” state.

Snorting coke does not make one an expert on chemically dependency. Anecdotal remarks from a coke head are beyond irrelevant when compared to the real evidence that links methylphenidate use in children to full blown drug addiction in adults.

Thanks for pointing out the signifigant difference. Taking stimulants to replace missing stimulants is not abusing a drug and does not lead to addiction.

In addition, to an ADD child, I have a seriously narcoleptic sister. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder-one goes into REM sleep at inappropriate times like the middle of a conversation, dinner, driving. She was on Ritalin for decades. She now uses a new med that narcoleptics and military pilots take to stay awake. No problems coming off Ritalin after decades.

The problems with Ritalin arise when you DON’T need it and take it-that’s abuse.

I posted a University of Dublin study that says that Ritalin programs the brain for addiction but it did not appear. I wonder why.