[color=red][/color][size=18][/size]One day at a time, the drug continues to make children do what their parents and teachers either will not or cannot get them to do without it: Sit down, shut up, keep still, pay attention. In short, Ritalin is a cure for childhood.” — Mary Eberstadt (Reading, Writing, and Ritalin)
Every parent who has an ADD/ADHD child, and is considering the use of Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, or other drugs, should read all this information FIRST! Remember that these only represent the tip of the iceberg!
Here’s what the DEA says about Ritilan.
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
1. Ritalin is a Schedule II stimulate, structurally and pharmacologically similar to amphetamines and cocaine and has the same dependency profile of cocaine and other stimulants.
2. Ritalin produces amphetamine and cocaine-like reinforcing effects including increased rate of euphoria and drug liking. Treatment with Ritalin in childhood predisposes takers to cocaine’s reinforcing effects.
3. In humans, chronic administration of Ritalin produced tolerance and showed cross-tolerance with cocaine and amphetamines.
4. Ritalin is chosen over cocaine in self-administered preference studies in non-human primates.
5. Ritalin produces behavioral, physiological and reinforcing effects similar to amphetamines.
6. Ritalin substitutes for cocaine and amphetamines in scientific studies.
7. Children medicated with Ritalin who tried cocaine reported higher levels of drug dependence than those who had not used Ritalin.
8. Ritalin abuse is neither benign or rare in occurrence and is accurately described as producing severe dependence.
9. Sweden removed Ritalin from its market in 1968 because of widespread abuse.
10. More high school seniors were abusing Ritalin than those taking it medically prescribed.
11. Side-effects or Ritalin: increased blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and temperature; appetite suppression, weight loss, growth retardation; facial tics, muscle twitching, central nervous system stimulation, euphoria, nervousness, irritability and agitation, psychotic episodes, violent behavior, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behaviors, heart arrhythmias, palpitations and high blood pressure; tolerance and psychological dependence and death.
12. Ritalin will affect normal children and adults the same as those with attention and behavior problems. Effectiveness of Ritalin is not diagnostic.
13. CHADD, non-profit organization, which promotes the use of Ritalin, also receives a great deal of money from the drug manufacturer of Ritalin. CHADD does not inform its members of the abuse problems of Ritalin. CHADD portrays the drug as a benign, mild stimulant that is not associated with abuse of serious side-effects. Statements by CHADD are inconsistent with scientific literature.
14. The International Narcotics Control Board expressed concern that CHADD is actively lobbying for the use of Ritalin in children.
15. Ritalin is one of the top ten drugs involved in drug thefts and is being abused by health professionals as well as street addicts.
Re: Ritalin: A cure for childhood.
One of the primary reasons I make every attempt to post a working URL whenever I post material from a newspaper, website or such ;)
That being said, I believe that what the DEA reports is funneled through their “perspective filter”. By that I mean they are in the business of controlling the use of “narcotics”, regardless of whether illicit or prescription. So one might tend to see the downside of a medication like Ritalin on their site.
The trouble is, 99% of the people oiut there will do likewise, and that includes those working in education, psychiatry and medicine who are prone to gloss over very quickly any adverse events possibilities and focus nearly exclusively on the positives.
The truth of the matter is that Ritalin is by no means a benign drug, and we truly have little scientifically valid evidence of the long-term rammifications of using it in young children on a prolonged, ongoing basis.
Yes Ritalin can help those with deficits inexecutive function better attend and prioritise. Of course stimulants are well known to do that very thing in ALL of us, not just those with ADD.
Yes Ritalin carries the same risk from low-grade chronic use that ALL stimulants do, which not only includes the psychological problems but also very real potential for damage to the cardio-vacular system (as in Len Bias Disease).
The Business of America is Business (quick, who said that first?), and Big Pharma has surpassed the railroads, the steel industry, the oil giants and the tobacco companies as the leading powerhouse behind the throne here in the US. The Federal Regulators have gotten away from their primary mission (watchdog) and are currently more “marketing partners”. This has led to some rather “interesting” exposes of late, including the SSRI snafu, Viox, the HTR quandary, thimerosal (still unresolved) and most recently Viagra (which really can make you go blind, just like grandma warned your father all those years ago).
I found the Canadian meta-analysis most enlightening, a “study of studies” which found that of the 480+ studies published in the last30 years about Ritalin, only 62 had any degree of scientific validity, and none looked further then 39 mos. with the overwhelming majority looking at less than 1 year. Hardly a body of evidence supporting ongoing, long-term usage.
I also strongly question the inherrant bias that most “scientific” studies hold. If the profiteer of a product is funding (and usually participating in if not running) a study there is too much of a conflict of interest to rest comfortably with their conclusions.
Let us not forget that Ritalin’s license in the US is for children 12 and older. Giving it to children as young as 3 is (to my mind) experimental at best.
While I do not feel I am “anti-medication” per se, I would say I am “pro-informed consent”, and for parents to make that decision for their babies they need to hear the truth, however ugly it may be.
Re: Ritalin: A cure for childhood.
[quote:b6634ad66b=”Stinger”][color=red][/color][size=18][/size]One day at a time, the drug continues to make children do what their parents and teachers either will not or cannot get them to do without it: Sit down, shut up, keep still, pay attention. In short, Ritalin is a cure for childhood.” — Mary Eberstadt (Reading, Writing, and Ritalin)
Every parent who has an ADD/ADHD child, and is considering the use of Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, or other drugs, should read all this information FIRST! Remember that these only represent the tip of the iceberg!
Here’s what the DEA says about Ritilan.
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
1. Ritalin is a Schedule II stimulate, structurally and pharmacologically similar to amphetamines and cocaine and has the same dependency profile of cocaine and other stimulants.
2. Ritalin produces amphetamine and cocaine-like reinforcing effects including increased rate of euphoria and drug liking. Treatment with Ritalin in childhood predisposes takers to cocaine’s reinforcing effects.
3. In humans, chronic administration of Ritalin produced tolerance and showed cross-tolerance with cocaine and amphetamines.
4. Ritalin is chosen over cocaine in self-administered preference studies in non-human primates.
5. Ritalin produces behavioral, physiological and reinforcing effects similar to amphetamines.
6. Ritalin substitutes for cocaine and amphetamines in scientific studies.
7. Children medicated with Ritalin who tried cocaine reported higher levels of drug dependence than those who had not used Ritalin.
8. Ritalin abuse is neither benign or rare in occurrence and is accurately described as producing severe dependence.
9. Sweden removed Ritalin from its market in 1968 because of widespread abuse.
10. More high school seniors were abusing Ritalin than those taking it medically prescribed.
11. Side-effects or Ritalin: increased blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and temperature; appetite suppression, weight loss, growth retardation; facial tics, muscle twitching, central nervous system stimulation, euphoria, nervousness, irritability and agitation, psychotic episodes, violent behavior, paranoid delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behaviors, heart arrhythmias, palpitations and high blood pressure; tolerance and psychological dependence and death.
12. Ritalin will affect normal children and adults the same as those with attention and behavior problems. Effectiveness of Ritalin is not diagnostic.
13. CHADD, non-profit organization, which promotes the use of Ritalin, also receives a great deal of money from the drug manufacturer of Ritalin. CHADD does not inform its members of the abuse problems of Ritalin. CHADD portrays the drug as a benign, mild stimulant that is not associated with abuse of serious side-effects. Statements by CHADD are inconsistent with scientific literature.
14. The International Narcotics Control Board expressed concern that CHADD is actively lobbying for the use of Ritalin in children.
15. Ritalin is one of the top ten drugs involved in drug thefts and is being abused by health professionals as well as street addicts.[/quote]
Yeah, that stuff us a real rattlesnake. I wouldn’t give a dog Ritalin!
Re: Ritalin: A cure for childhood.
<<The trouble is, 99% of the people oiut there will do likewise, and that includes those working in education, psychiatry and medicine who are prone to gloss over very quickly any adverse events possibilities and focus nearly exclusively on the positives.>>
Dad,
That is so true as one who suspects my recent diagnosis of hearing loss is due to side effects from the antidepressants I am taking. Yes, I did confirm this on the Mosby Drug website. No, I haven’t seen any research that implicates stimulants with these side effects but my experiences is a perfect example that you are right on target.
In my own situation and I realize in many other situations, taking meds was the only choice. Therefore, I have not turned into an anti-med zealout. But anybody who decides to take any type of psych med needs to realize that there isn’t a free ride with these meds.
By the way, I don’t expect doctors to inform me of every last side effect that could occur. But I feel that they need to know when certain side effects are red flags for something serious. Sadly, that is lacking in the medical field.
I apologize for getting slightly off topic with the thread but at the same time, I want to save people from going through similar experiences to mine. Having LD/ADHD is not easy and to have to deal with another disability on top of that is tough. But I have to play the cards I am dealt with the best I can as I know people have it alot worse than me.
PT
Re: Ritalin: A cure for childhood.
this is what frightens me about medicating my child.. surely these are extreme cases - what about the majority of the cases, there must be some pluses..
can someone please show the other side of the coin???
Well, I decided to look at the DEA site, and for once the statements reported here are actually close to what is on the DEA site. Of course the poster is very biased and chooses to post only the negatives and the most extreme opinion statements, not mentioning the parts even of the DEA site that list situations where Ritalin is judged to have benefits that outweigh its risks.