Ritalin does NOT necessarily equal cocaine!
From Anderson et al. Nature Neuroscience 2002:
“We gave developing rats intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of a clinically relevant doses of MPH (2.0 mg/kg) or vehicle twice daily on postnatal days (P)20–35.”
“MPH-exposed rats spent less time in environments associated with a moderate (10 mg/kg, i.p.) dose of cocaine, suggesting aversion to cocaine. A higher dose of cocaine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) that established robust place preferences in vehicle-exposed rats failed to establish place preferences in MPH-exposed rats, suggesting that cocaine was less rewarding at this dose. Thus, MPH exposure in developing rats seems to decrease responsiveness to cocaine’s rewarding effects and increase responsiveness to its aversive effects.”
In other words, exposure to therapeutic doses of ritalin (MPH) can actually decrease the rewarding effects of later cocaine exposure.