By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
A report from USA Today titled, “Stealing, dealing and Ritalin” suggests that an increased number of adults are stealing the methylphenidate drug ritalin in order to get high.
According to the article, a former elementary school principal has just begun a jail sentence for substituting sugar pills for ritalin, and drug thefts from school offices are reportedly increasing in frequency.
According to the article, the US Drug Enforcement Agency quota on production of ritalin (methylphenidate) has increased 650% since 1990, and recent studies have found that up to 20% of students in some US schools are being treated for ADHD with stimulants such as ritalin.
How many are taking it without a prescription? Is it a medication when it is taken as directed and a drug when used to get high? Either way, the results and the effects on the body are the same.
USA Today: Stealing, dealing and Ritalin
Methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin) was patented in 1954 by the Ciba pharmaceutical company and was initially prescribed as a treatment for ailments such as depression, chronic fatigue, and narcolepsy. Beginning in the 1960s, it was used to treat children with ADHD, known at the time as hyperactivity or minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). Today methylphenidate is the medication most commonly prescribed to treat ADHD around the world. According to most estimates, more than 75 percent of methylphenidate prescriptions are written for children, with boys being about four times as likely to be prescribed the drug as are girls.
planetc1.com-news @ 7:54 am | Article ID: 975340460
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