Methylphenidate (Ritalin®) - Overview

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Methylphenidate (Ritalin®) - Overview JoAnn Guest Jan 07, 2005 20:20 PST

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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. Sweden removed

Ritalin from its market in 1968 because of widespread abuse.

 

9. More high school seniors were abusing Ritalin than those taking it

medically prescribed.

 

Side-effects of 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

 

10. Ritalin will affect normal children and adults the same as those

with attention and behavior problems. Effectiveness of Ritalin is not

diagnostic.

 

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 or serious side-effects. Statements by CHADD are

inconsistent with scientific literature.

 

11. The International Narcotics Control Board expressed concern that

CHADD is actively lobbying for the use of Ritalin in children.

 

12. Ritalin is one of the top ten drugs involved in drug thefts and is

being abused by health professionals as well as street addicts.

 

Note from Dr. Block: Since Adderall and Dexadrine are amphetamines, the

above statements would also be true of them.

 

 

 

 

 

1998 National Institutes of Health Conference on ADHD

Report Summary

 

 

#9632; No valid, independent, consistent test available

#9632; No data indicating it is a brain dysfunction

#9632; Drugs don't normalize all behaviors

#9632; Kids on drugs still have higher level of behavior problems

#9632; Kids on drugs show little improvement in academic

 

and social skills

#9632; No information on treatment for more than one year

#9632; High doses of drugs cause hypertension, nervous and

cardiovascular systems damage

 

 

 

Colorado State Board of Education Resolution

Promoting The Use Of Academic Solutions To Resolve

Problems With Behavior, Attention, And Learning

 

 

Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education is constitutionally

charged with the general supervision of K-12 public education; and,

Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education dedicates itself to

increasing academic achievement levels for all students; and,

Whereas, the responsibility of school personnel is to ensure student

achievement; and,

Whereas, only medical personnel can recommend the use of prescription

medications; and,

Whereas, the Colorado State Board of Education recognizes that there is

much concern regarding the issue of appropriate and thorough diagnosis

and medication and their impact on student achievement; and,

Whereas, there are documented incidences of highly negative consequences

in which psychiatric prescription drugs have been utilized for what are

essentially problems of discipline which may be related to lack of

academic success;

Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Colorado State Board of Education

encourage school personnel to use proven academic and/or classroom

management solutions to resolve behavior, attention, and learning

difficulties; and,

Be It Further Resolved, that the Colorado State Board of Education

encourage greater communication and education among parents, educators,

and medical professionals about the effects of psychotropic drugs on

student achievement and our ability to provide a safe and civil learning

environment.

 

November 11, 1999

 

 

 

 

 

Violence and Psychiatric Drugs

 

 

1. On May 25, 1997 18-year-old Jeremy Strohmeyer raped and murdered a

7-year-old African American girl in Las Vegas, Nevada. Strohmeyer had

been diagnosed with ADD and prescribed Dexedrine, a Ritalin-like drug,

immediately prior to the killing.

 

2. On October 1, 1997, in Pearl Mississippi, 16-year-old Luke Woodham

stabbed his mother, 50-year-old Mary Woodham, to death and then went to

his high school where he shot nine people, killing two teenage girls and

wounding seven others. Published reports say he was on Prozac.

 

3. Exactly two months later on Dec 1, 1997, Michael Carneal, a

14-year-old, opened fire on students at a high school prayer meeting in

West Paducah, Kentucky. Three teenagers were killed, five others were

wounded, one of whom was paralyzed. Carneal was reportedly on Ritalin.

 

4. Then in February 1998, a young man in Huntsville, Alabama on Ritalin

went psychotic chopping up his parents with an ax and also killing one

sibling and almost murdering another.

 

5. On March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, 11-year-old Andrew Golden

and 14-year-old Mitchell Johnson shot 15 people killing four students,

one teacher, and wounding 10 others. According to one report, the boys

were believed to be on Ritalin.

 

6. Two months later another grisly school massacre occurred. On May 21,

1998 15-year-old Kip Kinkel of Springfield, Oregon murdered his parents

and proceeded to his high school where he went on a rampage killing two

students and wounding 22 others. Kinkel had been prescribed both Prozac

and Ritalin.

 

7. On April 16, 1999, 15-year-old Shawn Cooper of Notus, Idaho took a

12-gauge shot gun to school and started firing, injuring one student and

holding the school hostage for about 20 minutes. Terrified students ran

for their lives, some barricading themselves in classrooms. Cooper had

been taking Ritalin when he fired the shotgun's rounds.

 

8. Eighteen-year-old Eric Harris killed 12 students and a teacher at

Columbine High School before killing himself. Harris was on one of the

SSRI anti-depressants called Luvox.

 

9. A month later to the day, on May 20, 1999 T.J. Solomon, a 15-year-old

high school student in Conyers, Georgia, on Ritalin®, opened fire on

and wounded six of his classmates. Thankfully, none were killed.

 

10. Fourteen-year-old Rod Mathews who had been prescribed Ritalin®

since the third grade beat a classmate to death with a bat.

11. Nineteen-year-old James Wilson, who had been on psychiatric drugs

for 5 years, took a .22 caliber revolver into an elementary school in

Breenwood, South Carolina, killing two young girls and wounding seven

other children and two teachers.

 

According to national news reports in January 1999, ten days after Ryan

Ehlis, a college student in Bismark, North Dakota, began taking Adderall

to control his attention deficit disorder and to help him with his

college studies, he slipped into a psychotic fog and killed his infant

daughter. He said God told him to do it. The courts found him innocent

after testimony by a psychiatrist and by the manufacturer of the drug

that the " psychotic state " was a very rare side effect of Adderall use.

 

 

 

 

Side Effects of Drugs Used for ADHD

According to the manufacturers' drug inserts and to the Physician Drug

Reference, the following are some of the side effects

 

of the drugs commonly used for ADHD.

 

 

Amphetamine/amphetamine type

 

 

Ritalin: depression, chronic abuse can lead to tolerance and psychic

dependency with varying degrees of abnormal behavior. Frank psychotic

episodes can occur. Patients with agitation may react adversely. CBC and

platelet count (lab work) are advised. Long-term affects have not been

established.

Cardiac side effects: necrotizing vasculitis, thrombocytopenia purpura,

blood pressure and pulse changes, rapid heart beat, cardiac arrhythmia,

angina.

 

Adderall: Amphetamine with high potential for abuse, controlled

substance, may lead to drug dependence, may exacerbate behavior

disturbances and thought disorders, and psychotic episodes.

Cardiac side effects: palpitations, rapid heartbeat, hypertension,

cardiomyopathy with chronic use of amphetamines.

 

Dexedrine: Amphetamine with high potential for abuse, controlled

substance, may lead to drug dependence, psychotic episodes.

Cardiac side effects: palpitations, rapid heartbeat, hypertension,

cardiomyopathy with chronic amphetamine use.

 

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)

 

Prozac: Anxiety, restlessness, mania/hypomania, seizures, suicide,

impaired judgment, agitation, amnesia, confusion, emotional lability,

apathy, depersonalization, hallucinations, hostility, paranoid reaction,

personality disorder, delusions.

Cardiac side effects: hemorrhage, hypertension, angina, arrhythmias,

congestive heart failure, heart attack, rapid heart beat, atrial

fibrillation, cerebral embolism, heart block.

 

Zoloft: Mania/hypomania, suicide, agitation, anxiety, emotional

lability, apathy, paranoid reactions, hallucinations, aggressive

reactions, delusions, illusion.

Cardiac side effects: heart palpitations, chest pain, hypertension,

rapid heartbeat, dizziness, syncope, fluid retention, heart attack.

 

Paxil: Mania/hypomania, impaired judgment, agitation, depression,

anxiety, drugged feeling, depersonalization, amnesia, emotional

lability, abnormal thinking, hallucinations, lack of emotion, hostility,

manic reaction, neurosis, paranoid reaction, antisocial reaction,

delirium, delusions, drug dependence, stupor.

Cardiac side effects: hypertension, rapid heartbeat, syncope; EKG

abnormalities, angina, heart attack.

 

Luvox: mania, apathy, amnesia, delusions, depersonalization, drug

dependence, emotional lability, hostility, paranoid reaction, and

phobia.

Cardiac side effects: hypertension, rapid heartbeat, syncope, angina,

heart failure, and heart attack.

 

OTHER DRUGS

 

Catapres: Adult high blood pressure drug: delirium, mental depression,

visual and auditory hallucinations, restlessness, anxiety, agitation,

irritability, other behavioral changes, drowsiness.

Cardiac side-effects: congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident

(stroke), EKG abnormalities, arrhythmias, chest pain, syncope, high

blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and palpitations.

 

Wellbutrin: Agitation, anxiety, restlessness, delusions, hallucinations,

psychotic episodes, confusion, paranoia, mania, seizures, hostility,

depression, depersonalization, mood instability, thought disorder,

suicidal ideation.

Cardiac side effects: edema, chest pain, EKG abnormalities, shortness of

breath, heart attack.

 

Norpramine: Psychiatric disturbances, seizures, anxiety, hallucinations,

restlessness, agitation, nightmares, insomnia, confusion, tremors.

Cardiac side effects: Sudden death in children, heart attack, heart

block, stroke, arrhythmias, rapid heart rate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADHD and Nutritional Facts

 

 

Vitamin A (Beta Carotene): Aids Memory, Learning. A study in mice

suggests that vitamin A plays an important role in learning and memory,

a finding that researchers say underscores concerns about vitamin A

deficiency in some 190 million children throughout the world. December

issue of the Journal Neuron as quoted in Jan 08 (Reuters Health.)

 

Thiamine: When patients with evidence of thiamine deficiency were

supplemented, their behavior improved. Lonsdale D, Shamberger R, Am J

Chin Nutr 33(2):205-1 1, 1980.

 

Niacin (vitamin B3): Supplementation may be helpful for the symptoms of

hyperactivity, deteriorating school performance, perceptual changes and

inability to acquire or maintain social relationships. Hoffer, A,

Vitamin B3 Dependent Child, Schizophrenia, 3:107-113, 1971.

 

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6): Was found to be more effective than

methylphenidate (Ritalin) in treating a group

of hyperactive children in a double-blind, crossover study. A

Preliminary Study of the Effect of Pyridoxine

Administration to a Subgroup of Hyperkinetic children: A Double-blind,

crossover Comparison with Methylphenidate, Coleman, et al, Bid.

Psychiatry, Vol. 14, No. 5, 1979, pp. 741-751.

 

 

When B6 Pyridoxine was given to hyperactive children with low blood

serotonin levels, their hyperactivity disappeared and serotonin levels

returned to normal. The effect of pyridoxine hydrochloride on blood

serotonin and pyridoxal phosphate contents in hyperactive children,

Pediatrics, 55:437-41, 1975.

 

Magnesium: Deficiency in children is characterized by excessive

fidgeting, anxious, restlessness, psychomotor instability and learning

difficulties in presence of normal IQ. Clinical Aspects of Chronic

Magnesium Deficiency, Seelig, Mildred, Magnesium in Health and Disease,

Spectrum Publishing, 1980.

 

Calcium: Hyperactivity may be due to calcium deficiency and may improve

on supplementation. Drugging the American Child, Walker S.J. Learn.

Disabil, 8:354, 1975

 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Flax Oil): A greater number of behavior problems

assessed by the Connor’s Rating Scale, temper tantrums and sleep

problems were reported in boys age 6-12 with lower total omega-3 fatty

acid concentrations. Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Boys with Behavior, Learning

and Health Problems, Stevens, et al, Physiology and Behavior, 1996

 

DMAE: a neurotransmitter precursor, has been used to improve behaviors,

mental concentration, puzzle solving ability and

organization(J.Pediatrics,1958).

 

DHA: is an omega-3 Fatty Acid that is necessary for brain development

and functioning. DHA may improve mood and memory and deficient levels

correlate with behavioral problems in children. DHA is found in breast

milk and is necessary for optimal development of the eyes and the brain.

 

 

Zinc: Association suggested between zinc deficiency and ADHD. Serum zinc

levels in ADHD group were

significantly lower than controls, Zinc Deficiency in Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, Toren, et al,

Biol. Psychiatry, 1996;40:1308-1310.

Zinc deficiency may make children irritable, tearful, sullen and have

gaze aversion, Moyna han, Zinc

Deficiency and Disturbances of Mood and Visula Behavior, Lancet, 1:91,

1976.

 

Sucrose: may cause a ten times increase in adrenaline levels in children

resulting in difficulty concentrating, irritability and anxiety. Jones,

Tim, Borg W. et al, Journal of Pediatrics, Vol 1, 126 (2) Feb 1995, pp.

171 -177.

Sucrose: may cause increase in inappropriate behavior and decrement in

performance. Journal of Abnormal Child Psych. 1986 14(4):565-77.

Sucrose: Overly aggressive behavior may be associated with elevated

sugar intake. Schauss, A., Diet, Crime and Delinquency, Parker House,

1980.

 

 

 

 

Important Facts About ADHD

 

#9632; ADHD was voted into existence by the American Psychiatric

Association.

 

#9632; There is no objective test to identify ADHD.

 

#9632; Experts from across the U.S. at a recent NIH conference failed

to provide any scientific evidence to validate ADHD.

 

#9632; It's a known fact that allergies affect the ability to think and

learn.

 

#9632; Schools, using Child Protective Services and the courts, are

forcing parents to drug their children.

 

 

#9632; Some students are not prepared for learning in a structured

classroom situation.

 

#9632; Children can learn how to learn to succeed in school.

 

#9632; Side-effects of drugs used for ADHD include cardiac arrhythmias

and psychosis.

 

#9632; According to a DEA Report: " Ritalin is structurally and

pharmacologically similar to amphetamines and cocaine and has the same

dependency profile. 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. "

 

#9632; Basic physiology and research support the fact that sugar can

have a negative affect on children's behavior, learning and attention.

 

#9632; Nutritional deficiencies can cause attention and behavior

symptoms.

 

#9632; There are many health and learning problems that cause ADHD

symptoms, many of which can be dealt with at home.

 

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_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

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AIM Barleygreen

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