Ritalin is not a drug to be trifled with. It is an amphetamine. Ritalin has dangerous short-term side effects; that is, the effects appear within weeeks or months after initiating the drug. It also has long-term side effects, about which research is lacking. (David Stein, Ph.D.).
Update dec. 12, 2010: Linked with One Million Kids on Anti-Psychotics.
… This website is sponsored by the Alliance for Drug Free Children, a non-profit organization that believes harmfull, addictive drugs are not the answer for our children … (full long text Homepage).
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More infos: on Natural News /Physicians speak out; on The Department of Justice’s information on amphetamines; and Legal Cases on AbleChild.org /Legal Issues;
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About: Ritalin is the most widely prescribed, and the most controversial, drug used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other behavioral disorders in children. Adderol and Concerta are two more recently released drugs in the same classification.
Ritalin is the brand name for methylphenidate—a stimulant which enhances dopamine flow in the brain, creating apparent increases in impulse control and attention span. Adderol is a combination of stimulants, while Concerta is a « longer lasting » form of Ritalin.
Based on the (unproven) concept that hyperactivity is caused by a biochemical abnormality, they work to chemically slow down the pace by stimulating a supposedly underactive part of the brain. Others view it as a short-term chemical solution to a deeper long-term problem, and others worry that doctors prescribe it indiscriminately.
The most widely recognized side effects of this classification of drugs include:
- Insomnia
- Decreased Appetite
- Weight Loss
- Headaches
- Increased heart rate/blood pressure
- Rebound effect as dose wears off
- Motor tics
Additional, more serious side effects have been noted, including developmental inhibition, severe mood disorders, aggression, liver damage and others.
Ritalin and its cousins have made recent headlines because of reports of children and teenagers buying it from their hyperactive classmates on the playground and take it to get high. In other cases, parents have demanded that doctors prescribe the drugs to improve the academic performance of children who don’t have ADD.
(My comment: this makes me remember the tale about Herodes who put out of his world all future possible Jesuses and co by killing a next generation of not submitted people. – Heidi).