Ritalin (methylphenidate), the widely distributed drug to treat ADHD and ADD, triggers similar pathways as cocaine in the human brain when abused in high dosages, according to Margaret Dykeman, manager of the University of New Brunswick health clinic and a nursing professor at the school. Consequently the stimulant is being abuse by a minority of users, according to a recent piece in the Daily Gleaner.
In a statement, spokeswoman Silvie Letendre of Novartis Canada, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ritalin, disagreed. “When taken orally as directed, Ritalin enters the brain and clears it much more slowly than do addictive narcotics. “And therefore Ritalin does not produce a ‘high’ and is not likely to be addictive.”
According to a survey conducted by the Canadian Department of Health in 2002, almost six percent of those responding were abusing Ritalin for non-medical purposes, but the same survey in 2007 found figure to be just two percent. The piece gives no
Other health officials interviewed for the piece noted that:
Some users crush the pills and snort them or melt them down and inject them;
Ritalin abuse on high school campuses exists and is difficult for school officials to notice because the drug’s legal and legitimate status;
The first line of defense in preventing Ritalin abuse lies with prescribing doctors, who should take thorough patient histories and try to spot potential risk factors before prescribing this or any potentially addictive medication.
Source: Daily Gleaner
Date: Mar. 30, 2008
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