Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Prescription Drug Abuse

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a contentious disorder that is believed to be a developmental disorder that is largely neurological in nature. It is known to affect around 5 percent to 7 percent of all children in the United States, sixty percent of which are known to retain it in the adulthood. There are several clinically proven effective options available to treat people diagnosed with ADHD and Ritalin is one such medication which is asserted to treat ADHD most effectively, and cost efficiently.

In recent years, Ritalin has become one of the frequently abused prescription drugs. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration classifies Ritalin as a schedule II drug i.e. a substance with a large potential for misuse as it is a CNS stimulant that produces pharmacological effects similar to those of cocaine and amphetamines. As a result, a growing number of incidents of ADHD prescription drug abuse, associated with all age groups, are being reported nowadays. According to a survey of Texas university students in 1997, almost 1.5 percent of students had misused Ritalin during the past year and 2 percent had done so at some point in their lives. A 1998 survey of students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, presented yet another peep into this disturbing trend when it concluded that 20 percent of the students had illegally taken Ritalin or a similar drug at least once in their lives.

Ritalin is also occasionally used in adults to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep. So it is quite famous for its stimulant effects and that are exactly what college students need!

As a result, an increasing proportion of college students are taking up Ritalin to wake up till wee hours to prepare for exams as it has been suggested to help students maintain abnormally high levels of concentration. It is believed to be even more effective than mega-doses of caffeine for keeping them awake and on task. Apparently, it is popular by various street names viz. vitamin R and cramming drug! It is sadly ironic that many young people who start using Ritalin this way are actually good kids and excellent students. Because so many of them are juggling more than they can really handle, some of them succumb to temptation of getting something to help them study for a final or finish a major project. But then a few weeks later, more exams, term papers, and projects loom overwhelmingly on the horizon. So they resort once more to their "study aid" that helped them ace their work the last time and this is how it starts...

ADHD Prescription medicine drugs are abused for their stimulant effects like appetite suppression, wakefulness, increased focus/attentiveness, and euphoria. Ritalin is so cheap and so easy to get hold of that a highly profitable illegal resale market has sprung up around it. Some kids in middle school, high school, and college have taken to buying the pills at an inflated, but still quite manageable, price.

Excessive doses of Ritalin over a long period of time can produce addiction. It is also possible to develop tolerance to the drug, so that larger doses are needed to produce the original effect. Addiction to Ritalin seems to occur when it induces rapid increases of dopamine in the brain. So instead of excessive use of drugs, behavioral therapy, emotional counseling, and practical support must be given to ADHD children so that they can cope with everyday problems and feel better about themselves instead of getting dependent on drugs!

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