Ritalin use soars fourfold in U.K.

Ritalin use soars fourfold in U.K. as psychologists warn of untested drug cocktails
The Raw Story -- By Jamie Doward, The Observer
Saturday, May 5, 2012 20:22 EDT


Ritalin is a psychostimulant drug most commonly approved for treatment of ADHD in children and some other medical conditions.

Ritalin prescriptions rose in England from 158,000 in 1999 to 661,463 in 2010.

The U.S. has a similar use of Ritalin.

The use is questioned by many people.

The "over use" and increased dosages are also questionable.

Prescriptions of Ritalin for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have quadrupled in a decade, prompting fears it is being pushed on children at the expense of alternative treatments and without appreciation of long-term effects.

Figures released by the NHS business services authority to the Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt reveal the number of prescriptions of methylphenidate hydrochloride, the generic name for Ritalin, rose in England from 158,000 in 1999 to 661,463 in 2010.

Ritalin is a psychostimulant drug most commonly approved for treatment of ADHD in children. It is also used to treat conditions such as narcolepsy and in certain cases may also be prescribed for lethargy, depression and obesity.

What is the Cause of the problem in the first place ?

reply to post by xuenchen


Well there's a worrying trend if ever I saw one! Especially as it predominantly involves children. It smells of quick fix medicine. Medicate first, ask questions later.

I wonder how many of the children put on Ritalin end up on anti depressants and such for most or even for the rest of their lives.

We should be using drugs on our children as a last resort. As you say we should be putting our upmost efforts into discovering the root cause of these ailments, on an individual basis if needed.

As someone who's been prescribed the medication before, allow me to mention something you might not know. It's actually a narcotic, it's street name, Speed. So I can understand why it's being used more. I guarantee all the uses in the rise aren't legal reasons.

Oh, and I'm not trying to be a douche to the OP, I'm just letting everyone know that doesn't know it's also a street drug.

My daughter couldn't take gym twice last week because some boy at school was letting out a gigantic, long drawn-out tantrum that took over the school, both days.

He was screaming, throwing things, banging on doors, walls etc. teachers were pinning him to the floor and holding him down. I'm talking about a boy about 7 years old. His mum came to school crying and helpless. I haven't stopped thinking about him since I was told about it. What the heck is wrong? Could that be medication, like I suspect?

Ritalin side effects.

Adverse effects

Some adverse effects may emerge during chronic use of methylphenidate so a constant watch for adverse effects is recommended.[39] Some adverse effects of stimulant therapy may emerge during long-term therapy, but there is very little research of the long-term effects of stimulants.[40][41] The most common side effects of methylphenidate are nervousness, drowsiness and insomnia. Other adverse reactions include:[42]

Abdominal pain
Akathisia (restlessness)
Alopecia (loss of hair)
Angina (chest pain)
Appetite loss
Anxiety
Blood pressure and pulse changes (both up and down)
Cardiac arrhythmia
Diaphoresis (sweating)
Dizziness
Dyskinesia
Euphoria
Headache
Hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura)
Lethargy
Libido increased or decreased
Nausea
Palpitations
Pupil dilation[43]
Psychosis
Short-term weight loss
Somnolence
Stunted growth
Tachycardia (rapid resting heart rate)
Xerostomia (dry mouth)

Ritalin

Originally posted by CrashUnderride
As someone who's been prescribed the medication before, allow me to mention something you might not know. It's actually a narcotic, it's street name, Speed. So I can understand why it's being used more. I guarantee all the uses in the rise aren't legal reasons.

Thank you for setting the record straight.

Though narcotics is a term thrown around referring drugs in general, it actually refers to drugs that are derived from opium which originates from the opium poppy plant, and is related to heroin, morphine, and other drugs common to opiate addiction. The confusion between the generic vs. specific terminology has gotten so bad, some experts have turned to calling narcotics "opioids" to help stifle the confusion.

www.thegooddrugsguide.com...

When Ritalin was fairly new, my mother heard that it could curb your appetite and give you energy. She prepped me on what to say and took me to multiple dr.s for prescriptions. Shortly after that she became addicted to meth.
True, she had prior drug use history, but it makes me wonder how many meth addicts are addicts because they were given Ritalin first.

It beggars belief that there are so called "medical professionals"out there who come up with the idea to feed hyperactive kids a form of stimulant to fix them...
Sort of like free whiskey for alcoholics.

Methylphenidate belongs to the piperidine class of compounds and increases the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain through reuptake inhibition of the respective monoamine transporters. Thus, Methylphenidate possesses structural and pharmacological similarities to coc aine, though MPH is less potent and longer in duration

en.wikipedia.org...

Real nice-extra dopamine,just like METH!!!
They even admit it is similar in structure and pharmacology to coc aine...and we know how good for kids coke and meth are don't we?
Unless the doctor feeds it to them of course.

My take is that the pharma corps know how bad for young developing brains this crap is-but THEY LOVE THE FACT-what better way to get a lifetimes worth of psych med prescriptions out of a whole generation?

The world is upside down I tell you-what is meant to help you now actually screws you up more...