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Harmful Effects of Snorting Methylphenidate(Courtesy of Livestrong website)
Ritalin contains methylphenidate, a drug very similar to amphetamines. Methylphenidate was originally manufactured in 1944, but was later approved in 1955 as a central nervous system stimulant to treat extreme drowsiness and narcolepsy, according to Drugs.com. Ritalin was subsequently used to treat hyperactivity and attention deficit issues in children, although the drug's cocaine-like properties did not go unnoticed by drug-abusing adults. And like cocaine, snorting Ritalin causes many harmful effects.
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Addiction and Dependency
Ritalin is classified as a schedule II drug and is similar to both cocaine and amphetamines in structure, action and effect, according to the DailyMed website. Taking Ritalin in high enough doses, and especially snorting it, produces a "high." However, like cocaine, Ritalin is addictive, habit-forming and causes strong cravings. In 2000, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency issued another warning for Ritalin, and stated that it has a high potential for abuse and can lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. By snorting Ritalin, methylphenidate goes directly into the bloodstream, which makes the "high" effect more immediate, more powerful and more dangerous.
Sleep Disturbance
Due to Ritalin's similarity to amphetamines, or "speed," and its effectiveness at treating extreme day-time sleepiness and narcolepsy, it is not surprising that Ritalin causes sleep disturbance. Drugs.com notes that insomnia and disrupted sleep cycles are the most commonly reported harmful effects from Ritalin use. Chronic lack of sleep in Ritalin abusers partly accounts for their characteristic zombie-like behavior.
Nasal Damage
DrugRehab.net states that snorting Ritalin, like cocaine, causes damage to the nasal passageways, which is called intranasal insufflation. Specifically, the delicate epithelial tissues that line the nasal cavities and air passages are chemically burned by direct contact with the hydrochloride salt of methylphenidate. The damaged nasal tissues can lead to open sores, nose bleeds and deterioration of the nasal cartilage. In addition, when Ritalin is ground up for snorting, it is not sanitized, and can cause infections in the nasal and sinus cavities.
Agitation
Another common harmful effect of Ritalin use is a change in emotional well-being often described as agitation, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, depression or restlessness. Drugs.com notes that irrational bouts of aggression are also reported more frequently, although this may be a reflection of the overall increase of Ritalin use. According to 2010 information from the Hoover Institution, 90 percent of the Ritalin produced is consumed in the United States.
Cardiovascular Effects
Perhaps the most serious harmful effect of snorting Ritalin, albeit rare, is a sudden myocardial infarction leading to death, according to DrugLib.com. Other cardiovascular effects include irregular heartbeat, increased heart rate and sudden hypertension.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/249241-harmful-effects-of-snorting-ritalin/#ixzz1PNESONyU
Ritalin, the most frequently prescribed stimulant drug for Attention Deficit Disorder, has been the focus of much controversy. This controversy includes harmful Ritalin effects, Ritalin abuse (including snorting Ritalin), Ritalin addiction and other Ritalin side effects.
There are few people in the United States who have not heard of Ritalin. It's the brand name for a drug called methylphenidate and the ADHD drug of choice for physicians treating Attention Deficit Disorder. Every day five million children in America line up for their daily dose of Ritalin.
Since Attention Deficit Disorder hit the mainstream in the 1980s, prescriptions for Ritalin have skyrocketed. So have reports of children snorting Ritalin, Ritalin abuse and harmful Ritalin effects.
While it is true that children can show improvement in ADHD symptoms while on Ritalin, the Ritalin effects last only several hours. Ritalin effects ADHD symptoms but the Ritalin effects wear off when the drug wears off.
In most cases the Ritalin side effects are mild but some, though rare, are life-threatening. Nervousness and insomnia are the most common adverse Ritalin side effects. Parents need to be clear about the benefits as well as the potential Ritalin effects – including the potential for Ritalin abuse and addiction - before administering Ritalin to their children.
Common Ritalin side effects are:
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of appetite
Irritability
Nervousness
Stomach aches
Headaches
Dry mouth
Blurry vision
Nausea
Dizziness
Drowsiness
Tics
Other Ritalin side effects can include:
Hypersensitivity
Anorexia
Heart palpitations
Blood pressure and pulse changes
Cardiac arrhythmia
Anemia
Scalp hair loss
Psychosis
The following, though rare, have also been reported as Ritalin side effects:
Abnormal liver function
Cerebral arteritis
Leukopenia
Sudden Death
Death From Ritalin The Truth Behind ADHD is a free educational resource for parents looking for information on ADHD. This is a "must see" web site if anyone is considering using ADHD medication.
Stimulants can also make the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome worsen. Some children experience "withdrawals" from coming off of the dose as Ritalin side effects. Parents should alert their doctor to any Ritalin side effects experienced.
It is recommended that, since safety and effectiveness of Ritalin has not been established and can cause especially severe reactions in children under 6 years of age, Ritalin should not be used for that age group. Despite that, the number of stimulants prescribed for children ages 2 to 4 has increased 200 to 300 percent between 1991 and 1995.
Ritalin can be helpful in the short term in reducing ADHD symptoms but no physician will claim that Ritalin cures ADHD. Stimulants used for ADHD symptoms merely postpone dealing with the root cause of the behavioral and attentional problems.
The more lasting and more entrapping Ritalin effects is the high potential for Ritalin abuse and addiction.
Of the many psychoactive drugs prescribed to children in the United States, two controlled substances are widely prescribed to treat children: methylphenidate (Ritalin and the newest form of Ritalin, Concerta) and amphetamine (Adderall and Dexedrine).
Both of these substances are powerful stimulants classified as Schedule II narcotics in the Controlled Substances Act since 1971. Schedule II is the classification for medical drugs with the highest abuse potential and addiction profile.
Ritalin abuse and Ritalin addiction are prevalent Ritalin side effects. Ritalin is closely related to the illegal street drugs Methamphetamine, street name "crystal meth." Ironically, our society imprisons people for manufacturing drugs similar to the drugs physicians commonly prescribe to millions of children.
A significant amount of literature is available that describes Ritalin abuse and Ritalin addiction. Like amphetamines and cocaine, Ritalin abuse and snorting Ritalin can lead to marked tolerance and addiction.
Data from physicians, parents, schools, poison control centers, adolescent treatment centers and law enforcement show that adolescents who abuse Ritalin commonly obtain the drug from people that have valid physician prescriptions for Ritalin.
Adolescents give and sell their Ritalin medication to schoolmates and friends, who are taking Ritalin orally, crushing the tablets and snorting Ritalin powder like cocaine. Another form of Ritalin abuse is through dissolving Ritalin in water and injecting the fluid.
The pattern of Ritalin abuse and addiction is characterized by increasing dosages and frequent episodes of bingeing, followed by severe depression. Severe Ritalin side effects, including death, have been reported with Ritalin abuse and addiction.
Drug Enforcement Agency data shows that Ritalin abuse and addiction has high potential. The inappropriate use of Ritalin, Ritalin abuse and snorting Ritalin carries significant risks.
A DEA survey found that between 30 and 50 percent of adolescents in drug treatment centers reported Ritalin abuse – taken orally, through snorting Ritalin or injection.
A Indiana University survey of 44,000 students found that about seven percent of high school students surveyed reported Ritalin abuse – taken orally, through snorting Ritalin or injection - at least once. Of those students, 2.5 percent reported Ritalin abuse monthly or more often.
Reports from students and faculty on college campuses also show Ritalin abuse. These reports indicate that students use Ritalin as a study aid and a party drug in the same manner that amphetamine was used on campuses in the 1960s.
Since 1991, prescriptions for all drugs to treat Attention Deficit Disorder have quintupled. This year about six million children - roughly one child out of every eight - will take Ritalin or other forms of ADHD medications.
Ritalin abuse and addiction increased with the increase in Ritalin prescriptions. Poison control data, emergency room data and high school surveys all indicate that Ritalin abuse has increased significantly since 1990.
In 1990, there were 271 emergency room mentions for methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the Drug Abuse Warning Network. In 1998, there were 1,727 mentions – a sixty-fold increase - for methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Children between the ages of 10 and 17 accounting for 56 percent of those emergency room visits from Ritalin abuse.
According to the United Nations, the U.S. produces and consumes about 85 percent of the world's production of methylphenidate (Ritalin). Continued increases in the medical prescription of Ritalin can only lead to increased Ritalin abuse and addiction among children.
JUST LIKE COCAINE
Ritalin is often referred to as "Kiddie Cocaine" for good reason. Long-term Ritalin effects have been linked to brain development abnormalities similar to those found with cocaine use.
The Journal of the American Medical Association, one of American's leading medical journals, published an article in August entitled "Ritalin Acts Much Like Cocaine."
An Archives of General Psychiatry report states; "Cocaine has pharmacological actions that are very similar to those of methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is now the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medicine for children in the U.S."
DEA data on methylphenidate and amphetamine for the treatment of ADD symptoms shows:
That methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) and amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine) produce effects similar to cocaine in laboratory animals and in humans.
In clinical studies, methylphenidate and amphetamine produce behavioral and psychological effects similar to cocaine.
In simple terms, this data means that the human body cannot tell the difference between cocaine, amphetamine, or Ritalin.
Ritalin effects children the same way related stimulants like cocaine effect adults. Just as predictably, children are subject to Ritalin side effects, as adults are subject to the side effects of cocaine and other stimulant drugs.
Aside from the Ritalin side effects and potential for Ritalin abuse and addiction, another disturbing aspect of Ritalin is the long-term Ritalin side effects.
Until recently physicians believed that Ritalin side effects remained as short-term. Scientists at the University at Buffalo found otherwise. Research with gene expression in animals suggests that Ritalin has the potential for causing long-lasting changes in brain cell structure and function. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) appears to initiate changes in brain function that remain long after the therapeutic Ritalin effects dissipate.
While research now indicates adverse long-term Ritalin side effects physically, other studies show that Ritalin use does not make an impact on behavior in the long run. A comprehensive follow-up study at Montreal Children's Hospital revealed that the behavior of hyperactive children did not differ significantly from the behavior of non-hyperactive children after taking ADHD medication for five years.
"Although it appeared that hyperactive kids treated with Ritalin were initially more manageable, the degree of improvement and emotional adjustment was essentially identical at the end of five years to that seen in a group of kids who had received no medication at all," the report stated.
Given the lack of long-term benefits, the potential for long-term Ritalin side effects and Ritalin abuse and addiction, many parents uncomfortable with Ritalin side effects choose alternative treatments for Attention Deficit Disorder.
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