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Focus on Ritalin
Understanding the Method Behind the Medicine By Donna Smith
At 1:20 p.m. every school day, Ryan, Alison, Michael and Amanda leave their kindergarten classroom and head to the nurse's office to receive their afternoon doses of Ritalin. Ten years ago, these children might have been branded as the troublemakers in their class. Their parents might have been called in regularly to discuss disturbing behavior. Worse, these children might never have been able to reach their full potential, academically or otherwise. But today, a five-minute round-trip journey to the school clinic is all that separates these four from their peers.
What is Ritalin?
Methylphenidate, or Ritalin, is a mild stimulant widely used to treat ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder. Though many think it is a relatively new drug, Ritalin has been around for more than 40 years. Originally used to treat Narcolepsy, a disabling disease making a person feel constantly sleepy and fatigued, it is now commonly associated with children and adults with ADD or ADHD. The amount of Ritalin a child receives is up to the discretion of the prescribing physician. It comes in four different strengths: 5 milligrams, 10 milligrams, 20 milligrams, and a 20 milligrams slow-release version.
How Ritalin actually works in a child's body is highly debated. Ask four doctors and you'll get four different answers.
"The most prominent theory is that Ritalin stimulates the inhibition centers of the brain," says Dr. David Fay, a family physician in Illinois. "Its effect is paradoxical, somewhat like alcohol: alcohol is a CNS depressant, but appears to depress the area which allows one to control his functioning. Ritalin seems to stimulate the ability to stay still and pay attention."
"It would be more realistic to compare Ritalin with amphetamines, as they are structurally related," says Dr. Fay. "Ritalin is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant like cocaine, but it is much milder in its effects.'
Some researchers even believe that children treated with Ritalin may be more prone to try other drugs down the road. One study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported that Ritalin's effect on the human brain was almost identical to that of cocaine. Another study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health, and published in the journal Pediatrics, found that boys treated with Ritalin are less likely to abuse drugs later in life.
"Putting a child on Ritalin is the same as putting him on amphetamines (speed)," says Dr. Jenny Lewis, a primary care pediatrician and author of Don't Divorce Your Children
