Does anyone think that the drug ritalin is a bad thing?

Question

and why?

i'm just wandering, i dont have kids or anything, but a couple of my freinds take it and they get depressed sometimes, and different are kind of unpredictable in their moods.

Answer 1

pffft what a level of ignorance going around.

Ritalin doesn't drug anyone into a stupor so get YOUR research right. it doesn't slow anyone down. evidently, there's little understanding over the mechanisms of work:

ritalin, being a amphetamine-derived drug, is meant as a frontal cortex STIMULANT, does reducing the SUBCORTICAL dominant stimuli children get during ADHD (if you understand how basal nuclei operate in hyperactivity you get this).

by stimulating the frontal cortex and returning control to this brain area, your kid not only gets better cognitive attributes (which are dominantly controlled, yes, by the frontal cortex), but regains much, much self-conscience also stored in pre-frontal entities.

so for whoever thinks "einstein would've been diagnosed and he wouldn't have been the genius" or whatever do your research and guess what, (!) he might have even been smarter.

in fact, here's a few other diseases in which cortical atrophy results in subcortical dominance (diencephalic mostly):

-Schizophrenia
-Dementia
-Alzheimer's

and to make that guy's life a little clearer, so you don't have to research:

Depressants cause obnubilation>stupor>coma
Stimulants don't.

I very much more agree with the girl up there who says it might as well be a matter of diagnosis, instead of treatment.

edit: PFFFFT ms. Junie over down there has obviously not taken her child to proper care. no sane psychiatrist would prescribe something meant to numb a child or something without enough studies performed to make it valuable )do you know how much it takes for the FDA to actually approve a drug???) nor she has any idea what CLINICAL TRIALS are. have you ever EVER EVER EVER EVER read how they are performed? no, evidently.

Answer 2

Methyl phenidate is nervous system stimulant. I think it is a synthesised form, similiar to some of traditionally used chemicals like coca leaf and ephedrine. I do not think he encourages stupor. It probably improves concentration in the short term. It is short duration so if the desired results are not right, it can be stopped. Treating symptoms is suitable medical practice so if anybody has an ailment, a suitable chemical that relieves symptoms is desired. It is not used very often in England. It seems a good thing to have the choice.

Whether, the diagnosis of Attention Deficiency is a valid disease is a different matter. There is no medical measurement, cf. overactive thyroid gland which can be measured. This seems to be a social behavioural diagnosis, so this is a drug to change social behaviour. The Doctors are not elected.

Who would want to deprive the choice of someone who wants to ingest this chemical for whatever reason?

Answer 3

If Ritalin is prescribed without all the necessary test been done I believe that Ritalin is THEN given to freely to children, but if the necessary test are done and the child is under a specialised doctor dealing with children with possible ADD etc and it is proven that the child suffers from symptoms and that the help of a special diet does not help the child only then should Ritalin be prescribed.

Answer 4

well i agree that there are definitely a lot of misinformed people here, and would have you beleive that you are harming your child etc etc .ADHD is nt a disease and yes I agree it may well be over prescribed, but from personal experience as it stimilant it works well , we have it to help control some of the symptoms of autism , it has nothing to do with laziness or being uneducated ,at all my daughter is very academic , but for her confusion often reigns and im not medical so forgive me if i get the finer details incorrect but the result is never the less truth..
She has dyspraxia too amongst other things and her brain is not functioning correctly we were told that the messages going across the synapse is misfiring so the final command is incorrect .I have to say hand on heart again only a personal opinion that anyone whos child becomes zombie like etc their child obviously doesn't need it as i would say hand on heart it was like having our daughter back.....she can stay on task she has sensory dysfunction which means she doesnt recognise feelings and things , ie when shes full.....she eats none stop and you would have to see it to beleive it ,but she becomes more controlled less obnoxious can take in simple commands , she still has lots of energy, but the the way it works to stimulate the message so it goes correctly across the synapse is amazing and the results speak for themselves. It simply stimulates the brain to function correctly ...it certainly doesnt sedate her .She is very much herself the autism doesnt go , but she is less violent does nt lash out as much and can listen to reason a lot more and can rationalise situations better, that normally would send her into a panic attack or result in her rolling around the floor .....and i have to state quite clearly unless you have experienced autism first hand you really cannot possibly know what it is like , also there have been long term trial s for this drug over many years , and yes i do beleive my daughter has some amazing traits and will do very well in many ways , but without this drug she couldnt function so well,so to encourage the potential she has inside her.....
It really does depend on diagnosis and the severity of things of course think about it , I guess it is true that it can be over prescribed to try to give people an easy ride , but this isnt always the case , its usually by those who are fortunate enough not to have had any problem s incidently i do have two other very active kids none of mine have been sedate and they have no learning difficulties at all, and no tablets would ever be considered.
Discuss your concerns with your health professionals and do what is best for you. and your family.Incidently Methylphenidate is simply another form of ritalin to my knowledge , thats what we use under the guidance of a consultant.

Answer 5

It is a psycho-tropic drug. It prevents the user from ever entering the military or attaining a government security clearance.

ADHD is not a disease. It is something that the drug companies came up with to sell drugs. Parents and Teachers buy in on this because it makes the student manageable. It replaces their need to parent a creative or gifted child.

God help us if Ritalin was developed 100 years ago. Einstein and others would have received that "tag" of ADHD and we would have drugged them into a stupor and probably prevented their advances.

One of my teachers said my daughter was ADD. We went to the doctor who prescribed Ritalin. We never allowed it to happen after researching this.

We found some natural amino acids did the trick. She is a straight A student in Advanced Placement classes.

Please research this!

Answer 6

Many ADD diagnosed children are put on Ritalin. It's not safe. And many of these children, if not on Ritalin, would be highly intelligent. They get bored easily, but is that the fault of the child or the parental/school environment? My daughter was hyper-active, her first school report said that she had too much fantasy. At the age of 7? How can a kid have too much fantasy. I was told she spent a lot of time looking out of the classroom window. So did I, when I was bored out of my skull. Thankfully, no one ever suggested Ritalin. I wouldn't have given my consent, but it would probably have led to a fight between me and the school authorities.
Man children diagnosed as ADD are not getting enough stimulation. It's tough being a parent or a teacher. But who wants all kids to just sit still and listen?

Answer 7

I've been on ritalin for four years, it has help me concentrate in class and with homework and my family noticed a great improvement in family life too. The main thing is getting the dose right which has been a lot of trial and improvement with me finding the right dose. Too much and my heart punds out of my chest i feel over concentrated and doped, to little and there is no effect. gradully upping or lowering to dose by 5mg worked for me util i felt comfortable. Listening to what you child has to say is important, If he/she is uncomfortable you should consider the dosage, you can work with your doctor or monitor the dosage yourself, i found that initially a doctor input is wise until you are comfortable with changing the dose yourself. Side effect don't occur at a helpful dosage and too low a dose is a waste of time.

The only bad thing about ritalin is it's abuse potential. normally a parent should handle medicating or a school nurse qualified to store and dispense medications. remember ritalin is a class B drug in the u.k. and schedueled class 2 in the u.s.

Answer 8

Not if it is used for the proper intentions. There really is a need for it SOMETIMES but our society has made it so every time a kid gets hyper or doesn't pay attention they give them a pill instead of disaplining the child. I think it is overly diagnosed. I used to have a little brother that really truley needed it.

But overall I am going to have to say no because I know from personal expierence that kids try to get it prescribed because it's like the modern day cocaine. Kids get there hands on it and they crush it and snort it. Sad to say but I know because I did it. I took way too many we are talking 100mg's a day minimum and now I have kidney problems as an adult. It really wears on your kidneys. If you want to give it to your kid DON"T do it!

Answer 9

I think that it is a bad thing. My hubby has adult ADD and his children have ADD, too. He is good at knowing HOW TO DEAL WITH IT instead of how to mask it with drugs that never solves anything, taxes one's system with little gain, and costs a fortune. I really think that the ADD or ADHD people of the world have distinct ADVANTAGE over the rest of us - it isn't a disease, it's a blessing! Look at all the jobs who look for someone who multi-tasks. Someone who is ADD or ADHD is a natural multi-tasker, they just need to sometimes learn to channel their thoughts a little, and focus on a more controlled group of subjects at once! Voila, instant multi-tasking genius who gets paid mega bucks at almost any job. Can work great throughout school or other activities in life as well. My husband is much better able to deal with a fast-paced, hectic environment than I am, in fact he craves it! Same with the boys. They are less forgetful and can be more in tune to their surroundings. Hope this helps!!

Answer 10

i think it depends on the person and how bad there problem is. some people just need to be understood and people have to take the time out to listen, with the right help and support the ritalin drug i belive is not needed. but not every one has that kind of support so i might work for them.