How to Beat Methylphenidate Addiction

 

Methylphenidate is also known as Ritalin. It is frequently used as a treatment for ADHD, but it is sometimes over-prescribed or given to people who do not have a medical need for it. When it is used wrongly, to treat behavioral problems or to help a student who does not have ADHD focus on their studies, for example, it can be very dangerous.

Thousands of young people take Ritalin every year recreationally, or as a drug to help them study. Ritalin is marketed on the street as Vitamin R, MPH, or R Ball, and as many as six percent of all students try using Ritalin illicitly at some point in their school careers.

Ritalin is rarely addictive when it is taken correctly, because doctors supervise the dosage and make sure that it is correctly in line with dopamine changes in your brain. People who take methylphenidate recreationally tend to start with doses that are too high, and this can cause changes in the brain that make addiction much more likely to occur.

Once a person is addicted to Ritalin, it can be quite difficult to break the addiction. Methylphenidate addiction is a serious condition and the withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Withdrawal side effects include insomnia, mood disorders, panic attacks, anxiety and depression. In addition, the drug has some appetite suppressing properties and if it is taken in excess then the addict may find that they experience rapid and severe weight loss. It is possible to overdose on Ritalin, and this could cause tachycardia, which means that the heart rate becomes elevated. In people who suffer from undiagnosed heart conditions this can be fatal.

If you or someone you know is addicted to methylphenidate, then it is important to seek professional medical advice. Do not try to stop taking ritalin by yourself. It is important to have the withdrawal process supervised by a qualified medical professional.

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