How Safe is Ritalin?
Many think methylphenidate (Ritalin) is safe, or mild, because so many children use it. However, the government classifies the psychoactive drug with cocaine and morphine because it's highly addictive. [More]
The production of methylphenidate (Ritalin) and legal amphetamines (Adderall) have exploded in the United States since 1990.
Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamines (Adderall) are essentially the same pharmacologically, both are considered having “strong potential for abuse,” and therefore classified as Schedule II drugs under the Controlled Substances Act. Production levels in the United States are regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which sets quotas (limits) on the amount that may be manufactured each year, in an effort to control illegal uses. The dramatically rising production quotas shown below mirror the unprecedented high demand for ADHD prescriptions in the United States.
The United States produces and consumes 85% of the world’s methylphenidate, according to the United Nations’ International Narcotics Control Board.
Many think methylphenidate (Ritalin) is safe, or mild, because so many children use it. However, the government classifies the psychoactive drug with cocaine and morphine because it's highly addictive. [More]
Each year more than two million hospital admissions in the U.S. are due solely to adverse drug reactions—and 180,000 of those result in death. [More]
A clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health found amphetamines damage brain cells needed for cognitive speed and function. [More]
Like athletes who use steroids, students who use Adderall to enhance academic performance are in many ways victims. [More]
Although Vyvanse is referred to as “pro-drug” of dextroamphetamine, it's still an amphetamine, meaning that it's easily abused and can cause insomnia, agitation, anxiety and sometimes psychotic symptoms like seeing things or becoming paranoid. [More]
Most people may not know that Strattera (atomoxetine) appears to cause unsatisfactory sexual function (decreased libido, ejaculatory problems and impotence). [More]
“It’s the holy grail that every drug company tries to achieve,” according to a former director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Federal drug agency who said: “One-dose-fits-all is a marketing myth.” [More]