What's Wrong With Using Ritalin?

The Center for Unhindered Living

Ritalin, also known as methylphenidate HCL, is "pediatric cocaine." Both Ritalin and Cocaine use the same receptor sites in the brain, and give the same "high." The only difference between the two drugs is that Ritalin is longer lasting....Cocaine leaves the receptor sites more quickly and is therefore MORE addictive than Ritalin. However, Ritalin is still habit-forming.

Ritalin is a controlled substance. This means that a government drug agent somewhere has a copy of your child's Ritalin prescription on file. It's required by law. They know exactly how much has been manufactured, how much has been distributed and who it has been distributed to. When your child's doctor writes a prescription, there are three copies....one for the doctor, one for the pharmacist, and one for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency). That's because it's speed.....an amphedamine.

Long-term use of Ritalin can cause heart valve damage.

The package insert for Ritalin states that it should not be given to children under six years of age since the safety of giving it to children that young has not yet been established. However, it is still routinely prescribed for children as young as two years of age, which is a crime.

Not only does Ritalin help those with ADD/ADHD symptoms concentrate better, if helps those who DON'T have the symptoms to concentrate better as well. It has nothing to do with ADD/ADHD. If you give a child the medication and he is able to concentrate better, that doesn't mean he actually had ADD/ADHD or that the symptoms of ADD/ADHD have gone away. Ritalin does not get rid of the cause of the problem. It just covers up the problem. To learn about the causes of ADD/ADHD, read the article Causes of ADD and ADHD .

A study published in 1990 in The Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that the short-term impact of taking stimulants was improved behavior, performance, and attention. However, there was little evidence that stimulants improved sustained attention, retention of information, anger control, or scholastic achievement. In fact, the study found that there was no difference between treated and untreated hyperactive subjects in the number of grades failed or in achievement scores.

So what good reason is there to use Ritalin? None. Why do parents allow their children to take it?

They aren't offered any other viable alternatives.

They aren't told that there is hope that their ADD/ADHD symptoms can be resolved by alleviating the cause of the condition.

Some parents would have to change their parenting style and they simply aren't willing to do that. It would be too inconvenient.

Parents aren't taught that a child's temperament can't be changed, but that he can be taught to manage his temperament. They aren't taught about the unmet needs which can cause or contribute to the ADD/ADHD condition. See the article Are ADD and ADHD Real?

They aren't taught about how to alter the child's environment so that he/she can succeed.

They haven't tried the Emotional Freedom Technique to help their child manage their behavior.

Please, explore every alternative pathway to the resolution and treatment of ADD/ADHD before you resort to drugs.

Here are some books which contain valuable information about alternatives to Ritalin.

I would also like to let you know that the problem with many children is not ADHD but Sensory Integration Dysfunction. This is a problem with the vestibular system which is immature. Before you accept a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD for your child, please at least explore the the possibility of Sensory Integration Disfunction.

Sensory Intregration Dysfunction in Young Children

The above website recommends the following book on the subject:

Sensory Integration and the Child A. Jean Ayres. This book explains very clearly the problem of sensory integration dysfunction. It examines the cause, and the scope of the problem, and also treatment. It clearly states that this problem can occur despite a parent's proper nurturing of a child's development. Most encouraging, this book explains the therapy that can help the child (or adult)

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