Ritalin Proves Not Addictive if Taken as Prescribed

AORN Journal, Jan, 1999

Although methylphenidate has properties similar to those of cocaine and amphetamines, new research shows that the medication is not addictive if taken as prescribed, according to a Sept 29, 1998, press release from the National Institutes of Health. Ritalin, an oral form of methylphenidate, is the medication prescribed most frequently for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--a condition affecting approximately 5% to 10% of children, adolescents, and adults. A new study revealed that oral doses of methylphenidate dc not reach peak concentrations in the brain until 60 minutes after ingestion, compared to five minutes for cocaine and nine minutes for methylphenidate taken by IV. This slow drawing of orally taken Ritalin into the brain is a likely reason why patients do not experience a "high" from this means of use.

This is important news for researchers and Ritalin users because it helps clarify that Ritalin rarely leads to abuse and addiction when taken properly as a treatment for ADHD. It also helps explain why non-ADHD individuals might abuse methylphenidate or become addicted to it when they take the medication through an IV or when they crush and inhale the pills. Researchers caution that different methods of taking medications can alter their effects and make them more or less dangerous than intended.

Physicians have been prescribing methylphenidate to treat ADHD for approximately 30 years. Although exactly how methylphenidate works to calm individuals with ADHD is not completely understood, the medication has long been thought to block reuptake of dopamine in the brain.

New Research Helps Explain Ritalin's Low Abuse Potential When Taken as Prescribed (press release, Bethesda, Md: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Sept 29, 1998) Available from http://www.nih .gov/ninr/chicpr.htm. Accessed 29 Sept 1998.