Ritalin is NOT Addictive when taken as prescribed

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 13:23:22 +0100, jake nospamhere@all wrote:

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:50:52 -0400, Mark D Morin
wrote:

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 08:30:34 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Mark D Morin" wrote
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in pill form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)
Are you sure you read it?

Yes. It did not determine whether ritalin was addictive or not.

uhmmm. if you read the papers (versus the press release) you will find
that the conclussion was--taken as directed, there is no reason to
believe that ritalin is addictive.

There is NO question whatsover that Ritalin is an addictive
and potentially dangerous drug...
The only thing under debate is whether Ritalin is addictive
when taken as prescribed per subject line.

http://www.policyreview.org/apr99/eberstadt.html


A third myth about methylphenidate is that it, alone among drugs of
its kind, is immune to being abused.

I don't know where you are getting that myth from.


To the contrary: Abuse statistics have flourished

I guess it all depends on how you define "flourish"

Perhaps not surprisingly, those who value its medicinal effects tend
to explain the drug differently. To some, Ritalin is to children what
Prozac and other psychotropic "mood brightening" drugs are to adults

mood brightening?

a short-term fix for enhancing personality and performance.

When i see "enhancing," I read "raising over the level of normal
performance." Prozac is perscribed when people are functioning
normally?


================================================== ==
The "anti" group on any subject can stall it forever
by asking an unlimited number of questions and feeding
an unlimited number of fears. And if we require that
something be absolutely safe and absolutely understood
before we use it, we'll never use anything,
because we'll never have absolute understanding.
David Wright 9/20/03

http://home.gwi.net/~mdmpsyd/index.htm

"Roger Schlafly" wrote in message
et...
When taken as prescribed, methylphenidate is a valuable medicine.
Research
shows that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant
medications
when taken in the form prescribed and at treatment dosages.2

The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in pill form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)

Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.

Not to Nora Volkow, and she defines addiction these days.

"Roger Schlafly" wrote in message
et...
"Mark D Morin" wrote
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in pill
form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)
Are you sure you read it?

Yes. It did not determine whether ritalin was addictive or not.

The link Mark posted was to a summary of a meeting of researchers who
were explicitly discussing abuse. The "3" in his post referred to a
publication by Biederman et.al, saying what was quoted.

That paper nothing to do with whether ritalin was addictive. It
looked at alcohol and other drug abuse among ADHD teenagers.

Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.
Maybe you should read the Biederman article and see how they used the
term.

The article does not even mention the term "addiction". Read it yourself:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...ract/104/2/e20

The PDR and the DEA say that ritalin is addictive. I have no reason
to doubt that. If you have some scientific study to the contrary, then
go ahead and post it.

It is addictive when abused.

From the Biederman article:

Conclusions. Consistent with findings in untreated ADHD in adults,
untreated ADHD was a significant risk factor for SUD in adolescence. In
contrast, pharmacotherapy was associated with an 85% reduction in risk for
SUD in ADHD youth. Key words: ADHD, pharmacotherapy substance use
disorders.

Now, lets use a spot of logic. If properly USING the medication prevents
addiction, can USING the medication CAUSE addiction? Seems highly unlikely
to me.

"jake" nospamhere@all wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:50:52 -0400, Mark D Morin
wrote:

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 08:30:34 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Mark D Morin" wrote
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill
form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in pill
form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)
Are you sure you read it?

Yes. It did not determine whether ritalin was addictive or not.

uhmmm. if you read the papers (versus the press release) you will find
that the conclussion was--taken as directed, there is no reason to
believe that ritalin is addictive.

There is NO question whatsover that Ritalin is an addictive
and potentially dangerous drug...
The only thing under debate is whether Ritalin is addictive
when taken as prescribed per subject line.

http://www.policyreview.org/apr99/eberstadt.html

This is a political statement by a right wing don't-think-tank.

A third myth about methylphenidate is that it, alone among drugs of
its kind, is immune to being abused.

Who has ever said that? Can you document that anyone in any of the groups
this is cross posted to has ever said that?

snip

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 14:23:45 GMT, "Marko Proberto"
wrote:


"jake" nospamhere@all wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:50:52 -0400, Mark D Morin
wrote:

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 08:30:34 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Mark D Morin" wrote
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill
form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in pill
form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)
Are you sure you read it?

Yes. It did not determine whether ritalin was addictive or not.

uhmmm. if you read the papers (versus the press release) you will find
that the conclussion was--taken as directed, there is no reason to
believe that ritalin is addictive.

There is NO question whatsover that Ritalin is an addictive
and potentially dangerous drug...
The only thing under debate is whether Ritalin is addictive
when taken as prescribed per subject line.

http://www.policyreview.org/apr99/eberstadt.html

This is a political statement by a right wing don't-think-tank.

Whilst certainly opposed to the aims of the Heritage Foundation..
even a stopped clock is right twice a day..


A third myth about methylphenidate is that it, alone among drugs of
its kind, is immune to being abused.

Who has ever said that? Can you document that anyone in any of the groups
this is cross posted to has ever said that?

methinks you doth protest too much..
I thought you were all in favour of myths being debunked..

do you actually find this normal and acceptable?

"Ritalin, Ritalin, seizure drugs, Ritalin," in the words of its
sing-song opening. "So goes the rhythm of noontime" for a typical
school nurse in East Boston "as she trots her tray of brown plastic
vials and paper water cups from class to class, dispensing pills into
outstretched young palms." For this nurse, as for her counterparts in
middle- and upper-middle class schools across the country, the day’s
routine is now driven by what the Times dubs "a ticklish question," to
wit: "With the number of children across the country taking Ritalin
estimated at well over three million, more than double the 1990
figure, who should be giving out the pills?"

"With nurses often serving more than one school at a time," the story
goes on to explain, "the whole middle of the day can be taken up in a
school-to-school scurry to dole out drugs." Massachusetts, for its
part, has taken to having the nurse deputize "anyone from a principal
to a secretary" to share the burden. In Florida, where the ratio of
school nurses to students is particularly low, "many schools have
clerical workers hand out the pills."

"jake" nospamhere@all wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 14:23:45 GMT, "Marko Proberto"
wrote:


"jake" nospamhere@all wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:50:52 -0400, Mark D Morin
wrote:

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 08:30:34 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Mark D Morin" wrote
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look
at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill
form
was slow-acting compared to cocaine. (Ritalin and cocaine are
quite
similar; most of the difference was because the ritalin was in
pill
form
and the cocaine was snorted or injected.)
Are you sure you read it?

Yes. It did not determine whether ritalin was addictive or not.

uhmmm. if you read the papers (versus the press release) you will find
that the conclussion was--taken as directed, there is no reason to
believe that ritalin is addictive.

There is NO question whatsover that Ritalin is an addictive
and potentially dangerous drug...
The only thing under debate is whether Ritalin is addictive
when taken as prescribed per subject line.

http://www.policyreview.org/apr99/eberstadt.html

This is a political statement by a right wing don't-think-tank.

Whilst certainly opposed to the aims of the Heritage Foundation..
even a stopped clock is right twice a day..

Not a digital military one.

A third myth about methylphenidate is that it, alone among drugs of
its kind, is immune to being abused.

Who has ever said that? Can you document that anyone in any of the groups

this is cross posted to has ever said that?

methinks you doth protest too much..
I thought you were all in favour of myths being debunked..

This is one of those pure myths. IOW, never happened and is a red herring.

do you actually find this normal and acceptable?

"Ritalin, Ritalin, seizure drugs, Ritalin," in the words of its
sing-song opening. "So goes the rhythm of noontime" for a typical
school nurse in East Boston "as she trots her tray of brown plastic
vials and paper water cups from class to class, dispensing pills into
outstretched young palms." For this nurse, as for her counterparts in
middle- and upper-middle class schools across the country, the day's
routine is now driven by what the Times dubs "a ticklish question," to
wit: "With the number of children across the country taking Ritalin
estimated at well over three million, more than double the 1990
figure, who should be giving out the pills?"

The nurse is a loon.

"With nurses often serving more than one school at a time," the story
goes on to explain, "the whole middle of the day can be taken up in a
school-to-school scurry to dole out drugs." Massachusetts, for its
part, has taken to having the nurse deputize "anyone from a principal
to a secretary" to share the burden. In Florida, where the ratio of
school nurses to students is particularly low, "many schools have
clerical workers hand out the pills."

With the long acting meds, there is less of this.

"Marko Proberto" wrote in
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.
Not to Nora Volkow, and she defines addiction these days.

I don't know what her agenda is, but is she is redefining commonly
used terms, then her results are meaningless to the general public.
That is, unless full definitions are provided.

She is like the tobacco executives who testified that cigarettes
were not addictive. It wasn't perjury, I guess, because they had
their own personal definitions of "addictive".

"Roger Schlafly" wrote in message
et...
"Marko Proberto" wrote in
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.
Not to Nora Volkow, and she defines addiction these days.

I don't know what her agenda is, but is she is redefining commonly
used terms, then her results are meaningless to the general public.
That is, unless full definitions are provided.

She is like the tobacco executives who testified that cigarettes
were not addictive. It wasn't perjury, I guess, because they had
their own personal definitions of "addictive".

Addiction is defined as "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming
substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and
by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent
compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful." (www.m-w.cm)

This clearly describes Ritalin when taken intranasally. However, this does
describe Ritalin when taken as prescribed for ADHD. When taken as
prescribed, there is no compulsive need for it, no habit of taking it, no
tolerance and no physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.

Jeff

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 20:10:33 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
wrote:

"Marko Proberto" wrote in
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.
Not to Nora Volkow, and she defines addiction these days.

I don't know what her agenda is, but is she is redefining commonly
used terms, then her results are meaningless to the general public.
That is, unless full definitions are provided.

"Addiction" is a medical term and the way she uses the term does not
vary from how it's used in the field of medicine.


================================================== ==
The "anti" group on any subject can stall it forever
by asking an unlimited number of questions and feeding
an unlimited number of fears. And if we require that
something be absolutely safe and absolutely understood
before we use it, we'll never use anything,
because we'll never have absolute understanding.
David Wright 9/20/03

http://home.gwi.net/~mdmpsyd/index.htm

On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 16:39:53 -0400, "Jeff"
wrote:


"Roger Schlafly" wrote in message
. net...
"Marko Proberto" wrote in
The reference is to a study by Nora Volkow. It didn't really look at
whether people with ADHD get addicted at all. It looked at how
quickly ritalin acts on the brain, and found that ritalin in pill form
Whether this has anything to do with the ordinary layman usage
of the word "addiction" is debatable.
Not to Nora Volkow, and she defines addiction these days.

I don't know what her agenda is, but is she is redefining commonly
used terms, then her results are meaningless to the general public.
That is, unless full definitions are provided.

She is like the tobacco executives who testified that cigarettes
were not addictive. It wasn't perjury, I guess, because they had
their own personal definitions of "addictive".

Addiction is defined as "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming
substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and
by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent
compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful." (www.m-w.cm)

This clearly describes Ritalin when taken intranasally. However, this does
describe Ritalin when taken as prescribed for ADHD. When taken as
prescribed, there is no compulsive need for it, no habit of taking it, no
tolerance and no physiological symptoms upon withdrawal.

yeah sure..just a "discontinuation syndrome..right?

:)





Jeff