Ritalin Being Studied for Addiction Treatment

9/9/2003


A study underway in Switzerland will test the effectiveness of using Ritalin
to treat individuals addicted to drugs, the Neue Zurcher Zeitung reported
Sept. 8.

Ritalin is generally prescribed to treat Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) in children. However, researchers want to study Ritalin's
affect on individuals addicted to both cocaine and heroin.

"If we talk about street drug use, we don't see anyone who just consumes
heroin anymore. The normal pattern today is the consumption of heroin and
cocaine in the form of a cocktail," said Christopher Burki of Bern's Koda
heroin prescription clinic. "Some studies have been done with Ritalin for
cocaine addiction but it has never been done in this framework with patients
in heroin-assisted treatment."

For the study, 60 heroin and cocaine users in Basel and Bern will be given
Ritalin over a three-month period.

"Cocaine and Ritalin are both stimulants and although they don't work in the
same way, they function in similar regions of the brain," said Burki.

If Ritalin shows positive results, the study would proceed to a second phase
of treatment that includes group therapy.