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Information on Ritalin

Information on the drug Ritalin abounds here on the internet. On this web page though, you will read the truth about Ritalin and what it is doing to those who use it. Several million children are being treated with Ritalin and other stimulants on the grounds that they have attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and suffer from inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity. The stimulants include: Ritalin (methylphenidate), Dexedrine and DextroStat (dextroamphetamine or d-amphetamine), Adderall (d-amphetamine and amphetamine mixture), Desoxyn and Gradumet (methamphetamine), and Cylert (pemoline). Except for Cylert, all of these drugs have nearly identical effects and side effects. Ritalin and the amphetamines can for most purposes be considered one type of drug.

ADHD and Ritalin are American and Canadian medical fads. The U.S. uses 90% of the world's Ritalin. CibaGeneva Pharmaceuticals (also known as Ciba-Geigy Corporation), a division of Novartis, is the manufacturer of Ritalin. It is trying to expand the Ritalin market to Europe and the rest of the world. Amazingly, with all the hype about ADHD there is no solid evidence that ADHD is a genuine disorder or disease of any kind. ADHD is a controversial diagnosis with little or no scientific or medical basis. A parent, teacher, or doctor can feel in good company when utterly dismissing the diagnosis and refusing to apply it to children.

The number of children being drugged has escalated several-fold in the last few years. A large percentage of children become robotic, lethargic, depressed, or withdrawn on stimulants. Information on how Ritalin can retard growth in children by disrupting the cycles of growth hormone released by the pituitary gland is astounding. It routinely causes gross malfunctions in the brain of the child. There is research evidence from a few controlled scientific studies that Ritalin can cause shrinkage (atrophy) or other permanent physical abnormalities in the brain.

Ritalin is addictive and can become a gateway drug to other addictions. It is a common drug of abuse among children and adults. Both Ritalin and amphetamine have almost identical adverse effects on the brain, mind and behavior, including the production of drug-induced behavioral disorders, psychosis, mania, drug abuse, and addiction. Ironically, Ritalin and amphetamine frequently cause the very same problems they are supposed to treat--inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

The material on this page is from scientific literature in Talking Back to Ritalin by Peter R. Breggin, M.D. The book also describes non-drug approaches to helping children diagnosed ADHD through identifying and meeting the basic needs of children, and through improvements in school and family life.

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