The Dangers of Ritalin :: Argumentative Health ADD Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The parents of six year old James Patrick Smith receive a phone call from the school guidance counselor informing them of their child's recent hyperactive behavior. After a short conference, the guidance counselor suggests to the parents a solution for young James' problem; as a result, the family visits their family doctor and the doctor diagnoses James with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) during a one hour appointment. To remedy the disorder, the doctor prescribes the "savior drug" for ADD patients; children are almost always fed the drug Ritalin, a prescription medicine that packs a strong euphoric punch (Machan 151). The preceding hypothetical situation commonly occurs in the United States at a growing rate which may be too fast for the nation to contain. The over-prescription of the drug Ritalin to correct ADD produces many negative side effects upon patients and society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the vast market of prescription drugs, Ritalin, one of the most highly used drugs, also carries with it some of the greatest medical drawbacks. ADD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stands tall as America's number one psychiatric disorder (Hancock 52). Estimates suggest that more than two million children live with the disorder; in addition, according to Dr. Daniel Safer of Johns Hopkins University, over 1.3 million regularly consume Ritalin for treatment of ADD (Hancock 52). Ritalin appears to be a popular choice for doctors, but the daily effects of the drug, which family physicians do not see, creates questions as to how well the drug actually works. Scientifically know as methylphenidate, Ritalin stimulates the central nervous system with similarities to amphetamines in the nature and extent of its effects; furthermore, it supposedly activates the brain stem arousal system and the cerebral cortex (Bailey 3). The key factor remains that doctors and researchers are not sure of what precisely occurs when Ritalin invades the human body. Hancock notes that no definite long-term studies exist to assure parents that Ritalin does not cause more or less havoc in their child, nor does any disease accompany prolonged usage (52). Testing results released by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in February 1996, show a study of mice in which a rare form of liver cancer arose as a result of Ritalin; however, the FDA still regards Ritalin as "safe and effective" (Hancock 56). Offering almost as many side effects as the number of people who take the drug, Ritalin alters many different aspects of the body. Just a few symptoms cited by Bailey include: nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, dizziness, heart palpitations, headaches, extreme weight loss, skin rashes, possible psychotic episodes, and severe withdrawals (3).