Is Ritalin Overprescribed? Essay - 1,494 words

IS RITALIN OVERPRESCRIBED? Stimulant medications such as Ritalin have received some bad press over the years. Because of lack of accurate information, parents are understandably fearful of side effects. Ritalin has been studied carefully for the last 20 to 30 years. The two most commonly mentioned side effects of Ritalin are loss of appetite and sleep problems. Irritability and weight loss are the next most often reported symptoms. Approximately half of the children in one study who took Ritalin for ADHD exhibited mild symptoms including loss of appetite, insomnia, anxiousness, nervousness, irritability and proneness to crying.


One third reported mild headaches and stomachaches. Many of these side effects decline within one to two weeks after starting on medication. Mild increases in blood pressure and heart rate may also occur. Youngsters with ADD may also seem to lose their spontaneity if the dosage is too high. In one study, researchers found that adolescents had fewer negative side effects than children. Today, there are criticisms about the dosage the physicians make with regards to Ritalin.


Many health sectors are seeing the laxity with which the drug is given to anyone manifesting similar behavior as children with ADHD. This paper will look into this issue deeply and see if allegations of overprescription of Ritalin are true. A wide range of psychotherapies and drug therapy has been used to improve the lives of hyperactive children. For unknown reasons, some drugs that stimulate the brains and behaviors of adults have a quieting effect on the brains and behaviors of the children. The drugs most widely prescribed for hyperactive children are amphetamines, especially Ritalin. Amphetamines work effectively for some hyperactive children, but not all.


There are as many as 20 percent of hyperactive children that are treated with Ritalin that do not respond to it. Even when Ritalin works, it is also important to consider the social world of the hyperactive child. The teacher is especially important in this social world, helping to monitor the childs academic and social behavior to determine whether the drug works and whether the prescribed dosage is correct. Thus, it is not surprising that the latest studies would point to an overprescription of some of the drugs used to treat it. Nearly 6 percent of the school-age population in the United States has been diagnosed with ADHD. (Rowland, Rhonda and Salvatore, Steve).


There are around 90 percent of these patients who take the drug Ritalin. But the reports are persistent in saying that this drug, also known as methylphenidate is a mild central nervous system stimulant. It boosts the brain's ability to control impulsive behavior and helps children concentrate. (Rowland, Rhonda and Salvatore, Steve). There are even alarming reports that the usage of this is getting higher. Essential in the prescription is the consideration that some teenagers have serious sleep problems that may interfere with their ability to function at school. If they take medication too late in the day, they may have trouble falling asleep and thus be tired the next day at school.


However, the issue has progressed to such an extent as to warrant the implementation of several researches in the field. One such research was that done by pediatric psychologist, Gretchen LeFever. Concerned that the disorder was being over diagnosed, she began a study of 30,000 grade-school students in two school districts in Virginia. She states the result, "What we found was that in our region of Virginia, the prevalence of children getting a dose of ADHD medication during the school day was two to three times the national estimate of the disorder," LeFever said. (Rowland, Rhonda and Salvatore, Steve). Her study definitely brought up questions about the disgnosis. This was also published in the American Journal of Public Health and revealed that the number of children medicated in school for ADHD was 17 percent for white boys, 9 percent for African-American boys, 7 percent for white girls and 3 percent for African-American girls. (Rowland, Rhonda and Salvatore, Steve). Due to this specialists are now wondering if the previous estimates were too low or if ADHD is being over diagnosed.


Another angle would also be if these doctors are also presently doing a more focused job on diagnosing and identifying the disorder (Rowland, Rhonda and Salvatore, Steve). The different institutes of mental health are now looking into other communities that may be using Ritalin in progressively high proportions. Because like in any drug, taking huge doses of this drug has its side effects. Besides, there is no reason to be taking the drug when the child is not even an ADHD but just hyperactive in some instances. Doctors only ha ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: side effects, drug, ritalin, mental health, adhd

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