By Sydney Portilla-Diggs
Campus Correspondent

Methylphenidate—Ritalin—a medication prescribed for individuals diagnosed with ADD or ADHD has been making its way around college campuses since 2001. The street name for this prescription drug is Vitamin R, R-Ball, Pineapple, or Kibbles and Bits. The students who are popping these little pills are not doing it for kicks; these students are trying to increase their concentration or stay up longer hours to study.

Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant, which is usually taken in pill form. If used for its correct purposes, Ritalin can be a beneficial medicine.  Ritalin has a markedly calming effect on hyperactive children and a focusing effect on people with attention-deficit hyperactive disorder. However, abusers of the drug may crush it into a power to snort the powder-like cocaine or dissolve the mixture with water in order to inject the mixture like heroin. These prescription drugs can produce intoxicating stimulant effects and create serious health threats. Complication may arise from injections, which lead to blockage in small blood vessels causing lung and retina damage.

According to The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Ritalin abuse has both short-term and long-term effects.

What are its short term effects?

The short-term effects include but are not limited to: nervousness, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, changes in heart rate and blood pressure (usually the elevation of both but sometime depression), skin rashes and itching, abdominal pain, weight loss, and digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence syndrome and severe depression upon withdrawal.

What are its long-term effects?

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, high doses of stimulants like Ritalin produce a predictable set of symptoms that include loss of appetite, (may cause serious malnutrition), tremors and muscle twitching, fevers, convulsions, and headaches, which may be severe, irregular heartbeat and respirations (may be profound and life threatening), anxiety, restlessness, paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, and a sensation of bugs or worms crawling under the skin.   

How bad can it really be?

Ritalin abuse presents provocative temptation. The drug seems safe because it is a prescription medication. However, using Ritalin in any form other than how it is prescribed is dangerous. Ritalin is inexpensive and readily accessible.  Ritalin may seem like an easy way to suppress your appetite, stay up late to cram for an exam, or write that paper you waited until the last minute to do.  Nothing can take the place of staying on top of your homework, developing good study habits, and eating right. And Ritalin is addictive, and the abuse of Ritalin is illegal.  

Ritalin Abuse Statistics

• In a 2002 survey of students at the University of Florida, 1.5 percent used Ritalin recreationally in the previous 30 days.
• In a 2000 survey, 16 percent of students at a small public liberal arts college reported having tried Ritalin recreationally, and 12.7 percent reported having taken it intranasally.
• A 2000 survey at the University of Pennsylvania found that almost 9 percent of undergraduates had used someone else’s prescription medications, many of which were Ritalin.
• A 1998 survey of students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, found that 20 percent of students had illegally taken Ritalin or a similar drug at least once in their lives.
• A 1997 survey of Texas university students concluded that 1.5 percent of students had misused Ritalin during the past year and that 2 percent had done so at some point in their lives.

(Statistics obtained from Infofacts Resource: Recreation Use of Ritalin on College Campuses by Daniel Ari Kapner)

Collin College's Counseling Services offer substance abuse education information, assessment and referral. For more information, call counseling services at 972.881.5126.