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Ritalin, Amphetamines, and Cocaine

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Ritalin (generic name methylphenidate) is an amphetamine-like central nervous system stimulant used for children and adults with ADHD, and is also used to treat narcolepsy. Ritalin or methylphenidate is not the only type of drug used for ADHD, somewhat similar to an amphetamine in its effect, but different in its mechanism (See: Psychiatric Drugs-Types).

Ritalin is similar in the way its mechanism to SSRI antidepressants. SSRIs (i.e. Prozac, Zoloft, etc.) work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin by the neurons or brain cells, leaving more in the brain itself, or in the gap between the neurons. Ritalin works similarly but acts on the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, preventing their reabsorption into the neurons, and keeping them active in the brain.

Amphetamines, including popular ADHD drugs such as Adderall or Concerta, work by increasing the amount of these same neurotransmitters in the brain. Some drugs for ADHD also prolong the action time of these neurotransmitters.

Cocaine works similarly to Ritalin (methylphenidate) in that it blocks the reabsorption of the neurotransmitter dopamine by the neurons, thus keeping more dopamine active in the gap (synapse) between the neurons. This results in a pleasurable affect.

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History of Ritalin

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History

Methylphenidate was first created in the lab in 1944. The formula was modified and improved, and was tested on humans in 1954, final released in 1957 by Ciba Pharmaceutical Company for chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, narcolepsy, and other pharmaceutical uses in the 1950s and 1960s, including to counteract symptoms associated with barbiturate overdose. Around 1960 it was included in a tonic designed to improve mood and vitality, consisting of methylphenidate, hormones and vitamins, and marketed as “Ritonic” (Center for Drug Abuse Research).

What is now referred to as ADHD was known as “hyperkinetic syndrome” in the 1960s; methylphenidate began to be used for treating hyperkinetic syndrome, then ADHD from the 1960s, with steadily increased usage in the 1970s and 1980s. Use of Ritalin, however, skyrocketed 500 percent in the 1990s, with the U.S. at the lead of consumption.

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What is ADHD?

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Some of the symptoms of ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are difficulty sitting still, talking excessively in class (for children), somewhat disruptive behavior, and inability to focus. When these symptoms become excessive and disruptive, as well as persistent — that is, it is an ongoing problem for several months or more — it can be classified as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder was the term most commonly used some years ago.

There are a number of different forms of ADHD, but there are basically three main categories: with hyperactivity, without hyperactivity, and the combined type. (See What Causes ADHD by Joel Nigg, PhD from the University of Michigan, 2006, for a more detailed explanation).

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Ritalin and Cocaine – How They are Similar and Different

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Ritalin (methylphenidate) has chemical properties and actions similar to cocaine. They react with the same basic chemical structures in the brain, and stimulate the mind by elevating the level of dopamine in much the same way. The neurotransmitter involved in the addictive head rush of cocaine is dopamine, the same neurotransmitter that is elevated, in the same way, by Ritalin or any other form of methylphenidate.

Neurologist Dr. Russell Barkley, a leading authority in the field of ADHD, explains concerning the methylphenidate-cocaine comparison that while cocaine and stimulants share the same chemical properties, cocaine is snorted, and finds its way rapidly into the bloodstream and brain, producing, not only stimulating effects, but also a head rush that becomes very addictive. The intense effects of cocaine dissipate in a matter of approximately 20 minutes.

Stimulant medications, on the other hand, are released gradually when taken orally, so while the dopamine level is raised in the brain, it is done so more gently, and therefore lacks the usual euphoric head rush or high that results from taking cocaine (Frontline interview. 2001). If you were to say that stimulants were time-released that might be closer to the mark.

A 1995 study by State University of New York concluded that even when Ritalin was taken for the purpose of reaching the level of a high, its properties were less addicting than that of cocaine because it discharged from the brain more gradually (90 minutes as opposed to 20 minutes) (Volkow, et al. 1995).

The main difference between the two drugs is that Ritalin is taken as a pill that is gradually released, whereas cocaine is snorted, entering the brain more directly. If Ritalin were snorted or injected, it might become as addictive as cocaine (Barkley, R. 2001). (Interestingly, at one time in U.S. history, cocaine was obtained legally at pharmacies. This practice ended in December, 1914 with the Harrison anti-narcotics Act. It was also included in the original formula for Coca-Cola, from which the word “Coca” is derived, in the late 1800s). Is Ritalin “kiddy cocaine” as some claim? Yes and no.

While, there are enough similarities between Ritalin and cocaine that nickname for Ritalin “kiddie cocaine” has some validity, taking Ritalin as prescribed does not result in a pleasurable sensation and is not addictive in the way that use of cocaine is, though both operate by blocking the reuptake of dopamine by the brain neurons and thereby raising the level of dopamine in the brain and between the synapses (gaps) of the brain cell neurons.

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Comparing and Contrasting Psychiatric Drugs with Coca, Cocaine, or Antibiotics

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Indians in Peru have long used coca, the leaf which when processed produces cocaine (by chewing the coca leaves) as a performance-enhancer and stimulant to help them in day-to-day tasks that require endurance and energy. Like Ritalin, chewing coca leaves is stimulating to the central nervous system, but does not produce the pleasurable euphoria that the psychoactive alkaloid cocaine, derived from the same plant leaf, produces.

Through the early 1900s, cocaine was added to Coca-Cola, from which the name “Coca” is derived, though shortly before the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Act, the practice was abandoned. (Cocaine.org. 1998).

The level of stimulation provided by stimulants like Ritalin (used today for ADHD) might be comparable to that of chewing a single coca leaf or that of drinking Coca-Cola with added cocaine. It would not produce a euphoria or high, but would provide stimulation to the central nervous system.

Stimulants are used to help children concentrate or focus better. This affect is only, however, for the time that the stimulant is actually in the system. Unlike an antibiotic that is taken temporarily to kill an invasive organism and affect a cure, stimulants stop working once they dissipate from the body and are often taken by children for many years rather than weeks, as is the case for antibiotics.

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Stimulant Drugs such as Ritalin Treat Symptoms, not the Disorder

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Also, while an antibiotic actually cures the disease or destroys the invasive microorganism it targets, stimulants do not in any way cure ADHD; rather, they are an aid only in controlling symptoms. So the target is not the underlying problem but the symptoms.

Stimulants and most drugs used in psychiatry are symptom-oriented. Psychiatric drugs, in general are more or less analgesic, like the effect that aspirin has on pain. The aspirin doesn't cure the disease, but it just dulls the pain, making it less noticeable. It is similar with medicines for ADHD or any other psychiatric disorder. The medicines treat symptoms but not the disorder.

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The Side Effects of Ritalin

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Short-term: nervousness and insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, headaches, changes in heart rate and blood pressure (usually elevation of both, but occasionally depression), skin rashes and itching, abdominal pain, weight loss, and digestive problems, toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug-dependence syndrome, and severe depression upon withdrawal.

Long-term: loss of appetite (may cause serious malnutrition), tremors and muscle twitching, fevers, convulsions and headaches (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 formication (sensation of bugs or worms crawling under the skin).

Partnership for a Drug-Free America
https://www.drugfree.org/Portal/Drug_guide/Ritalin

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Conclusion of Ritalin and Cocaine

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With the foregoing in mind, when treating ADHD, we conclude that Ritalin (methyphenidate) or amphetamines (drugs such as Adderall, Concerta and others commonly used in treating ADHD) should be used only as an absolutely last resort, if at all, rather than as a front-line form of treatment. Parents should exhaust all possible avenues of self-help and professional treatment options rather than casually treat themselves or their children with stimulant medications.

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Ritalin (methyphenidate) - Cocaine References

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* Ritalin is a registered trademark of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Manufactured for: Alliant Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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The United States of Adderall, by Lawrence Diller, M.D., September 9, 2011. (Off-site link)

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