Recreational Effects of Ritalin
Ritalin is the brand name of a drug (methylphenidate) that is often prescribed to treat people who've been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Ritalin can also be prescribed to treat narcolepsy (uncontrollable daytime sleep).
The drug is a central nervous system stimulant and, like many other such drugs, is abused for its stimulant properties.
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About Stimulants
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Stimulants are drugs that make the body function faster. Heart rate, metabolism, and mental activity all speed up under the influence of stimulants. The user feels more awake and focused and sometimes even feels euphoric.
Ritalin Abuse
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Because Ritalin is widely prescribed (especially to teenagers and college-age adults), it is often abused by young people. The drug can be taken orally or snorted; it is frequently used as a mild substitute for cocaine. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, some abusers even dissolve the pill in water and inject it, as they would heroin.
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Reasons for Abuse
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Prescription drugs such as Ritalin are often abused because the people using them see them as safer or "cleaner" than patently illicit drugs. Another example of this is those who abuse oxycodone as a substitute for heroin.
Ritalin is abused for purely recreational effects (the euphoria or stimulant effects), or for seemingly noble purposes: Because it makes the user feel focused, conscientious students might take Ritalin to help them write an essay or study for an important test. Though well intentioned, such use is still drug abuse and is illegal.
Risks of Abuse
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According to the Department of Justice, Ritalin abusers may binge on the drug, suffer heart problems, exhibit dangerous and abnormal behavior, and develop a dependency.
Those who inject the drug run the additional risk of cardiovascular problems, because certain inactive components of the drug can block small blood vessels. And as with any injected drug, users risk contracting blood-borne viruses such as HIV or hepatitis B and C.
Legal Consequences
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Those who use Ritalin without a prescription (or prescription users who sell the drug to others) can be arrested and prosecuted; the drug is a Category II controlled substance. Other Category II drugs include cocaine and methamphetamine.
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