Ritalin Use in Young Children May Alter Neurochemistry

Ritalin use in young children may cause long-term changes in the still-developing brain, a study of very young rats has found. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City found that rats who received Ritalin (methylphenidate), a stimulant, had changes in their brain “‘areas strongly linked to higher executive functioning, addiction and appetite, social relationships and stress. These alterations gradually disappeared over time once the rats no longer received the drug,’” according to Dr. Teresa Milner, professor of neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College and the main author of the study. Today’s Science Daily notes that “[b]etween 2 to18 percent of American children are thought to be affected by ADHD, and Ritalin, a stimulant similar to amphetamine and cocaine, remains one of the most prescribed drugs for the behavioral disorder.”

Dr. Milner noted that, three months after the rats stopped receiving Ritalin, their neurochemistry largely returned to its pre-treatment state:

“That’s encouraging, and supports the notion that this drug therapy may be best used over a relatively short period of time, to be replaced or supplemented with behavioral therapy………..We’re concerned about longer-term use. It’s unclear from this study whether Ritalin might leave more lasting changes, especially if treatment were to continue for years. In that case, it is possible that chronic use of the drug would alter brain chemistry and behavior well into adulthood.”

This was our Ritalin experience: Charlie took Ritalin for a few days a few years ago and, while he did seem to be more focused in school for a few days, he also got a nervous, haunted look to his eyes and lost his appetite, and became notably skinnier. Jim took him on a bike ride and told me that Charlie was completely unable to enjoy it: He kept looking all around him and had a hard time keeping his eyes on the road. So after those few days we stopped the Ritalin, and that look left Charlie’s eyes. Charlie now takes Zoloft and Risperdal—every time his neurologist writes a prescription, he reminds Jim and me that the medications are just one thing to help Charlie, and that education and good teaching are always necesary.

The study was published in the July 4th Journal of Neuroscience.