Methylphenidate 293abuse. A survey of 161 children receiving the medication found none who
believed they were at risk of becoming abusers (a belief sustained by general
experience nationwide), although about 25 had encountered situations where
someone wanted access to their drug supply. The oral format has little ability
to produce euphoria. The drug has been called a more potent hallucinogen
thanLSD, but support for that claim seems nonexistent in scientific journals.
Adults suffering from ADHD are routinely found to be cocaine abusers. An
experiment showed methylphenidate effective for improving both problems,
but the treatment was also accompanied by several weeks of individual coun-
seling, which in itself might have been a major factor in any improvement.
Some drug abuse treatments seek to switch abusers from one drug to another.
Results of an experiment were unencouraging for shifting cocaine abusers to
methylphenidate but had intriguing findings nonetheless. For example, co-
caine addicts are generally considered particularly susceptible to addictive
properties in other drugs, but methylphenidate had little appeal to subjects in
this experiment. The experiment also found mental effects of methylphenidate
to include irritability, worry, sadness, and a general mood of dissatisfaction.
Physical effects included quivering and accelerated pulse rate. Still, even
though these cocaine users found methylphenidate unappealing, methylphen-
idate is not recommended for any medical treatment in persons with a history
of substance abuse.
Experimenters using methylphenidate to help smokers give up tobacco
found the results encouraging.
Methylphenidate abusers sometimes grind up oral tablets and inject the
material. A preparation designed to go through the digestive system can have
untoward consequences in the circulatory system. The talc in oral methyl-
phenidate can lodge in small blood vessels, cutting off blood flow to portions
of the lungs, eyes, or brain. Respiratory difficulty, vision damage, and crip-
pling paralysis can result. Studies of such injuries sometimes refer to autopsy
results; such reference implies that this type of drug abuse is dangerous in-
deed.
Tolerance has been noted from illicit usage. Intense depression can emerge
when an abuser stops using the drug.
Drug interactions.Apparently methylphenidate interacts with valproic acid,
a substance used to treat epilepsy in ADHD children; the interaction can cause
teeth grinding and interfere with body movement. Interaction with serotonin
reuptake inhibitors found in some antidepressants is suspected of causing
heartbeat irregularity in a teenager, and methylphenidate is not recommended
for persons taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs, found in some
antidepressants). High blood pressure can occur if tricyclic antidepressants are
used with methylphenidate, and methylphenidate also seems to reduce time
needed for tricyclic antidepressants to show results; lower doses of those
drugs are advised when a person is taking methylphenidate. Interactions with
phenobarbitalhave been observed. Methylphenidate has allowed terminal
cancer patients to tolerate higher doses of opiates, thereby improving pain
management.
Cancer.Scientists looking for evidence that methylphenidate causes cancer
in rats and humans have instead found lower-than-normal incidence of the