Pubdate: Mon, 08 May 2000 Source: Daily Herald (IL) Copyright: 2000 The Daily Herald Company Contact: http://www.dailyherald.com/ CRACK DOWN ON RITALIN ABUSE Since the mid-1990s, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has been warning of an increase in Ritalin abuse among the nation's teens. Fifteen students at Lake Zurich Middle School North are suspected of abusing the prescription drug Ritalin. According to details of the investigation of this incident, students gave away the tablets or sold them for 50 cents to $1. This isn't shocking to law enforcement and drug abuse experts, because they know this isn't a problem unique to this particular school. Since the mid-1990s, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has been warning of an increase in Ritalin abuse among the nation's teens. One explanation is that Ritalin, a prescription drug used to treat attention deficit disorder, is widely available. It has been prescribed to well over 1 million children. Ritalin prescriptions increased more than 600 percent during the 1990s. So it can be acquired much more easily than other drugs, such as marijuana. The tiny pill also is easier to conceal. Children who use Ritalin simply take the pills from the bottle and sell them or distribute them to peers, who use it for its stimulant effect, or out of peer pressure. The pills usually come from home. At Lake Zurich Middle School North, students are not allowed to self-medicate, and prescription drugs at the school are kept in a locked box in a safe overnight. A key for reducing Ritalin abuse, then, is to carefully observe the manner in which children with prescription Ritalin take the drug. Children shouldn't be allowed to take the medication themselves at home, or at school. If they must self-medicate, then parents have to carefully monitor the Ritalin supply. Moreover, if drug education programs aren't emphasizing the dangers of abusing Ritalin, they should. Unlike marijuana, alcohol and harder drugs, children may not be aware that Ritalin could hurt them. Side effects include loss of appetite, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, dizziness, weight loss, psychotic episodes and dependency. Parents would do well to monitor prescription Ritalin in their homes. Schools need to be wary of the potential for the abuse of this drug and respond firmly when this is discovered, as Lake Zurich Middle School North has done. The growing abuse of Ritalin is just one more reason to exercise the greatest care when prescribing this drug. To do otherwise is wrong for the child, the parents, and just puts more pills out there with the potential for abuse. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake