DEA Statistics Show Explosive Rise in Children Taking Ritalin and Adderall
The number of kids taking psychotropic medication has exploded, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Updated April 4, 2018
The production of methylphenidate (Ritalin) and legal amphetamines (Adderall) have exploded in the United States since 1990.
Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamines (Adderall) are essentially the same pharmacologically, both are considered having “strong potential for abuse,” and therefore classified as Schedule II drugs under the Controlled Substances Act. Production levels in the United States are regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which sets quotas (limits) on the amount that may be manufactured each year, in an effort to control illegal uses. The dramatically rising production quotas shown below mirror the unprecedented high demand for ADHD prescriptions in the United States.
SOURCE of Data: U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration: Diversion Control Division: Federal Register Notices.
Skyrocketing Abuse of Prescription Meds
Prescription drug abuse is now the nation's fastest-growing drug problem, according to the director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy.
A 400 percent increase in substance-abuse was found in children and adults (ages 12 and up) during the ten-year period of 1998 to 2008, according to the same government study. The rise in illicit use of pharmaceuticals spans every gender, race, ethnicity, education and employment level, and all regions of the country.
ABOVE: Associated Press, July 15, 2010.
United States Consumes 85% of World's Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
SOURCE of Data: United Nations, as presented before the U.S. Congress by the DEA on May 16, 2000.
The United States produces and consumes 85% of the world’s methylphenidate, according to the United Nations’ International Narcotics Control Board.
Many think methylphenidate (Ritalin) is safe, or mild, because so many children use it. However, the government classifies the psychoactive drug with cocaine and morphine because it's highly addictive. [More]
Each year more than two million hospital admissions in the U.S. are due solely to adverse drug reactions—and 180,000 of those result in death. [More]
“Ritalin and amphetamine both produce gross reductions in blood flow to the brain.”
Decreased blood flow to the brain plays a major role in cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's.
ABOVE: Breggin, PR. The Ritalin Fact Book; Perseus Books Group, 2002. Abreu BE, et al. Influence of amphetamine sulfate on cerebral metabolism and blood flow in man. J Pharm Sci, 1949;38:186–188. Lombard J, et al. The Brain Wellness Plan; Kensington Pub. Corp., 1998. Mazza M, et al. Primary cerebral blood flow deficiency and Alzheimer's disease: shadows and lights. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2011;23(3):375-89.
Although Vyvanse is referred to as “pro-drug” of dextroamphetamine, it's still an amphetamine, meaning that it's easily abused and can cause insomnia, agitation, anxiety and sometimes psychotic symptoms like seeing things or becoming paranoid. [More]
Most people may not know that Strattera (atomoxetine) appears to cause unsatisfactory sexual function (decreased libido, ejaculatory problems and impotence). [More]
“It’s the holy grail that every drug company tries to achieve,” according to a former director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Federal drug agency who said: “One-dose-fits-all is a marketing myth.” [More]
U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration: Diversion Control Division: Federal Register Notices: www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/.
United Nations Information Service, International Narcotics Control Board Annual Report 1995, “Dramatic Increase in Methylphenidate Consumption in US: Marketing Methods Questioned”.
