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.