This drug may also cause severe emotional conditions, hallucinations, and even psychotic behavior. Long-term effects of Ritalin use include: Permanent damage to blood vessels. High blood pressure.
Long-Term Effects of Ritalin Use
Disorientation and apathy. Delusions, hallucinations, and other signs of a psychotic disorder. Frequent seizure activity. Anorexia and marked weight loss.
Children and adolescents sometimes take Ritalin for more than 2 years. Future studies are necessary to assess the safety and efficacy of Ritalin for longer treatment durations.
People who misuse high doses of Ritalin every day can become paranoid or hallucinate. This seems to go away when they stop using the drug but this may take some time. Sometimes these effects don't completely go away.
Methylphenidate has been linked to a low rate of serum aminotransferase elevations during therapy and to rare instances of acute, clinically apparent liver injury, generally after its intravenous abuse.
Warnings: Misuse or abuse of methylphenidate can result in serious (possibly fatal) heart and blood pressure. This medication can be habit-forming and should be used cautiously by people who have mental/mood disorders or a substance use disorder (such as overuse of or addiction to drugs/alcohol).
Methylphenidate may cause dizziness, drowsiness, or changes in vision. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. Methylphenidate may cause serious heart or blood vessel problems. This may be more likely in patients who have a family history of heart disease.
Along with Adderall, many medications can cause decreased saliva production, tooth decay, and halt tooth remineralization. Some of the most commonly prescribed medications that have an effect on your oral health include: Sleep aids (Ambien, Lunesta) ADHD medications (Adderall, Ritalin)
Methylphenidate can even reduce the brain power of high performers, by weakening their short-term memory, for example.
Ritalin works by increasing the amount of dopamine released in the striatum, a key region in the brain related to motivation, action and cognition.
You might not need to take stimulant medication for ADHD forever; however, your ADHD is still there. If symptoms warrant it, you'll want to start taking your ADHD medication again. Do you suspect that symptoms of ADHD are making your work, home, or school life more challenging than it needs to be?
ADHD symptoms likely are never outgrown, although hyperactivity symptoms often decrease as a child gets older. Some children, depending on the severity of their ADHD symptoms, may be able to manage without medication. Others continue to take medication all through high school and even when they go off to college.
There is evidence that taking ADHD medications, which can suppress a child's appetite, can affect a child's physical development. Several studies in the last 10 years show that children on medication for as little as 3 years are behind other kids by as much as an inch in height and 6 pounds in weight.
Physical health risks
Methylphenidate and methylphenidate-based drugs can put a strain on your heart and nervous system, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. This can be extremely dangerous, even fatal, especially if you have a pre-existing heart problem.
Ritalin is an amphetamine and can cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage kidney function. Ritalin by itself does not damage the kidney.
Can ADHD medication cause dementia? Proper use of ADHD medications, like Adderal and Ritalin, is not associated with a greater risk of dementia.
While there are many different benefits from Ritalin for those, who do need it, the effect of Ritalin on a person who does not can be more damaging than beneficial, Ritalin affects the prefrontal cortex in the brain is important for cognitive function.
The new findings add to evidence that the drugs can pose heart risks. Researchers found that on average, older adults starting on a stimulant showed a 40% increase in their risk of heart attack, stroke or ventricular arrhythmia within 30 days.
Methamphetamine. Also known as meth or crystal meth, this drug is one of the most destructive substances for your mouth. The effects of methamphetamine are so extreme that users are often identified by “meth mouth,” in which the teeth along the cheeks are severely decayed.
Because Ritalin is a stimulant medication, it should not be taken with other stimulant drugs or substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Doing so can cause a severe overreaction of the central nervous system.
You or your child should not use this medicine if you are using or have used a drug for depression, called an MAO inhibitor (MAOI), such as Eldepryl®, Marplan®, Nardil®, or Parnate®, within the past 14 days. Methylphenidate may cause dizziness, drowsiness, or changes in vision.
Like SSRIs and TCAs, methylphenidate also raises serotonin levels. This raises the risk of developing serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is a condition caused by high serotonin levels in the brain.