Using high doses of methylphenidate has been reported to cause serious complications, such as psychosis, seizure, liver damage, and cardiovascular side effects. Previous studies have suggested that psychotic symptoms may be found following methylphenidate consumption in patients with ADHD.
There is a clinical concern that prescribing methylphenidate, the most common pharmacological treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), might increase the risk of psychotic events, particularly in young people with a history of psychosis.
Adderall and Vyvanse can increase risk of psychosis, study finds. Certain medications used to treat ADHD in teens and young adults may be more likely to cause symptoms such as paranoia, hallucinations, delusions and hearing voices, a new study suggests.
study, 64% of patients gained full recovery from their psychosis within 10 days, 82% recovered within a month, and 18% suffered symptoms for over a month [3]. In a more recent study by Zarrabi et al., the percentage of patients who experienced persistent symptoms for over one month was 31.6%.
People who experience symptoms of psychotic or bipolar disorders while taking Ritalin should seek medical attention. Stimulant medications can cause psychotic symptoms, even in individuals without a history of mental disorders.
When misused, stimulants like Ritalin can cause feelings of paranoia and hostility. Very high doses can lead to: shakiness or severe twitching. mood changes.
No evidence was found for a positive association between of methylphenidate and treatment-emergent mania among bipolar disorder patients who were concomitantly receiving a mood-stabilizing medication.
The representative drugs that can cause psychosis are amphetamine, scopolamine, ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP), and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) [7].
Symptoms of drug induced psychosis include: Sensory disturbances such as seeing something that isn't there (hallucinations), hearing things (auditory hallucinations), or feeling sensations on the skin although nothing is there (parasthesias).
Antipsychotic medicines, also known as neuroleptics, are usually recommended as the first treatment for psychosis. They work by blocking the effect of dopamine, a chemical that transmits messages in the brain. However, they're not suitable or effective for everyone, as side effects can affect people differently.
The drugs that are often reported in cases of drug-induced psychosis, and are most likely to result in psychotic symptoms, include cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, psychedelic drugs such as LSD, and club drugs such as ecstasy and MDMA.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently associated with other psychiatric conditions, including psychotic disorders.
To manage ADHD with comorbid psychosis, clinicians should proceed carefully and empirically. If comorbidity is established, treat the psychosis first. Stimulants to be discontinued if psychotic symptoms appear and in a few cases psychostimulants can be used in low dosages.
Chronic Ritalin intake may result in permanent brain damage if prescribed in childhood [11]. Prefrontal cortex play the main role in highly integrated, executive, cognitive and behavioral functions such as non-verbal number processing [12].
Substance-induced psychosis (commonly known as toxic psychosis or drug-induced psychosis) is a form of psychosis that is attributed to substance use. It is a psychosis that results from the effects of chemicals or drugs, including those produced by the body itself.
Mental health risks
Stimulant drugs, like methylphenidate and the methylphenidate-based drugs, can make you feel overconfident and disinhibited, induce feelings of anxiety, panic, confusion, paranoia, and even cause psychosis, which can lead you to put your own safety at risk.
Before an episode of psychosis begins, you will likely experience early warning signs. Warning signs can include depression, anxiety, feeling "different" or feeling like your thoughts have sped up or slowed down. These signs can be vague and hard to understand, especially in the first episode of psychosis.
Psychosis can come on suddenly or can develop very gradually. The symptoms of psychosis are often categorized as either “positive” or “negative.”
Psychosis is a serious mental disorder that affects how your brain functions. Psychosis is a condition like any other, from which you can fully recover and get back to normal life.
First-episode psychosis (FEP) can result in a loss of up to 1% of total brain volume and up to 3% of cortical gray matter. When FEP goes untreated, approximately 10 to 12 cc of brain tissue—basically a tablespoon of cells and myelin—could be permanently damaged.
Therapeutic dose of methylphenidate is known to cause adverse effects (psychosis or mania), albeit in a small number of cases. Signs and symptoms of adverse effects usually disappear on stopping the medicine.
Not all patients who have both ADHD and bipolar disorder can take a stimulant medication for their ADHD symptoms. Stimulant medications can actually make bipolar symptoms worse, often triggering a manic episode.
Do they change a child's personality? ADHD medications should not change a child's personality. If a child taking a stimulant seems sedated or zombie-like, or tearful and irritable, it usually means that the dose is too high and the clinician needs to adjust the prescription to find the right dose.