Ritalin is the brand name for the medication methylphenidate, a powerful psychostimulant used to treat attention disorders, narcolepsy and daytime sleepiness. Ritalin was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1955. The side effects caused by Ritalin can vary greatly depending on the size of the dose, its formulated duration, and the amount of time the patient has been adjusting to the medication. Some of the side effects associated with adults taking Ritalin include weight loss, insomnia and mood and behavior problems.
Weight Loss
Ritalin treats attention disorders by increasing the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. In addition to playing a key role in alertness, executive functioning and wakefulness, these neurotransmitters also eliminate the brain's signal to initiate and take pleasure in eating. Dr. Joel Elmquist from the Center for Hypothalamic Research at the University of Texas found that serotonin works to curb appetite and at the same time, blocks neurons that stimulate appetite. Dr. Ligia Peralta at the University of Maryland Medical Center states that the three most powerful neurotransmitters associated with anorexia are serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. The weight loss associated with Ritalin can be remedied by taking the dose during or immediately after a meal. Ritalin doses may also be skipped during weekends in order to restore optimal nutrition and food intake.
Insomnia
Ritalin users also commonly report sleep disturbances and insomnia. Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep in order to go through important stages of rest including rapid eye movement and restorative sleep. With adults in particular, Ritalin is prescribed for attention disorders as well as narcolepsy, the inability to stay awake. Because Ritalin is so effective at treating these disorders, one of the primary side effects, according to the website Healthy Place, is the inability to fall or stay asleep. Mind Disorders, another information website, states that in order to counteract this side effect, patients should take their last dose before 6 pm. Not only do serotonin and norepinephrine cause wakefulness in Ritalin users, but there is also the added component of Ritalin's effect on the increased release of histamine. According to Dr. Jerome Seigel at the University of California-Los Angeles, histamine plays a key role in wakefulness and sleep regulation. Ritalin users may take their dose early in the morning to counteract the possibility of high levels of histamine before bedtime.
Mood and Behavior Problems
Adult Ritalin users may also experience mood and behavior changes as they adjust to the dose. Patients may accidentally take too high of a dose at first or may feel psychiatric effects as the medication wears off each day. Some of these mood and behavior problems can also be attributed to malnutrition and insomnia. Dr. Leslie Iversen, a professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, states that some of the mood and behavior side effects of Ritalin include abnormal movements, compulsive behaviors, lip smacking, lip licking, picking at hands, rubbing eyes and head jerking. If a Ritalin patient takes too high of a dose initially, they may experience Ritalin toxicity. Dose adjustment is extremely important with stimulant drugs like Ritalin. Dr. Alexander Morton at the Medical University of South Carolina states that Ritalin toxicity may result in euphoria, delirium, confusion and hallucinations.
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