alpitations, headaches; changes in heart rate and blood pressure (usually elevation of both, but occasionally depression); skin rashes and itching; abdominal pain, weight loss, and digestive problems; toxic psychosis, psychotic episodes, drug dependence syndrome; and severe depression upon withdrawal, (Physician's Desk Reference, 1995). Most physicians would not admit to being blind about the true consequences of Ritalin, and most families never receive the needed information to make an educated decision about whether or not to take the drug, (Bonn, 2140).Being a potent drug with many numerous physical effects, Ritalin should not be respected by doctors who spend only a short amount of time with patients before prescribing the "wonder drug" as treatment. Findings of a recent survey by the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, report that almost half of the pediatricians surveyed said they send ADD/ADHD children home within an hour, (Diller, 63). Time appears to be on the side of the doctors, which leaves patients and their families holding a possible "time bomb" of Ritalin. With assembly line-like characteristics, physicians turn patients in one door and out the other without conversing with teachers, reviewing a child's educational level, nor doing psychological evaluations, (63). After a child uses all the Ritalin given with one prescription, a new prescription is required for additional doses, (Bailey, 5). Because of this, doctors as well as pharmacies benefit monetarily from the constant appointments to the doctor and the many prescriptions respectively, for a drug that may be doing more harm than good. However, a long-awaited study by the National Institute of Mental Health shows that drugs like Ritalin calm kids down even better than previously thought, only as long as the children continue taking them, (Eberstadt, 26). But there is no proof that in the long run the drugs help kids better grades or build better li...
