Can Ritalin help people overcome drug addiction?
The effects of methylphenidate — a stimulant used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder — are interesting. The drug clearly helps many people with ADHD with mental focus and concentration. And although many parents fear giving the medication to children diagnosed with ADHD because it is a drug (and drugs can be abused), studies show that those children and teens who benefit from the medication are less likely to abuse drugs. Kids with ADHD who are untreated are at higher risk for substance abuse issues. Now a study has come along that ties the benefits of methylphenidate with treatment for substance abuse. The study found that giving Ritalin, a brand name for methylphenidate, to people with cocaine addiction seemed to help them with impulse control. Impulse control is, of course, a major reason why people succumb to substance abuse even when they know it’s bad for them. Researchers from Yale University gave 10 volunteers Ritalin and then used functional MRI to scan their br
