The Use and Abuse of Concerta (Methylphenidate) - Research Paper Example

?Running head: CONCERTA (METHYLPHENI The use and abuse of Concerta (Methylpheni Insert Insert Grade Insert 27 March 2012 The use and abuse of Concerta (Methylphenidate) Introduction Concerta refers to a prescription drug that is administered to enhance alertness. It was purposely manufactured to help Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients. However, the drug is used for a variety of reasons such as to boost performance, experience euphoria, combat depression, and lose weight among others. Concerta is produced by ALZA Corporation and it contains Methylphenidate, which is a brain stimulating substance. This discussion explores the history, pharmacology, manufacture, dosage, side effects, and treatment for addiction of methylphenidate. History and Epidemiology of the Drug Methylphenidate is the medicine in Concerta. The drug was produced in 1944 for the first time. Methylphenidate was improved in the 1950s and experimented on human beings. It was introduced in the market by Ciba Pharmaceutical Company to treat the effects of other drugs, exhaustion, psychosis, and narcolepsy. In the 1960s, Methylphenidate was combined with energizers, hormones and vitamins and made available in the market. It was referred to as Ritonic and was used to improve strength and mood (Barceloux, 2012). Research was done on Methylphenidate and in the 1960s it was revealed that the drug could treat ADHD. The use of the drug to treat ADHD in the United States began in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, the use and sale of methylphenidate increased dramatically in the United States and this country became the biggest consumer of the drug in the world. Methylphenidate was used by approximately 5million children in 1997. Between 1990 and 2000, the use of the drug increased by 700%. 7 million children used methylphenidate in 2000. 90 % of children diagnosed with ADHD and ADD use methylphenidate drugs. ADHD is more common in boys than girls. The greatest amount of methylphenidate is produced, sold, and distributed in the United States. Other European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom also manufacture and use the drug. Countries such as Sweden have banned the use of the drug (Barceloux, 2012). Pharmacology of Concerta Concerta is a stimulant with substances that trigger greater levels of dopamine production to keep the users alert. When Concerta is taken, it increases the alertness of the users as it triggers their central nervous system. It enhances the users’ focus and concentration. However, using the drug for a long time or overdosing causes addiction. Methylphenidate works in a similar way as cocaine on the dopamine and noradrenaline transporters. The drug blocks dopamine’s reuptake into nerve terminals and stimulates the dopamine nerve terminals to release dopamine. Consequently, the levels of dopamine in the synapse are increased (Doweiko, 2011). Research has revealed that ADHD is caused by an imbalance of dopamine in the brain. By preventing the removal of dopamine from the synapses, methylphenidate increases the amount of dopamine in the brain. Studies have found that people with ADHD have defects in brain areas that enhance mental focus such as parietal cortex and prefrontal cortex. An intake of methylphenidate increases causes increased activity in these areas. This leads to increased attention and focus (Doweiko, 2011). Manufactured, Distribution and Marketing of Concerta Several companies use methylphenidate to manufacture prescription drugs such as Concerta and Ritalin. The manufacturer of Concerta is ALZA Corporation. The marketers and distributors of the drug are McNeil Pediatrics. Methylphenidate is made up of methyl, phenyl, piperidine, and acetate. The United States produces this drug, sells, and distributes it more than any other country worldwide. This drug is cheap and readily available. It can be prescribed from chemists. A large number of students use this drug to enhance their concentration. Others use it to experience euphoria. Concerta is a prescription stimulant that is designed to take effects slowly after administration. Therefore, it is taken once daily. Abusers of the drug who seek quick effects overdose the drug or administer it through injection or snorting. Reduced prohibitions to direct-to-consumer-advertising have led to increased marketing of Concerta and other prescription drugs, leading to their increased use. Most of the advertisements leave out information about the possible side effects of the drugs (Smith, 2002). The Dosage, Effects and Abuse of Concerta The recommended administration of Concerta is swallowing the pills once per day with the help of fluids. Chewing, breaking or crushing the drug is not recommended as it quickens the effects of the drug. People who abuse the drug crush it and inhale it or dissolve it in water and administer it intravenously. Adults starting to use Concerta for the first time should take 18 or 36mg daily while adolescents and children should take 18mg. Patients who were already on methylphenidate drugs should start with different dosages depending on their methylphenidate intake. They should not take more than 72mg of Concerta daily. In case lower doses do not produce the expected results, the dosage may be increased weekly at 18mg intervals. The use of the drug should be discontinued if it results in undesired effects and if it does not improve the ADHD condition within one month (Morton and Stockton, 2000). Patients using tricyclic antidepressants should not use them together with methylphenidate as it increases the concentrations of plasma leading to adverse cardiovascular effects. Moreover, patients suffering from hypertension, arrhythmia and liver damage should not use Concerta. The drug may also affect children whose family has a Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia history. Patients with symptoms of agitation, nervousness, and drug-seeking behavior should not be given methylphenidate. Using the drug on epilepsy patients should be done with caution (Doweiko, 2011). Methylphenidate is a stimulant which increases the central nervous system’s activity. It improves alertness, attention, and reduces fatigue. It is used in the treatment of various conditions such as ADHD, ADD, narcolepsy, substance dependence, depression, pervasive developmental disorders, among others. Effective use of methylphenidate reduces ADHD symptoms in users. Narcolepsy patients also use the drug to reduce drowsiness and enhance vigilance, wakefulness, and performance. It is also used to reduce depression especially in patients suffering from cancer, stroke, and HIV/AIDS. Individuals dependent on other substances such as cocaine can take methylphenidate to stop the dependence. Methylphenidate is also used in the management of pervasive developmental disorders such as autism (Doweiko, 2011). Methylphenidate has several side effects including restlessness, insomnia, drowsiness, nervousness, abdominal and chest pain, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, euphoria, sweating, headaches, somnolence, weight loss, hair loss, stunted growth, fluctuations in pulse, and blood pressure among others. Abuse of the drug can also cause addiction and death. Taking methylphenidate together with antidepressants can cause hypothermia, hypertension, and convulsions. Moreover, the probability of toxicity of the liver is increased by using methylphenidate together with drugs such as Pemoline and adrenergic agonist drugs (Doweiko, 2011). There is a high potential for overdose and abuse of methylphenidate due to its low cost, availability, and its characteristics which are similar to cocaine. The most common reasons for methylphenidate abuse are attempted suicide and drug abuse. The drug can be easily obtained from friends, family members, and chemists. People using the drug can give it to their friends or sell it. Abusers of Concerta try to get the euphoric feeling produced by using cocaine. Like cocaine, methylphenidate increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. Concerta can be abused by smoking, injecting, and inhaling. Crushing and inhaling methylphenidate or injecting it into the bloodstream causes the user to experience effects similar to those of cocaine such as euphoria. Taking oral overdoses also produces effects similar to those produced by cocaine (Morton and Stockton, 2000). Concerta is abused by overdosing, snorting or injecting it. Other people use the drug to stay up late or improve their school performance even though they are not suffering from ADHD. Some take it to enjoy the effects while others use the drug to lose weight. Taking an overdose of methylphenidate causes hypertension, hallucinations, seizures, agitation among other symptoms. Abusing methylphenidate causes addiction, cardiovascular problems, and death. Intravenous administration of the drug also increases the risk of contracting hepatitis and HIV/AIDS through sharing of needles (Morton and Stockton, 2000). Treatment of Methylphenidate Addiction Methylphenidate is an addictive drug. Failure to follow the physician’s instructions when using the drug can lead to dependence on it. Habits such as overdosing or injecting and snorting methylphenidate cause addiction. However, the drug is highly addictive and one can get addicted even after following the physician’s instructions. Addiction refers to dependence on a drug such that one cannot function properly without it. Signs of addiction include sleeplessness, oversleeping, mood swings, preoccupation with taking the drug, selling property or stealing to obtain money for the drug among others (Morton and Stockton, 2000). Treatment of Concerta addiction can be either inpatient or outpatient. Inpatient treatment is the most appropriate for addicts with a high dependency on the drug as they will be under the physician’s care throughout the treatment process. Severe addiction to stimulants can be difficult to break and therefore, the patient needs a lot of attention to successfully go off the drug. Outpatient treatments are suitable for cases that are not very severe, for instance, patients who followed the physician’s prescription but still got addicted. Treating methylphenidate addiction can be done through weaning. This involves decreasing the drug intake slowly and treating withdrawal symptoms. Stopping administering the drug in forms that cause increased effects on the users such as snorting can help in treating an addiction. Treating methylphenidate addiction can be done through detoxification and behavioral therapies. In order to effectively treat methylphenidate addiction, the addict must start with detoxification. Detoxification refers to the process of removing the drug from the patients’ system. This involves stopping the drug intake gradually until the patients finally go off the drug. This gradual process has little or no withdrawal symptoms. Going off the drug abruptly can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, depression, increased appetite, among others (Mojica, 2012). After detoxification and clearing of withdrawal symptoms, the patient should go through addiction rehabilitation. This treatment is meant to combat the patient’s psychological attachment to the drug. This ensures that the patient completely recovers from the addiction. Rehabilitation should include counseling. An example of an effective rehabilitation treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy includes the steps of education, building skills and problem solving in an attempt to change the perspective of the addicts towards drugs. This therapy is based on the theory that people’s thoughts are responsible for their behaviors. Therefore, this treatment is meant to change the thoughts of the patients towards the drug. Education involves teaching the negative effects of drug addiction to the addicts and the benefits of giving up drug use. Skill building entails the development of skills to help the addicts to end their drug dependence. This treatment works best if it is administered together with other efforts such as support group participation (Mojica, 2012). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that today there is an increased use and abuse of prescription drugs such as Concerta. Methylphenidate was discovered in 1944 and has been used for the treatment and management of several conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, anxiety, narcolepsy and substance dependence. This drug stimulates the central nervous system to enhance alertness. Methylphenidate is one of the most abused drugs especially by students. Abuse of drug is mostly done through injection and snorting. Methylphenidate has several side effects such as addiction, restlessness, drowsiness, nervousness, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, insomnia, sweating, euphoria, headaches, among others. Addiction to methylphenidate can be treated through inpatient or outpatient programs. Treatment of addiction entails detoxification and rehabilitation treatment. Even though methylphenidate has been used to effectively treat ADHD, it has serious side effects which should be considered before one starts using the drug. References Barceloux, D. G. (2012). Medical Toxicology of Drugs Abuse: Synthesized Chemicals and Psychoactive Plants. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Doweiko, H. E. (2011). Concepts of Chemical Dependency. USA: Cengage Learning. Smith, M. C. (2002). Pharmaceutical Marketing: Principles, Environment, and Practice. UK: Routledge. Mojica, S. (2012). What Are the Treatments for Methylphenidate Abuse? Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5640283_treatments-methylphenidate-abuse_.html Morton, W. A. and Stockton, G. G. (2000). Methylphenidate Abuse and Psychiatric Side Effects. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. Vol. 2(5): 159–164. Read More