Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Ritalin WorksAddiction PotentialAt-Risk DemographicsSide EffectsOther Treatment Options

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Ritalin Works

Addiction Potential

At-Risk Demographics

Side Effects

Other Treatment Options

Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a stimulant medication widely prescribed for children and adults withattention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And it has been shown to be both safe and effective for this purpose.

But Ritalin also has the potential for misuse and abuse.This leads some to question, “Is Ritalin addictive?” Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a simple one. Here’s why.

The Most Important Thing to Know About RitalinAlthough Ritalin is often effective for relieving ADHD symptoms, taking this medication without a prescription—and when you don’t have ADHD—is not only illegal but can lead to adverse side effects and increase your risk of substance use disorder.

The Most Important Thing to Know About Ritalin

Although Ritalin is often effective for relieving ADHD symptoms, taking this medication without a prescription—and when you don’t have ADHD—is not only illegal but can lead to adverse side effects and increase your risk of substance use disorder.

Using Ritalin to Treat ADHD

Is Ritalin Addictive?

Specifically, the FDA warns that sharing your Ritalin medication can increase the other person’s risk ofdeveloping substance use disorder, also elevating their risk of addiction. This has prompted the FDA to require a boxed warning on these drugs, advising healthcare professionals to closely monitor patients for these concerns.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Demographics at Risk for Ritalin Misuse

Certain demographics have a greater risk of Ritalin misuse. Among them are high school and college students.This misuse of Ritalin without a prescription puts these adolescents and young adults at greater risk ofdeveloping an addictionto this drug. But it has other consequences as well.

Additional concerns of Ritalin misuse include:

Side Effects of Ritalin

In addition to its addiction potential, taking Ritalin can also lead to adverse effects. Some ofRitalin’s side effectsinclude:

Serious Ritalin Side EffectsSome people experience serious side effectsafter taking Ritalin, some of which include chest pain, shortness of breath, trouble speaking, numbness or pain in the fingers or toes, or an erection that is painful or lasts more than four hours.If you have any of these effects, seek immediate medical attention.

Serious Ritalin Side Effects

Some people experience serious side effectsafter taking Ritalin, some of which include chest pain, shortness of breath, trouble speaking, numbness or pain in the fingers or toes, or an erection that is painful or lasts more than four hours.If you have any of these effects, seek immediate medical attention.

Alternative ADHD Treatment Options

Although medications are typically the first line of treatment offered to control the symptoms of ADHD, Ritalin and other drugs are not the only effectivetreatment for ADHD. Other ways to help minimize or reduce ADHD symptoms include.

Summary

While Ritalin offers individuals with ADHD some benefits, taking this drug without a prescription can lead to unintended consequences such as addiction and the development of a substance use disorder. Even individuals with a prescription may experience side effects when taking this drug.

If you struggle with attention and focus, talk with your healthcare provider or a mental health professional. They can help discover the reason for your lack of focus, then help find ways to resolve it that don’t put you at an increased risk of addiction.

12 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444Clemow DB.Misuse of methylphenidate.Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;34:99-124. doi:10.1007/7854_2015_426Cleveland Clinic.Neurotransmitters.National Drug Intelligence Center.Ritalin fast facts.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA updating warnings to improve safe use of prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD and other conditions.Srichawla BS, Telles CC, Schweitzer M, Darwish B.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: A narrative review.Cureus. 2022;14(4):e24068. doi:10.7759/cureus.24068Tomasi D, Manza P, Logan J, et al.Time-varying SUVr reflects the dynamics of dopamine increases during methylphenidate challenges in humans.Commun Biol. 2023;6:166. doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04545-3Storebø OJ, Pedersen N, Ramstad E, et al.Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2018(5):CD0102069. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012069.pub2National Library of Medicine.Methylphenidate.Ly V, Bottelier M, Hoekstra PJ, Arias Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Rommelse NN.Elimination diets' efficacy and mechanisms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(9):1067-1079. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0959-1Lambez B, Harwood-Cross A, Golumbic EZ, Rassovsky Y.Non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive difficulties in ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychiatric Res. 2020;120:40-55. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.10.007Enriquez-Geppert S, Smit D, Pimenta MG, Arns M.Neurofeedback as a treatment intervention in ADHD: Current evidence and practice.Curr Psychiatry Rep.2019;21(6):46. doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1021-4

12 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444Clemow DB.Misuse of methylphenidate.Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;34:99-124. doi:10.1007/7854_2015_426Cleveland Clinic.Neurotransmitters.National Drug Intelligence Center.Ritalin fast facts.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA updating warnings to improve safe use of prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD and other conditions.Srichawla BS, Telles CC, Schweitzer M, Darwish B.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: A narrative review.Cureus. 2022;14(4):e24068. doi:10.7759/cureus.24068Tomasi D, Manza P, Logan J, et al.Time-varying SUVr reflects the dynamics of dopamine increases during methylphenidate challenges in humans.Commun Biol. 2023;6:166. doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04545-3Storebø OJ, Pedersen N, Ramstad E, et al.Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2018(5):CD0102069. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012069.pub2National Library of Medicine.Methylphenidate.Ly V, Bottelier M, Hoekstra PJ, Arias Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Rommelse NN.Elimination diets' efficacy and mechanisms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(9):1067-1079. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0959-1Lambez B, Harwood-Cross A, Golumbic EZ, Rassovsky Y.Non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive difficulties in ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychiatric Res. 2020;120:40-55. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.10.007Enriquez-Geppert S, Smit D, Pimenta MG, Arns M.Neurofeedback as a treatment intervention in ADHD: Current evidence and practice.Curr Psychiatry Rep.2019;21(6):46. doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1021-4

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444Clemow DB.Misuse of methylphenidate.Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;34:99-124. doi:10.1007/7854_2015_426Cleveland Clinic.Neurotransmitters.National Drug Intelligence Center.Ritalin fast facts.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA updating warnings to improve safe use of prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD and other conditions.Srichawla BS, Telles CC, Schweitzer M, Darwish B.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: A narrative review.Cureus. 2022;14(4):e24068. doi:10.7759/cureus.24068Tomasi D, Manza P, Logan J, et al.Time-varying SUVr reflects the dynamics of dopamine increases during methylphenidate challenges in humans.Commun Biol. 2023;6:166. doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04545-3Storebø OJ, Pedersen N, Ramstad E, et al.Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2018(5):CD0102069. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012069.pub2National Library of Medicine.Methylphenidate.Ly V, Bottelier M, Hoekstra PJ, Arias Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Rommelse NN.Elimination diets' efficacy and mechanisms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(9):1067-1079. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0959-1Lambez B, Harwood-Cross A, Golumbic EZ, Rassovsky Y.Non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive difficulties in ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychiatric Res. 2020;120:40-55. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.10.007Enriquez-Geppert S, Smit D, Pimenta MG, Arns M.Neurofeedback as a treatment intervention in ADHD: Current evidence and practice.Curr Psychiatry Rep.2019;21(6):46. doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1021-4

Huss M, Duhan P, Gandhi P, Chen CW, Spannhuth C, Kumar V.Methylphenidate dose optimization for ADHD treatment: review of safety, efficacy, and clinical necessity.Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2017;13:1741-1751. doi:10.2147/NDT.S130444

Clemow DB.Misuse of methylphenidate.Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2017;34:99-124. doi:10.1007/7854_2015_426

Cleveland Clinic.Neurotransmitters.

National Drug Intelligence Center.Ritalin fast facts.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA updating warnings to improve safe use of prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD and other conditions.

Srichawla BS, Telles CC, Schweitzer M, Darwish B.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: A narrative review.Cureus. 2022;14(4):e24068. doi:10.7759/cureus.24068

Tomasi D, Manza P, Logan J, et al.Time-varying SUVr reflects the dynamics of dopamine increases during methylphenidate challenges in humans.Commun Biol. 2023;6:166. doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04545-3

Storebø OJ, Pedersen N, Ramstad E, et al.Methylphenidate for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents - assessment of adverse events in non-randomised studies.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2018(5):CD0102069. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD012069.pub2

National Library of Medicine.Methylphenidate.

Ly V, Bottelier M, Hoekstra PJ, Arias Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Rommelse NN.Elimination diets' efficacy and mechanisms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017;26(9):1067-1079. doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0959-1

Lambez B, Harwood-Cross A, Golumbic EZ, Rassovsky Y.Non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive difficulties in ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychiatric Res. 2020;120:40-55. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.10.007

Enriquez-Geppert S, Smit D, Pimenta MG, Arns M.Neurofeedback as a treatment intervention in ADHD: Current evidence and practice.Curr Psychiatry Rep.2019;21(6):46. doi:10.1007/s11920-019-1021-4

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