Ritalin Withdrawal

 

Ritalin is a nervous system stimulant. This means that, when the drug interacts with chemicals in the brain, it causes messages to move faster through the nervous system, speeding up responses, increasing energy, sharpening focus, and making it easier to complete tasks without distraction. This is why Ritalin is prescribed as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; it helps people to focus and direct their energy where it might otherwise be scattered.

As reported by Science Daily, studies show that Ritalin does this by increasing chemicals in the brain called norepinephrine, a stress hormone that increases attention and energy to meet challenges; serotonin, which moderates many physical and mental cognition functions; and dopamine, a chemical that speeds up the messages that are traveling through the brain and, at the same time, creates a sense of joy and wellbeing. If this feeling of pleasure is intense enough, it is called euphoria – a state that is part of what makes people want to abuse drugs and that can sometimes lead to addiction.

 

When a person is detoxing from Ritalin, there are a number of physical and mental symptoms that may be experienced. Mental Health Daily details these withdrawal symptoms as being:

Physical

• Headaches
• Heart rhythm irregularities
• Nausea or vomiting
• Appetite changes and weight gain
• Sleepiness or excessive sleep
• Changes in vision

Mental

• Inability to concentrate
• Anger or hostility
• Moodiness
• Anxiety, depression, or panic attacks
• Suicidal thoughts
• Psychosis

These symptoms may vary in intensity, and symptoms may come and go throughout the withdrawal process.

 

The amount of time detox takes depends on a drug’s half-life, or how long it stays in the body, combined with the effects of any of the compounds it is broken down into as the body processes it. According to the Federal Drug Administration’s clinical pharmacology for Ritalin, the half-life of the drug is 1.5-5 hours, depending on the individual, which means the drug itself is eliminated from the body within a day or two. The major components Ritalin breaks down into take up to 96 hours to eliminate.

However, even when the drug is gone, the withdrawal symptoms described above can extend for weeks or even months after use is stopped. This is because it takes time for the brain and body to readjust to functioning properly without the drug. Physical effects of long-term use may also last for the rest of the individual’s life, such as:

• Risk of heart disease or severe cardiac events
• High blood pressure
• Psychosis
• Worsening of bipolar symptoms

Having a professional on hand to provide appropriate medically assisted detox can help the individual understand the risk of these symptoms and provide treatment to manage them.

 

When undertaking Ritalin detox, it is important to note that individual factors can affect the above symptoms and timelines, as explained by Mental Health Daily. These factors include elements such as:

• How long the drug was used
• The dosage used
• The individual’s weight, constitution, and health
• Whether the person is an adult or a child
• Whether or not the person has relapsed to use
• Diet, other drugs being used, and environmental factors

These factors can either speed up or slow down the process of the drug’s elimination from the body. In addition, the presence of co-occurring mental illness can make mental withdrawal symptoms worse, or extend their duration. For this reason, it can be important to have a medical professional available during the detox process to manage these variations and any overly intense symptoms.

 

A major reason it can be challenging to stop Ritalin abuse is the fact that withdrawal symptoms can be severe enough to make the person want to start using again just to hold the symptoms at bay. This can be a risky undertaking, as losing tolerance can result in the individual taking what was once a normal dose that is now too strong and can result in overdose.

Another challenge with quitting Ritalin, as explained by the website Ritalin Side Effects, is the fact that stopping use abruptly, as many people might try to do, can lead to more severe withdrawal symptoms. In fact, abrupt withdrawal can lead to severe depression and thoughts of or attempts at suicide. For this reason, it is important to have guidance when quitting Ritalin to make sure that this effect is minimized as much as possible.