Ritalin Addiction Hits Local Teens

[Guest guest]

http://www.hoinews.com/news/headlines/1177456.html

Ritalin Addiction Hits Local Teens

HOI 19 News Illinois

Landeros

Kids in the Heart of Illinois are getting addicted to a very common prescription

drug.

Ritalin is giving them an amphetamine-like high that helps them hyper-focus on

schoolwork.

The tiny pills are meant for people with attention problems and hyperactivity,

but Ritalin is quickly becoming the latest drug of choice for teenagers.

Every month, doctors write out more than 20 million prescriptions for it, but

the intended patient is not always using them.

“What they do is the students use it so that they can keep stimulated to study

if they have big exams coming up,” says Bill Kalman from Hometown Pharmacy in

Creve Coeur.

Kalman keeps Ritalin and other similar pills under lock and key, but he can’t

always control how the medicine is used.

“A lot of times maybe, they steal it from a younger sibling,” says Kalman.

And clinician Stenander from the Illinois Institute for Addiction

Recovery at Proctor Hospital says teenagers are not exactly popping the pills.

“The parties that they sell it to, they crush it. They use it like snorting to

get a high,” says Stenander.

It’s a high that can have serious and sometimes deadly consequences.

“It can stimulate the heart. It can increase blood pressure. It can increase

heart rate, and increased heart rate can lead to (irregular heart beat),” says

Kalman.

“Their viability goes way down. They withdraw; they are not active or

participate,” says Stenander.

And Ritalin misuse can easily spiral out of control, leading to a lifelong

addiction to drugs.

Local clinicians and pharmacists we spoke to also say many people do not realize

the legal consequences of selling Ritalin. They want everyone to know that it

can mean jail time.

If you or someone you know has a problem with prescription drugs like Ritalin,

it’s important to get immediate intervention at a local drug treatment program.

[Guest guest]

http://www.hoinews.com/news/headlines/1177456.html

Ritalin Addiction Hits Local Teens

HOI 19 News Illinois

Landeros

Kids in the Heart of Illinois are getting addicted to a very common prescription

drug.

Ritalin is giving them an amphetamine-like high that helps them hyper-focus on

schoolwork.

The tiny pills are meant for people with attention problems and hyperactivity,

but Ritalin is quickly becoming the latest drug of choice for teenagers.

Every month, doctors write out more than 20 million prescriptions for it, but

the intended patient is not always using them.

“What they do is the students use it so that they can keep stimulated to study

if they have big exams coming up,” says Bill Kalman from Hometown Pharmacy in

Creve Coeur.

Kalman keeps Ritalin and other similar pills under lock and key, but he can’t

always control how the medicine is used.

“A lot of times maybe, they steal it from a younger sibling,” says Kalman.

And clinician Stenander from the Illinois Institute for Addiction

Recovery at Proctor Hospital says teenagers are not exactly popping the pills.

“The parties that they sell it to, they crush it. They use it like snorting to

get a high,” says Stenander.

It’s a high that can have serious and sometimes deadly consequences.

“It can stimulate the heart. It can increase blood pressure. It can increase

heart rate, and increased heart rate can lead to (irregular heart beat),” says

Kalman.

“Their viability goes way down. They withdraw; they are not active or

participate,” says Stenander.

And Ritalin misuse can easily spiral out of control, leading to a lifelong

addiction to drugs.

Local clinicians and pharmacists we spoke to also say many people do not realize

the legal consequences of selling Ritalin. They want everyone to know that it

can mean jail time.

If you or someone you know has a problem with prescription drugs like Ritalin,

it’s important to get immediate intervention at a local drug treatment program.

[Guest guest]

http://www.hoinews.com/news/headlines/1177456.html

Ritalin Addiction Hits Local Teens

HOI 19 News Illinois

Landeros

Kids in the Heart of Illinois are getting addicted to a very common prescription

drug.

Ritalin is giving them an amphetamine-like high that helps them hyper-focus on

schoolwork.

The tiny pills are meant for people with attention problems and hyperactivity,

but Ritalin is quickly becoming the latest drug of choice for teenagers.

Every month, doctors write out more than 20 million prescriptions for it, but

the intended patient is not always using them.

“What they do is the students use it so that they can keep stimulated to study

if they have big exams coming up,” says Bill Kalman from Hometown Pharmacy in

Creve Coeur.

Kalman keeps Ritalin and other similar pills under lock and key, but he can’t

always control how the medicine is used.

“A lot of times maybe, they steal it from a younger sibling,” says Kalman.

And clinician Stenander from the Illinois Institute for Addiction

Recovery at Proctor Hospital says teenagers are not exactly popping the pills.

“The parties that they sell it to, they crush it. They use it like snorting to

get a high,” says Stenander.

It’s a high that can have serious and sometimes deadly consequences.

“It can stimulate the heart. It can increase blood pressure. It can increase

heart rate, and increased heart rate can lead to (irregular heart beat),” says

Kalman.

“Their viability goes way down. They withdraw; they are not active or

participate,” says Stenander.

And Ritalin misuse can easily spiral out of control, leading to a lifelong

addiction to drugs.

Local clinicians and pharmacists we spoke to also say many people do not realize

the legal consequences of selling Ritalin. They want everyone to know that it

can mean jail time.

If you or someone you know has a problem with prescription drugs like Ritalin,

it’s important to get immediate intervention at a local drug treatment program.

[Guest guest]

http://www.hoinews.com/news/headlines/1177456.html

Ritalin Addiction Hits Local Teens

HOI 19 News Illinois

Landeros

Kids in the Heart of Illinois are getting addicted to a very common prescription

drug.

Ritalin is giving them an amphetamine-like high that helps them hyper-focus on

schoolwork.

The tiny pills are meant for people with attention problems and hyperactivity,

but Ritalin is quickly becoming the latest drug of choice for teenagers.

Every month, doctors write out more than 20 million prescriptions for it, but

the intended patient is not always using them.

“What they do is the students use it so that they can keep stimulated to study

if they have big exams coming up,” says Bill Kalman from Hometown Pharmacy in

Creve Coeur.

Kalman keeps Ritalin and other similar pills under lock and key, but he can’t

always control how the medicine is used.

“A lot of times maybe, they steal it from a younger sibling,” says Kalman.

And clinician Stenander from the Illinois Institute for Addiction

Recovery at Proctor Hospital says teenagers are not exactly popping the pills.

“The parties that they sell it to, they crush it. They use it like snorting to

get a high,” says Stenander.

It’s a high that can have serious and sometimes deadly consequences.

“It can stimulate the heart. It can increase blood pressure. It can increase

heart rate, and increased heart rate can lead to (irregular heart beat),” says

Kalman.

“Their viability goes way down. They withdraw; they are not active or

participate,” says Stenander.

And Ritalin misuse can easily spiral out of control, leading to a lifelong

addiction to drugs.

Local clinicians and pharmacists we spoke to also say many people do not realize

the legal consequences of selling Ritalin. They want everyone to know that it

can mean jail time.

If you or someone you know has a problem with prescription drugs like Ritalin,

it’s important to get immediate intervention at a local drug treatment program.