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Ritalin and Other Methylphenidates - Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Ritalin and other methylphenidates are approved by the FDA to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. In some cases, methylphenidate is used in the treatment of other medical disorders, such as symptoms associated with a traumatic brain injury. Such injuries can be caused by a blow to the head, a fall, or a car crash. People who experience

To help those with ADHD, various programs and activities can be used in combination with Ritalin or in place of Ritalin. Here, students attend camp to learn discipline, structure, and social skills to help manage their ADHD. Photo by Brendan Sm
To help those with ADHD, various programs and activities can be used in combination with Ritalin or in place of Ritalin. Here, students attend camp to learn discipline, structure, and social skills to help manage their ADHD. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.

traumatic brain injury often experience behavioral problems and ADHD-like symptoms, including decreased attention span. These symptoms can last for years after a moderate or severe brain injury. Methylphenidate has also been used to help patients who have suffered a strokeA loss of feeling, consciousness, or movement caused by the breaking or blocking of a blood vessel in the brain. and to enhance the effects of antidepressants.

Most methylphenidate prescriptions are written for children with ADHD. Methylphenidate helps children and adults with ADHD to increase their focusing abilities and decrease their level of distraction. Experts agree that drugs alone are not the best treatment for people with ADHD. Psychological and behavioral therapies, as well as behavior modificationA type of therapy that changes behavior by substituting desired responses for undesired ones.—in combination with medicines—offer the most effective means of dealing with the symptoms of ADHD.