Las Vegas NowRitalin Abuse On The Rise Among Students

Ritalin Abuse On The Rise Among Students

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(Dec. 14) -- The drug Ritalin is legitimately used to control attention deficit disorder, but increasingly, it's being abused by teenagers who use it like speed. Nationally and locally, it's on the rise.

Teenagers have nicknamed the drug "Vitamin R" or "West Coast." Students are using Ritalin to improve their concentration. You may be suprised by how easy it is for them to get the drug without a prescription.

It's finals week on campus -- time for cramming and for some, time to pop pills.

"I think it's one more simple solution to really get your work done. And for a lot of the proscatinating students who may be struggling, it's just that last easy option." Maier says she doesn't take prescription medicine to stay up, but she knows people who take the drug Ritalin to pull all-night study sessions," says UNLV freshman Beth Maier. 

Maier says she doesn't take prescription medicine to stay up, but she knows people who take the drug ritalin to pull all night study sessions. Freshman Ross Bowman says it's common. 

"I just moved in about a month ago, and I think like 8 people on every floor just offered it to me just like Advil they just said if you ever have trouble staying up at night, just come see me and I'll help you out," says Bowman. 

And it's not just happening at the college level. Clark County School police say they've handled several incidents at local high schools where students were using prescription drugs they had stolen from their parents. At Montevista Hospital, therapists see the abuse firsthand. 

"I had a patient who started using because she was studying for the SATs or any test or trying to get into college," says Karen Davis, a chemical dependancy therapist who works with adolescents at Montevista Hospital. 

Ritalin is used to treat attention deficit disorder, but for someone who does not suffer from the illness the drug acts similar to speed or cocaine....causing a person to stay alert and more focused. At high dosages, a stroke or heart attack could occur.

"The number of kids coming to the emergency room related to ritalin and other stimulant abuse has tripled in the last several years," says Dr. Greg Tarasoff, the medical director at Montevista.

But the dangers of the drug doesn't phase some.

"I don't mean to make it out to be less than it is, it's just that, I've never seen anyone who has had a serious reaction or problem or anything," says Maier.

Doctors say there are several symptoms of Ritalin abuse to look for. If your child is not sleeping at night, their personality is dramatically changing, they're losing weight, or they can't account for their whereabouts.

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