ADHD drugs caused “long-lasting changes” in brain function “similar to those that occur with cocaine." "There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency."

Harms from ADHD drugs are many, and effects from higher doses are severe. Get verifiable research and alternatives for resolving the underlying issues.

Dr. Leonard Sax, who is both a physician and a psychologist, says in the New York Times, ‘The next time you hear a doctor say, with regard to prescribing stimulant medications, ‘let’s try it and see whether it helps,’ I suggest that you run – do not walk – to the nearest exit.

Dr. Sircus

There is no such thing as a Ritalin deficiency.

Billie J. Sahley PhD and link

Contents

1. Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms

2. ADHD Drugs

3. ADHD Diagnosis is Severely Flawed

4. Evidence of Harm

5. Addressing Root Causes

6. Evidence-Based Therapies

7. We’re Happy to Be Your Research Assistant

8. See Also

Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms

Establishment medicine providers routinely utilize diagnostic testing and “treatments” that cause harm (“adverse”, “side” effects). Get verifiable evidence of the harms, organized by drug, treatment, or test (mammograms, CT scans, antibiotics, statins, benzos, etc).

1. Pharmaceuticals & diagnostics, generally + over-prescription

2. Acid blockers: PPIs, acid reflux, GERD, heartburn, gastric ulcer drugs

3. ADHD drugs, stimulants (you’re here)

4. Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s drugs

5. Antibiotics

6. Asthma, allergy & hay fever drugs, antihistamines

7. Blood pressure drugs

8. Chemotherapy, other cancer drugs, radiation

9. Diabetes drugs, metformin

10. Osteoporosis drugs, bisphosphonates

11. Over the counter drugs (OTCs)

12. Pain relievers, NSAIDs, opioids

13. Psychiatric drugs: antidepressants, SSRIs, anti-anxiety, benzos, other psychotropics

14. Scans, radiology, & ultrasounds (e.g. mammograms, CT scans, X-rays)

15. Seizure drugs, anticonvulsants, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)

16. Sleeping pills, sedatives

17. Statins

18. Steroids

19. Vaccines

20. Weight loss drugs

ADHD Drugs

Drugs prescribed for ADHD include the following.

• Psychostimulants include Adderall, Amphetamines, Aptensio, Concerta, Cylert*, Daytrana, Desoxyn, Detroamphetamine Sulfate, Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Dyanavel, Evekeo, Focalin, Metadate, Methamphetamine, Methylin, Methylphenidate, Pemoline*, ProCentra, QuilliChew, Quillvant, Provigil, Ritalin, and Vyvanse. [source and source and source and source and source]

• Ritalin is a brand name for methylphenidate. This drug is also sold under the names: Adhansia, Aptensio, Concerta, Cotempla, Daytrana, Jornay, Metadate, Methylin, Quillivant, and Quillichew. [source]

• Nonstimulant ADHD drugs include Atomoxetine, Clonidine, Guanfacine, Intuniv, Kapvay, and Strattera (an SNRI). [source and source and source]

*Note: “A drug that has been used for ADHD for 30 years is being discontinued. [A consumer group] petitioned the FDA, asking the agency to ban pemoline, also sold under the trade name Cylert, because of reported cases of liver damage in users.” [2005 source]

ADHD Diagnosis is Severely Flawed

Subjective and Unreliable (Unreplicable) Diagnosis Used to Drug Children

You can take this same difficult child to ten psychiatrists and come back with ten different diagnoses. But no matter what the diagnosis is, they all put him on Ritalin.

Psychiatrist Abram Hoffer MD, PhD 2010 (pg 9) link and link

ADHD Diagnosis: Unscientific, Many Flaws

The diagnosis of ADHD remains far less objective than that of [conditions] where specific tools such as blood tests, x-rays and sonograms are used to determine the presence of the disorder… Furthermore, the answers provided by parents and teachers on behavior rating scales—to questions such as how much a child fidgets or whether he/she is easily distracted—are subjective. What one person views as distractibility another may view as natural inquisitiveness…. [Another] question asks whether the child “actively defies or refuses to comply with adults’ requests.” In some life situations, though, disobedience is a virtue… Another problem with the ADHD diagnosis is that it may apply a medical label to behaviors that fall at one end of a spectrum of normal patterns… To add to the complexity, approximately 65% of patients with ADHD may have one or more co-morbid disorders, such as anxiety, communication, mood, conduct, oppositional defiant and learning disorders and Tourette’s syndrome.

Richard Gale & Dr. Gary Null

Evidence of Harm

1. Ritalin Caused “Long-Lasting Changes” in Brain Function “Similar to Those that Occur with Cocaine” — “Scientists at the University at Buffalo have shown that the drug methylphenidate, the generic form of Ritalin, which physicians have considered to have only short-term effects, appears to initiate changes in brain function that remain after the therapeutic effects have dissipated. The changes appear to be similar to those that occur with other stimulant drugs such as amphetamine and cocaine, said Joan Baizer, Ph.D.”

2. “ADHD Drugs Linked to Blood Pressure, Heart Rate Increases” (2025) — “A comprehensive analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that ADHD medications could increase or decrease blood pressure in patients.” See also: Comparative cardiovascular safety of medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis See also: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases (2023): “The results of this population-based case-control study with a… follow-up of 14 years suggested that long-term use of ADHD medication was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension and arterial disease, and the risk was higher for stimulant medications.”

3. Harms from ADHD Drugs are Many, and Effects from Higher Doses are Severe — “Adverse events [included]… decreased appetite… insomnia… stomachache… drowsiness… dizziness… Nervousness, headache, insomnia, anorexia and rapid heartbeat [tachycardia] increase linearly with dose, while overdoses can cause agitation, hallucinations, psychosis, lethargy, seizures, tachycardia, dysrhythmias, hypertension and hyperthermia.” See also: Side Effects of ADHD Drugs: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the US have published 61 warnings that ADHD drugs cause harmful effects. See also: A Dose-Response Study of OROS Methylphenidate in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; “Younger and smaller children were more likely to display sleep difficulties and decreased appetite at the higher dose levels.”

4. Young Children Aged 4-6 Put on ADHD Drugs Suffered “Severe Social Withdrawal, Increased Crying, and Irritability” — “A study of even younger children, aged 4 to 6… raises serious questions about the growing use of stimulants in preschoolers. In this study of 11 young children with developmental disabilities and ADHD, five who took methyplenidate experienced significant adverse effects, such as severe social withdrawal, increased crying, and irritability, especially at the higher dose… The researchers state that ‘this population appears to be especially susceptible to adverse drug side effects.'” [source]

5. As is Typical when an Unbiased Meta-Analysis is Conducted, it Becomes Apparent that Publication Bias Was Employed to Get Regulatory Approval; In Reality, the Drugs are Ineffective and There’s More Harm than Benefit — “We included 62 randomized trials that involved a total of 2,897 participants with a primary diagnosis of ADD (e.g., with or without hyperactivity). The median age of trial participants was 8.7 years… The extension of this placebo-controlled effect beyond 4 weeks of treatment [of methylphenidate] has not been demonstrated… apparent beneficial effects are tempered by a strong indication of publication bias and the lack of robustness of the findings… Methylphenidate also has an adverse event profile that requires consideration.” See also: Alliance for Human Research Protection Oct 25, 2005 Alert: “The largest meta-analysis (September, 2005) by the Oregon Drug Effectiveness Review Project (ODER) findings confirm earlier independent reviews. The 27 drugs studied included Adderall, Concerta, Strattera, Ritalin, Focalin, Cylert, Provigil, and others… The group analyzed 2,287 studies – virtually every investigation ever done on ADHD drugs anywhere in the world – to reach its conclusions: ODER found no evidence to support the claims about these drugs’ safety or the legitimacy of the ADHD diagnosis.” See also: Children’s Mental Health Crisis: ADHD and Treatments That Are Worse Than the Condition; “One often cited study… the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, lasted 14 months. In this clinical trial, 64% of children, aged 7 to 9.9 years, were reported to have side effects from ADHD medications… The authors say that six of the 11 severe side effects — such as depression, worrying and irritability— ‘could have been due to nonmedication factors.’ But as psychiatrist Peter Breggin, M.D., points out, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trials have shown that the three side effects mentioned above are common adverse reactions to stimulants.”

6. Animal Studies Showed Long-Term Exposure to ADHD Drugs Decreased Positive Experiences & Increased Anxiousness