According to that National Institute on Drug Abuse, Ritalin is a popular stimulant that doctors prescribe for ADHD. Unfortunately, some people decide to abuse Ritalin for performance enhancement because it improves concentration and focus for a short time. This leads to Ritalin abuse and eventually addiction.
This is a growing problem in high school and college age students who are under tremendous amounts of stress due to performance expectations. Most who wind up addicted to Ritalin need treatment before the addiction becomes dangerous. This treatment comes in a variety of types.
Withdrawal Symptoms Associated with Ritalin Addiction
The withdrawal symptoms for Ritalin addiction are:
- Extreme fatigue
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Loss of concentration
- Anxiety
- Confusion
Although these symptoms do not seem dangerous, they can be if left untreated. Many people suffer from the extreme side of each of these conditions and their psychological state may deteriorate quickly without treatment.
Standard Treatment for Ritalin Addiction
Support groups are beneficial for those battling Ritalin addiction because they get to form a sense of community with other addicts.
The standard treatment for Ritalin addiction is to treat the symptoms of withdrawal and then follow up with counseling. There are several forms of treatment that are usually used during Ritalin withdrawal and addiction treatment. These forms of treatment are:
- Outpatient treatment – during outpatient treatment you stay at your home and receive treatment services on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
- Support groups – these are groups within the community that provide social experience and other counseling services with a group of other Ritalin addicts.
- Combination treatment – treatment that starts with an inpatient stay during the detox phase of treatment and continues with outpatient treatment for counseling and other services.
- Inpatient treatment – this is residential treatment that is more intensive than outpatient treatment. In a residential program, you are isolated from anything that might trigger your addiction.
There are many combinations of these forms of treatment. Unfortunately, there is no drug treatment for Ritalin withdrawal but once the underlying cause of the addiction is discovered, it is possible to treat the psychological portion of the addiction with medication and therapy.
Alternative Treatment for Ritalin Addiction
There are alternatives to the medical approach to treatment for Ritalin addiction. Some people turn to alternative treatments rather than going with the traditional inpatient and outpatient types. These alternatives include:
- Hypnotherapy
- Acupuncture
- Herbal therapies
- Spiritual therapy
- Exercise therapy such as yoga
- Other forms of therapy such as art, music, and animal therapy
Sometimes these alternative therapies are offered with standard therapy types. They might work where other therapies fail depending on the reasons for the addiction. Like most addictions, Ritalin addiction has more than one treatment. If one fails, other types of treatment might not.
Where to Find Help for Ritalin Addiction
It is important to consider and find the treatment that is right for you. Regardless of what type of treatment suits you, you should know all of your options. For more information on the treatments for Ritalin addiction, call us at 800-816-1059(Who Answers?).
