Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Ritalin and Cocaine

A new study that casts doubts on whether Ritalin use for youngsters makes them susceptible for drug abuse later in life has sparked people's attention to a little-known fact: Ritalin reacts in Junior's brain similarly to cocaine. Yes, it's true: Methylphenidate (generic moniker for the brand-name drug Ritalin) targets the pleasure-producing centers of the brain - those that produce dopamine - the same way cocaine does.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that makes the physical side of life fun and pleasurable. When you eat chocolate, for instance, your dopamine level rises and you get a shot of 'happy juice'. If you relied on chocolate for continual euphoria instead of an occasional pick-me-up, however, you'd get quite fat because your limbic system (in which dopamine does its duty) is designed to regulate the amount of the neurotransmitter in your system. To keep you from having too much, it reabsorbs the stuff; thus, it would be back to the Hershey's every little bit. Full story at http://www.rense.com/general37/ritalin.htm