Before we get to decide ritalin and alcohol a good combination or not we must know in detail about the Ritalin and the effect of Ritalin in the body. Ritalin basically is the central nervous system stimulant and stimulant, it means it makes the central nervous system activity. Ritalin is used for a number of reasons and following are few of the reasons for this medication is used
- Depression
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD
- Narcolepsy
In all of the above disorders, the brain activity s decreased and for the treatment of that drugs that stimulate the brain activity are used and Ritalin is used for such purpose. Ritalin is basically the name of the medication and the active ingredient which is the main drug is known as the methylphenidate.
Methylphenidate acts as the catecholamine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor and that leads to the increased concentration of the catecholamine es and the dopamine in the brain thus increasing web activity of the body. All of the above mentioned psychological disorders have affected our society in a very bad way and they keep increasing in the society. These are the disorders that are eating up the people mentally.
Effect of Alcohol on the Brain
Before understanding the effect of the Ritalin and alcohol on the brain together we must know how much the alcohol affects the brain. The alcohol acts on the brain in such a way that at first it stimulates the brain and after that, it depresses the function of the brain. Alcohol on small levels doesn’t affect the brain too much but when it is taken me too much amount then it depresses the brain to the dangerous levels which are not good for the health of the person. Alcohol, when taken in a lot of amounts, affects the brain the liver too.
Ritalin and Alcohol
Now coming towards the main topic of interest we will know how Ritalin and Alcohol affect the body and the brain. As we know that Ritalin is the brain stimulant but it also has other effects on the body like it increases the blood pressure and the heart rate too. this drug also increases the breathing rate of the person and on eyes, it dilates the pupil.
While the Ritalin is the central nervous system stimulant, on the other hand, the alcohol has the exact opposite effect because it expresses the brain and the other functions of the body also slow down too. even though the effect of both the ritalin and alcohol on the brain are opposite but still they don’t cancel the effect of each other in fact the side effects caused by both of these increases.
Side Effects
As already been told the side effects increases by the combined use of the ritalin and alcohol. The use of alcohol can increase the side effects of the Ritalin which are as follows
- Sleep deprivation
- Drowsiness
- Anxiety
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
Use of ritalin and alcohol together can also result in a number of heart problems like
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Death
The use of ritalin and alcohol can also result in the overdose of the Ritalin, the overdose of any drug substance can turn out to be fatal so we must make sure that somehow, we are not overdosing the drug substance or it might result in the death of that person. As we know that Ritalin is available in the long-acting and the sustained release form which shows that the risk of overdose also increases.
Alcohol Overdose
The effect of alcohol can also increase due to the combined use of the ritalin and alcohol. This can happen in such a way that when you have also taken the Ritalin and your brain is hyperactive and the depressed feeling that alcohol causes is not produced and you keep drinking o get drunk which means that alcohol can accumulate in your body in the very toxic amount which may lead to death. All this happens can happen not only with the Ritalin but also with the use of Strattera and Zoloft.
Withdrawal
If the Ritalin and alcohol are used together for how long it does produce the withdrawal symptoms upon leaving the. For how long the use of Ritalin and alcohol use can produce the withdrawal symptoms are different. It is wise to discuss this all with your doctor and don’t use Ritalin and Alcohol together without doctor’s permission.