Why is Ritalin (methylphenidate) safe but meth isn’t?

Question

I read an about the damage meth does to you and how it takes way too long to recover from it. How is Ritalin different even tho chemically they are cousins?

In: 417

Answer 1

I take 20mg of time released amphetamines daily in the form of a prescribed pill.

Methamphetamines as a street drug is consumed through smoking, injecting or swallowing. In all of these cases the user consumes a rock of about half a gram. Give or take.

Here’s the difference. That quantity of meth is introduced into the body all at once, not over a 10 hour period like my timed released pill. Smoking or injecting meth introduces the drug into your body instantly. Swallowing it, as dissolving it into coffee like I’ve seen, does the same but the effect is slower and lasts longer thanks to digestion, though less potent

Another difference is quality. My pill is pure amphetamine with some inert filler to turn it into pill. The street drug has random chemicals from processing and cutting.

The difference comes down to two things. The quality of the product and the quantity you metabolize in a given amount of time.

Thanks

Edit: Measurements. Half gram = 500mg. Quarter gram = 250mg. High dose of prescribed amphetamines is 50mg. You can now see how much greater the quantity of the street drug is compared to a prescribed dose. It’s huge even for a light user.