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?
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Mostly, it’s in the dosage and purity. Controlled substances are controlled for a reason. Doctors can totally prescribe actual meth and cocaine etc, but they have people overseeing them and holding them accountable so they don’t abuse that, and the doctors oversee the patients to make sure patients don’t abuse the medication, etc. On top of that, the medically prescribed versions of drugs, especially ones like meth, cocaine, etc would be regulated by the FDA in production, so they’re a lot purer, and thus safer, than illegal versions of those same drugs (a lot of the danger of drugs like this–besides the risk of addiction–is that they may be mixed with something like fentanyl, which is lethal in even extremely tiny dose).
All this oversight and regulation is why it’s safer.
Other people have already pointed out that Meth and Ritalin are not chemically similar, and that Meth is sometimes used as a prescription drug. I think a lot of people are missing the main point though-
Meth is usually made in a garage, while Ritalin is made in a lab.
Something you buy on the street will have a varying dose, it could have additives that will kill you or make you sick, it could be completely fake. It is also not usually measured out properly by the user.
A prescription medication made by a company and taken as directed by a doctor is much safer.
This is as loaded as a question can be. Both premises are your own statements. Ask yourself why you labelled one safe and that’ll answer your question for you.
Really simply put. It’s not safe.. but it’s given in controlled amounts to people whoes lives it improves.. just like clinical methadone
Even at the recommended amounts we are seeing increased advers heath outcomes.. it’s just the benefits of those people living better loves outweighs the risks
The general idea that some drugs are “safe” and some are not is largely a construction. Meth, amphetamines, and plenty of other forms of stimulants exist both as recreational drugs and as prescription medicines. The key differences are context and dosage. Doctors will generally prescribe much lower dosages for symptom reduction than a recreational user would get high off of, and just like with ANYTHING, even water, the definition of poison is based on the dosage. So if you’re talking about safety in terms of overdose poisoning, the difference is that recreational users are more likely to use more of it.
If the risk you’re referring to is addiction however, it’s important to note that when it comes to prescription drugs, “addiction” of a sort can be a desirable trait. If it genuinely helps people live their lives, they SHOULD have a biological response urging them to take it when they need it. Most any prescription drug you take regularly can have a withdrawl effect. Once again it comes down to context and society when considering what forms of addiction are good or bad things.
One correction. Adderall is “amphetamine mixed salts” not just amphetamine. It’s actually a combination of several similar stimulants. The point of combining many different amphetamines is to have ones with varying durations of effect to make a more even “high.”
I always hated Ritalin because it made me jittery and then I would crash. I have been on Adderall for 25+ years and it is such an even rise and slow fall that I don’t really notice it.
Methamphetamine is in itself like most other amphetamines they all have side effects and a high potential for abuse. It isn’t the prescription Meth that causes the worst of the issues most of the time street Meth is cooked up with household products. You get the parts you’re looking for but there’s also other chemicals involved. Some use higher quality isolated substances. Also, without the management of dosing and managing how much you can get at a time etc. self medicating with a somewhat dangerous medication especially when it is cooked up using household chemicals normal side effects are accelerated and new ones introduced by the subpar manufacturing processing and ingredients that can also add other issues.
Methamphetamine, cocaine, and dextroamphetamine all fell out of favor in the medical field because they had reputations for abuse and addiction. All can be effective when the dose is managed and monitored but can cause serious health issues when it isn’t.
Methamphetamine and Methylphenidate are both psychostinulants but are different
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.
Why is a stimulant prescribed for ADD? That’s what I want to know.
Crystal methamphetamine can be physically corrosive, likely exacerbated in some cases by shitty chemical processing practices
The stuff comes out thru your skin, hence all the scabs from scratching
Moreover, addicts are smoking, snorting or injecting it, bypassing a lot of your body’s first line of defense
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