Study: Ritalin could be used to treat cocaine addiction

Tyler Wornell

Concept of pharmacy, antibiotics, vitamins

(NewsNation) — Chemists have found a new way to produce derivatives of the ADHD drug Ritalin that could help treat cocaine addiction in the future.

Researchers at the University of Virginia say animal studies have shown the drug can reduce cocaine dependence, but results in humans have been mixed. The chemists have compiled a library of various forms of methylphenidate (MPH) — the active ingredient in Ritalin — that could be used in clinical studies to test its efficacy at treating cocaine addiction.

“Whether any of these MPH analogues prove effective against cocaine addiction remains to be determined, but the researchers noted that the new protocol could be widely applicable to pharmaceutical development,” the scientists said in a news released published by the American Chemical Society.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were 5 million Americans actively using cocaine in 2020, and almost 25,000 died of a cocaine-related overdose in 2021.

Ritalin has been considered a possible treatment because it acts similarly to the illicit drug by “increasing dopamine levels in the brain by blocking dopamine reuptake,” the researchers noted.

For people with ADHD, the dopamine boost provided by Ritalin and a similar drug, Adderall, can help them focus and avoid compulsive behaviors. Both are considered to have a high potential for abuse and require a prescription.

ADHD patients have been facing a shortage of Adderall for nearly a year, and now, other ADHD drugs are in short supply, too, PBS reported.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.