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ADHD Medication May Help People Overcome Drug Addiction

by VR Sreeraman on July 27, 2010 at 12:27 PM
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 ADHD Medication May Help People Overcome Drug Addiction

The active ingredient in Ritalin, a medication used to control the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, could help boost self-control in cocaine addicts, a study published Monday showed.

Yale University psychiatry professor Chiang-shan Ray Li administered Ritalin's active ingredient, methylphenidate, to volunteers who were addicted to cocaine, and asked the participants to perform a computer test that assessed impulse control.

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The participants were instructed to quickly press a button whenever a "go" prompt appeared on the screen.

But randomly during the test, the "go" prompt was rapidly followed by a "stop" prompt, indicating that the subjects should resist the impulse to press "go."
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Study participants who were given methylphenidate were better able to resist pressing the button than were participants who were given a placebo, the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found.

"The main finding of this work is that methylphenidate improved inhibitory control in cocaine-dependent patients," the study says, suggesting that the active ingredient in Ritalin should be investigated as a treatment for disorders such as addictions, which are related to self-control deficits.

Source: AFP
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