Rat Study Suggests Problems for Ritalin & Prozac Combo for Teens
Many adolescents diagnosed with depression and attention deficity-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prescribed both methylphenidate (Ritalin) and fluoxetine (Prozac). A study on rats given the two drugs might give humans pause.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the study showed that adult rats who got that drug combination as pups were more likely than those with no early exposure to psychotropic drugs to choose highly sugared water over plain water, and to linger in a compartment where they had gotten a dose of cocaine, which suggests they were hoping for more. Those are disturbing signs of developing addiction.
"Taking Ritalin and Prozac together during adolescence appears to set in motion subtle changes in brain function that, in adulthood, makes an individual more sensitive to reward as well as to stress, and more likely to exhibit the pessimism and hopelessness seen in depression," was how The Times summarized the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The study's authors wrote, "combining methyphenidate and fluoxetine early in life may lead to lifelong behavioral and chemical abnormalities." They said the drugs--one a stimulant, one an anti-depressant--in combination appeared to act on the brain in much the same way as does cocaine.
Those drugs affect production of certain proteins in the brain's reward circuitry. If it's disrupted during adolescence, the adult later might struggle with the ability to regulate mood and to moderate reward-seeking behavior such as eating or sexual activity.
Baby rats who got only Prozac seemed more sensitive to rewards as adults, but were also more resilient to stress than those who didn't. The rats who got only Ritalin demonstrated less inclination toward sugar water, as well as a "significant aversion to cocaine" as adults--a sign that treating ADHD might thwart drug abuse later. But they also showed greater sensitivity to stress later on.
A rat is not a kid, and a trial subject rat is not depressed or afflicted with ADHD. So no straight line can be drawn between the study results and a child with these disorders who takes these drugs. If the study is notable, it is too preliminary for parents to withhold these drugs if they've been prescribed for their children with mood and behavioral problems. It's never too early, however, for a conversation with your doctor about the appropriate use of prescription drugs, and alternative treatments.
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