The Pesty Side Effects of Ritalin
Some kids will drive you mad without their Ritalin. But some kids are driven mad by their meds, at least temporarily. The FDA is now revising the labels on stimulants to warn that the pills can cause psychotic symptoms, even at normal doses. The side effects reportedly appear in up to 5 percent of children, and many sufferers complain of bug or worm infestations. They see the critters or even feel them under their skin. But why the delusions? And why these delusions?
Ritalin, cocaine, speed and caffeine all act similarly on dopamine in the brain, and each can cause psychosis. Two elements give the visions legs. First, uppers make your skin tingle, a suggestive sensation. Second, urbanization has estranged us from our buggy beginnings, making insects seem unnatural and enhancing the prevalence of parasite apparitions in psychiatric disorders.
The Evolution of a Delusion
Physicians call it delusional parasitosis, formication, or Ekbom's Syndrome. Addicts call it crank bugs. Here's a rundown on its recent past:
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1660: First case on record. A British patient sees his sweat turn into bees.
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1937: Swedish neurologist Karl Axel Ekbom describes the symptoms.
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1977: Philip K. Dick publishes A Scanner Darkly, in which characters think they're infested with aphids.
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2000: On South Park, Cartman takes Ritalin and sees a buggy monster with Christina Aguilera's head.
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2006: The FDA sounds an alarm.