Texans for Safe Education
Effects of Stimulant Drugs: A Summary of the Research
By Andrew Prough

Following is a list of side effects of stimulant drugs from a medical literature search of the years 1966-2000. At the conclusion is a list of references.

1 Tics and Compulsive Symptoms¹
2 Stroke²
3 Death³
4 Psychosis⁴
5 Tachycardia⁵
6 16% of Students with Ritalin asked to Sell for Abuse⁶
7 Severe Nausea, Vomiting and Dehydration with Anesthetic agents⁷
8 Sudden Death⁸
9 Liver failure⁹
10 Confusion, agitation, poor concentration, rigidity, myoclonus, Involuntary movements, orthostatic hpyotension, and hyperreflexia [called Serotonin Syndrome]¹⁰
11 Lesions of the Myocardium¹¹
12 Reduced Calcium to Magnesium Level¹²
13 Tics or dyskinesias in 9% of users¹³
14 Paroxysmal Kinesigenic Dystonia¹⁴
15 Nausea, Dry Mouth, Tremor, Vomiting, Headaches, Other Aches, Refusal of Food, Feeling Tired¹⁵
16 Symptoms of ADHD are common side effects of methylphenidate¹⁶
17 Cognitive Perseveration [robotic mental processes]¹⁷
18 Suppression of Height and Weight¹⁸
19 Pupil Dilation¹⁹
20 Drug Abuse of Ritalin²⁰
21 Motor Tics and Severe Social Withdrawal Among Mentally Retarded²¹
22 Decreased Appetite, Insomnia, Stomachache, Headache, Staring, Sadness and Anxiety²²
23 Tics and Perseveration in 76%²³
24 Significant Increase in Diastolic Blood Pressure²⁴
25 Suppression of Height and Weight²⁵
26 Information Processing Dysfunction²⁶
27 Tics²⁷
28 Increased Resting Heart Rate²⁸
29 Mania²⁹
30 Severe Cognitive and Severe Mood Deterioration³⁰
31 Cerebral Atrophy³¹
32 Tics³²
33 Akinesia and Mutism³³
34 Dyskinesia³⁴
35 Hallucination³⁵
36 Anorexia, Insomnia, Stomach Pains, Growth Suppression and Weight Loss³⁶
37 Height Suppression and Weight Suppression³⁷
38 TouretteÕs Syndrome³⁸
39 Anorexia, Insomnia, Stomach Pains and Weight Loss³⁹
40 Perseveration⁴⁰
41 Toxic Hallucinosis⁴¹
42 Chorea⁴²
43 Exacerbation of Tourette Syndrome⁴³
44 Dystonia and Dyskinesia⁴⁴
45 Tourette Syndrome⁴⁵
46 Somnambulism⁴⁶
47 Choreoathetosis⁴⁷
48 Weight Loss⁴⁸
49 Flaking Skin⁴⁹
50 Ventricular Tachycardia⁵⁰

REFERENCES

¹ Encephale 2000 Mar-Apr;26(2):45-7
² J Child Neurol 2000 Apr;15(4):265-7
³ J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2000 Spring;10(1):27-34
⁴ Can J Psychiatry 1999 Oct;44(8):811-3
⁵ J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 1999;9(2):125-8
⁶ J Dev Behav Pediatr 1998 Jun;19(3):187-92
⁷ Paediatr Anaesth 1997;7(1):69-72
⁸ Pediatrics 1995 Dec;96(6):1176-7
⁹ Clin Pharmacol Ther 1995 Jun;57(6):696-8
¹⁰ Neurology 1995 Feb;45(2):219-23
¹¹ Am J Cardiovasc Pathol 1995;5(1):68-78
¹² Psychiatry Res 1994 Nov;54(2):199-210
¹³ Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1994 Aug;148(8):859-61
¹⁴ J Child Neurol 1994 Jan;9(1):45-6
¹⁵ J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1993 Sep;32(5):1065-72
¹⁶ Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 1993 Fall;24(1):25-30
¹⁷ J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1992 Oct;33(7):1217-28
¹⁸ J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1992 Mar;31(2):235-43
¹⁹ Optom Clin 1992;2(4):73-96
²⁰ J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1991 Sep;30(5):773-5
²¹ J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1991 Mar;30(2):241-5
²² Pediatrics 1990 Aug;86(2):184-92
²³ Psychiatry Res 1990 Jul;33(1):83-94
²⁴ J Adolesc Health Care 1989 May;10(3):179-83
²⁵ Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988 Dec;45(12):1127-30
²⁶ Arch Gen Psychiatry 1988 Sep;45(9):827-32
²⁷ Pediatr Ann 1988 Jun;17(6):405-6, 408
²⁸ Int Clin Psychopharmacol 1988 Apr;3(2):167-81
²⁹ J Clin Psychiatry 1986 Nov;47(11):566-7
³⁰ J Dev Behav Pediatr 1986 Aug;7(4):265-7
³¹ Psychiatry Res 1986 Mar;17(3):241-6
³² J Clin Psychiatry 1986 Jan;47(1):44-5
³³ J Clin Psychopharmacol 1985 Aug;5(4):231-3
³⁴ J Ment Defic Res 1985 Jun;29 ( Pt 2):187-95
³⁵ J Toxicol Clin Exp 1985 May-Jun;5(3):195-9
³⁶ Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 1984;8(1):1-8
³⁷ Arch Gen Psychiatry 1983 Mar;40(3):317-21
³⁸ JAMA 1982 Mar 26;247(12):1729-31
³⁹ Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 1982;6(2):175-83
⁴⁰ Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 1982;6(3):269-73
⁴¹ J Dev Behav Pediatr 1981 Jun;2(2):35-8
⁴² Neurology 1981 Mar;31(3):356-60, Neurology 1978 Oct;28(10):1041-4
⁴³ Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1980 Jul;19(7):453-4
⁴⁴ Can J Psychiatry 1980 Apr;25(3):254-8
⁴⁵ Am J Psychiatry 1979 Oct;136(10):1334-5, Arch Neurol 1977 Oct;34(10):630-2, Ann Neurol 1977 Jul;2(1):69-70
⁴⁶ Am J Psychiatry 1979 Jul;136(7):985-6
⁴⁷ Am J Psychiatry 1978 Feb;135(2):252-3
⁴⁸ Am J Psychiatry 1975 Mar;132(3):241-5
⁴⁹ Ann Allergy 1968 Aug;26(8):402-4
⁵⁰ Can Med Assoc J 1967 Nov 4;97(19):1166-7