How to Find the Best Residential Methylphenidate Recovery Center

Selecting a Treatment Program for Methylphenidate Addiction

Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin or Concerta, is a stimulant medication used to help people with ADHD and narcolepsy. People who abuse methylphenidate to party, study or lose weight can develop a substance dependency.

Questions you might want to ask as you look for methylphenidate addiction treatment include:

• How much does the recovery center cost? How am I going to pay for it?
• What kind of program is the best for me or my loved one?
• How does the treatment process work? What can I expect once I’m in rehab?
• What other factors are important to me in a methylphenidate rehabilitation center: location, staff, amenities, family involvement, etc.

Dangers of Methylphenidate Abuse

Methylphenidate is the generic name for prescription medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. ¹ Brand names of medications with methylphenidate as the active ingredient include Ritalin, Methylin and Concerta.

Methylphenidate is classified as a Schedule II substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), meaning that it has a known medical use but it also has a high potential for abuse and dependency. ² In fact, emergency department visits involving methylphenidate more than doubled from 2004 to 2011, ³ and 2.6% of 12^th graders reported having tried methylphenidate in the past year in 2012. ⁴

People who use methylphenidate as prescribed by their doctor should not have problems with abuse. However, many people take methylphenidate non-medically for its stimulant effects, which include increased wakefulness, increased focus and decreased appetite.

Abusers may experience and show signs of some of these effects in their behavior. When use becomes extreme, the effects may be even more pronounced, especially when combined with alcohol. It is vital to seek treatment for methylphenidate abuse as soon as possible to prevent lasting damage and escalating addiction.

How Much Does Treatment Cost?

Methylphenidate addiction treatment costs differ according to the program that you select.

• Location of the program will play a major role in the cost. Programs in cities tend to be more expensive than programs in the suburbs or countryside.
• Inpatient programs, which are recommended for severe stimulant addictions, tend to cost more than outpatient programs.
• Length of time will also affect the cost of treatment. Longer treatment plans will cost more than shorter plans.

Paying With Insurance

One major way to help with treatment costs is through insurance. Government-organized insurance plans all cover substance abuse treatment to different degrees depending on your particular plan and the state that you live in.

Even Medicaid and Medicare, the free insurance plans for low-income and elderly people, cover substance abuse screening and part of treatment.

The Affordable Care Act requires that insurance agencies cover substance abuse treatment to the same extent that they cover other medical treatment. If you have a private insurance plan, call to find out the extent of treatment coverage offered.

Getting Treatment Without Insurance

If you do not have insurance, you have options for helping out with treatment costs so that you can get the help that you need:

What Types of Addiction Treatment Are Available?

Treatment for methylphenidate addiction will be different for each person. Stimulants in particular require an adaptive treatment plan to account for individual needs. Everyone begins abusing drugs for different reasons, and the type of treatment that you choose must account for these reasons.

Inpatient or Residential Rehab

The longer you stay, the more time you will have to:

• Understand and address your reasons for abusing.
• Practice relapse prevention skills.
• Develop a sober support network that cares about your recovery success.

Luxury Rehab

If privacy, comfort and amenities are a major concern for you, luxury inpatient programs may be the best choice. These programs place major emphasis on making sure you are comfortable and entertained, while still providing an escape from work and home life.

Executive or CEO Rehab

If you need access to work while in recovery, then an executive or CEO inpatient program is the right choice. These are similar to luxury programs in terms of comfort and amenities. But they also allow you access to work, including Internet and meeting rooms.

Outpatient Rehab

If taking a break from home and work life isn’t an option, outpatient rehabilitation programs can provide the treatment that you need.

Many outpatient programs offer counseling and therapy sessions multiple times a week for recovering users. Partial hospitalization, a form of outpatient, involves required facility medical check-ins and therapy sessions multiple times a week to keep you on the abstinence track. Partial hospitalization programs give participants access to certain hospital-based services for part of each day throughout the addiction treatment duration.

If you believe that you need stricter monitoring to ensure your sobriety, then an intensive outpatient program may be right for you. These rehab programs may monitor sobriety with weekly drug tests as well as medical and counseling check-ins. They also provide addiction education and job training to help you get back on your feet.

Many people who have completed residential programs, and later experience some post-treatment recovery setbacks, often enroll in intensive outpatient programs to get back on track.

Dual Diagnosis

If you are dealing with a psychological struggle such as depression or anxiety in addition to a methylphenidate addiction, then you want to find a program that specializes in dual diagnosis treatment. Many methylphenidate users are coping with mental health issues that require special and simultaneous treatment attention to provide the best chances of a successful recovery. ^{1, 5}

12-Step Programs

Self-help groups offer ongoing support for recovering users. Twelve-step programs – such as Alcoholics Anonymous – follow a set of steps to help recovering users stay on the abstinent path. Narcotics Anonymous and Pills Anonymous focus on drug abuse.

What Does Treatment Include?

When you make the decision to engage in treatment for methylphenidate abuse, you are setting yourself on a better life path. The process, while slightly different for each particular program, follows a general set of steps:

1. Intake. You meet with an addiction professional from the program to discuss treatment options and set a treatment plan.
2. Detox. The body must rid itself of the methylphenidate prior to beginning treatment. This process, known as detoxification or detox, can result in unpleasant withdrawal effects including increased anxiety and severe depression. Professional monitoring and/or medical management can help make the detoxification process as comfortable as possible. ^{1, 6}
3. Therapy. Treatment therapy will help you sort out why you began abusing methylphenidate and how to avoid returning to it. You will learn relapse prevention skills, how to deal with cravings and how to cope with future abuse temptations.
4. Mental health. Methylphenidate addiction is associated with mood changes, aggression, depression, anxiety and potential hallucinations. ¹ So it is vital that your treatment also address any and all mental health issues that come up.
5. Aftercare. Ongoing therapy sessions, both group and individual, can provide huge benefits to your recovery process. You should also consider attending community-organized self-help meetings to build up a sober support network. Sober housing arrangements can be made if you are worried about relapse temptations.

What Other Factors Should You Look for in a Rehab Program?

Your program choice will depend on many things: type, cost and specialization, to name a few. But there are other important things to consider when looking for a program that you may not have considered:

Are There Treatment Programs for Teens?

Methylphenidate abuse can be a serious problem for teenagers. During adolescence the brain is continually changing and developing. If methylphenidate abuse occurs during this developmental process the brain may suffer long-term consequences. ^{7, 8}

Many adolescents find engaging with treatment much more comfortable when they are surrounded by peers. Treatment programs for teens focus on teen-centric issues:

• Self-esteem development.
• Hormonal changes.
• School pressure.
• Peer pressure.
• Family problems.

Teen programs come in all shapes and sizes: inpatient, outpatient, 12-step and even wilderness programs where treatment occurs in a camp-like setting.

Teen methylphenidate addiction can sometimes be related to issues within the family structure. So it is important to find a program that engages the family in the treatment process. In addition, many adolescents struggle with mental health issues. Therefore, a program experienced with treating dual diagnosis conditions may also be beneficial in recovery.

Find a Methylphenidate Rehabilitation Center

Methylphenidate abuse can lead to serious life consequences. If you believe you or someone you love has a problem with methylphenidate, call right away to speak with one of our specialists about getting into a recovery program.

[1]. S. National Library of Medicine. (2015). Methylphenidate. Available at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682188.html

[2]. Drug Enforcement Administration. Drug Fact Sheets: Methylphenidate. Available at: http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/concern_meth.shtml

[3]. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4760, DAWN Series D-39. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013.

[4]. Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2013). Monitoring the Future national results on drug use: 2012 Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

[5]. Food and Drug Administration. (2013). Medication Guide: Ritalin. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm089090.pdf

[6]. Ferreira, R., Bassi, G. S., Cabral, A., & Nabre, M. J. (2010). Withdrawal from methylphenidate increases neural activity of dorsal midbrain. Neuroscience Research, 68 (4). 290-300.

[7]. National Institutes of Health. NIDA Study Shows That Methylphenidate (Ritalin) Causes Neuronal Changes in Brain Reward Areas. Press release, February 2, 2009, available at: http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nida-study-shows-methylphenidate-ritalin-causes-neuronal-changes-brain-reward-areas

[8]. Van Der Marel, K., et. al. (2014). Long-term oral methylphenidate treatment in adolescent and adult rats: differential effects on brain morphology and function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 39. 263-273.