Ritalin and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Coughing or swollen legs are symptoms, not diseases in themselves. In this sense, ADHD is not a disease either. In the opinion of Walker and others, to say that a child has ADHD does not explain the underlying cause of the hyperactivity or lack of concentration. To them, giving a name to the condition may hide the fact that not much is known about what is wrong with the affected individual and may inhibit people from looking for the cause that would lead to a more permanent solution. 

Regarding the treatment for ADHD, few will argue that the short-term effects of Ritalin on some children with ADHD are impressive. Yet not even the staunchest advocates of Ritalin will claim that it cures ADHD. On the contrary, the fact that the child seems to do better while taking Ritalin may give parents and physicians the false impression that the problem is solved and, as a consequence, prevent them from doing anything else to address the problem. 

Although the term attention deficit disorder (ADD), as ADHD was first called when the condition was named, had been in use since the 1970s, the problem was not new. There have 

The name for these symptoms—always with an emphasis on the hyperactivity component—changed over the following decades as researchers looked, without success, for a biological cause. Then, in 1950, a more pragmatic approach emerged. Researchers decided to describe the symptoms and, instead of looking for the cause, search for a way to improve them. 

During the 1950s and 1960s, stimulant medication, psychotherapy, and parental counseling were the tools used to alleviate these symptoms. Later, in the 1970s, when 

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By 1970, only about 150,000 children were taking Ritalin. During the 1970s, the central problem of the condition was redefined as one of poor attention and distractibility with no mention of hyperactivity. In 1980, psychiatrists official guidelines on defining the condition were revised, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was added as a new disease. Millions of children who were not hyperactive fit the description of this new disease and could be prescribed Ritalin for their symptoms. Not surprisingly, the number of elementary school children taking Ritalin increased, from 270,000 to 541,000 in 1980 to 750,000 in 1987.3... 

One of the most controversial CNS-acting drugs in contemporary society is methylphenidate (Ritalin ). This drug is structurally related to amphetamine and is a mild stimulant that has abuse potential similar to amphetamine. Methylphenidate is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. It is effective in the treatment of narcolepsy and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Its use in ADHD has caused the greatest controversy. 

Amphetamine and methamphetamine (Figure 34-19) are CNS stimulant drugs that have limited legitimate pharmacological use. ° They are used to treat narcolepsy, obesity, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. However, they produce an initial euphoria and have a high abuse potential. Other sympathomimetic amines that also have high potential for abuse include the designer amphetamines, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin). 

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is a behavioural stimulant used for the treatment of narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is commonly classified as a non-amfetamine but its nucleus is still present in that structure. The erytliro-racemate, i.e. (2 R,2"S)- and (2 S,2"R)-methylphenidate, shows negligible stimulant activity and is not used. The racemic threo-mcemate is responsible for activity but the (2 R,2"R)-enantiomer (dexmethylphenidate) displayed a more powerful inhibition of catecholamine uptake. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) A learning and behavioural disorder characterised by reduced attention span and hyperactivity. ADHD is a diagnosis applied to young children and is typically treated with the amphetamine derivative methylphenidate (Ritalin). 

MPH is an amphetamine-like prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy in children and adults. LC/APCI-MS enantiomeric separations of racemic MPH (Ritalin ) were reported using a commercially available vancomycin CSP [111-113]. 

APPROVED TREATMENTS FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AMPHETAMINE (ADDERALL ), METHYLPHENIDATE (RITALIN ), AND ATOMOXETINE (STRATERRA )... 

Biederman J, Quinn D, Weiss M, et al Efficacy and safety of Ritalin LA, a new, once daily, extended-release dosage form of methylphenidate, in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Paediatr Drugs 5 833-841, 2003... 

Lopez F, Silva R, Pestreich L, et al Comparative efficacy of two once daily methylphenidate formulations (Ritalin LA and Concerta) and placebo in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder across the school day. Paediatr Drugs 5 545-555, 2003... 

Russell V, de Villiers A, Sagvolden T, et al Differences between electrically, Ritalin-, and D-amphetamine-stimulated release of pH]dopamine from brain slices suggest impaired vesicular storage of dopamine in an animal model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Behav Brain Res 94 163-171, 1998... 

Pelham WE, Midlam JK, Gnagy EM, et al. A comparison of Ritalin and Adderall efficacy and time course in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pediatrics 1999 103 343-353. 

Methylphenidate is marketed in the United States under the prescription names Concerta, Metadate, Methylin, and Ritalin (26). It is available in immediate and sustained-release formulations for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the symptomatic management of narcolepsy (a disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness). 

The symptoms of inattention, distractibility, and/or hyperactivity that define attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improve when treated with the stimulant drug Ritalin. For long-term success, however, the behaviors associated with these symptoms can also addressed with different techniques, some of which have been described in Chapter 2. 

The trend in Ritalin use has changed dramatically during the last decade. The number of people diagnosed as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has increased from 900,000 in 1990 to about 5 million in 2000. At the same time, the number of prescriptions for Ritalin has increased from 3 million in 1991 to 11 million in 1998. In addition, the age and the type of individuals diagnosed as having ADHD has also changed. 

Ritalin—Trade name for the stimulant methylphenidate, used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It is abused because its pharmacological effects are similar to those of other stimulants like amphetamines and cocaine. 

Methylphenidate (trade name Ritalin) is prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin is a mixture of R,R and S,S isomers, even though only the R,R isomer is active in treating ADHD. (The single R,R enantiomer, called dexmethylphenidate, is now sold under the trade name Focalin.) Draw the structure of the R,R and S,S isomers of methylphenidate. 

S-methylhomocy teine methionine, methylisogenistin genistein. /V-methylmescaline mescaline, methylmorphine codeine, a-methy I noradrenaline levonordefrin. methyl pentynol (ban. inn] is an acetylenic carbinol. with HYPNOTIC and SEDATIVE properties. It has been used in the treatment of insomnia and as an anxiolytic. methyl-PGEj arbaprostil. methylphenidate [ban, inn] (methylphenidate hydrochloride [jan, usan] Ritalin ) is a CNS STIMULANT and dopamine (re) UPTAKE INHIBITOR. It is used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, methylphenidate hydrochloride methylphenidate. 

Methylphenidate (Ritalin). Ritalin is a sympathomimetic agent with psychostimulant properties similar to S(+)-amphetamine. It is widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. There has been increasing diversion and abuse of methylphenidate among children and adults for its stimulant and purported aphrodisiac properties. In overdose, the clinical effects of methylphenidate are similar to those of amphetamine. Relatively few cases of serious overdose have been reported. 

Analeptics are substances which stimulate breathing and heart activity. Methyl-phenidate (Ritalin) is an analeptic often prescribed for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADDHD). 

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