Ritalin forms

Amphetamines (speed sulph, sulphate, uppers, wake-ups, billy whizz, whizz, whites, base) are synthetic stimulants which as medicines have been formed into a variety of tablets. Their current medical use is very limited and in fact only dexamphetamine sulphate, Dexedrine, is now available for use solely in the treatment of narcolepsy. The only other amphetamine available for medical use is methylphenidate (Ritalin) for the treatment of attention deficit syndrome in children. As a street drug, amphetamine usually comes as a white, grey, yellowish or pinky powder. The purity rate of street powders is less than 10%, the rest being made up of milder stimulants such as caffeine, other drugs such as paracetamol or substances like glucose, dried baby milk, flour or talcum powder. 

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... 

Critics of Ritalin and other stimulants say that overdiagnosis and overprescription results from the broad form of the symptoms. Many symptoms such as restlessness and impulsiveness characterize most children but moderate or disappear with age. Some children—boys in particular—show more... 

They have also sometimes been found useful for the treatment of ADHD, a condition that interferes with the learning ability of affected individuals. Millions of children have been diagnosed as having ADHD. Many of those children and increasing numbers of adults are treated with amphetamine-like drugs such as Ritalin and Cylert. The generic name for those amphetamine-like drugs is methylphenidate. Some children with ADHD do not respond to the various forms of methylphenidate and are placed on amphetamines instead. 

Figure 1.1 Methylphenidate was first created in 1944. Scientists were hoping to produce a useful stimulant that would not lead to the dangers of addiction, as was seen with cocaine and other stimulants used in the past. Ritalin, a form of methylphenidate drug, has been used to help improve memory and to help children with behavioral problems. Its chemical formula is illustrated here.

There are also sustained-release forms of methylphenidate. The effects of Ritalin SR (sustained release) last from 4 to 6 hours. A newer formulation called Concerta , which arrived on the market in 2002, lasts up to 12 hours and needs to be taken only once daily. 

It was thanks to money from Ciba-Geigy that CHADD grew to 600 chapters and 35,000 members nationwide by 1993. CHADD provides useful information and a support network for adults with ADHD or families raising children with ADHD-related problems. Yet its strong belief in the neurobiological cause for ADHD and its slant toward the use of Ritalin as the main form of treatment makes those... 

We will find that nearly all psychiatric drugs can produce some degree of deactivation. Even stimulants, such as Ritalin, can cause sufficient apathy or indifference in a child to enable adults to more easily control or direct the child (see chapter 11). The SSRIs, such as Prozac and Paxil, can also produce an apathy syndrome (chapter 7). However, deactivation appears in its purest form in neuroleptic treatment. 

Methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin and Concerta [Novartis, Basel, Switzerland]) (11, Scheme 2.1) is a mild nervous system stimulant that is primarily prescribed for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Although it is marketed in its racemic form, it has been reported that the (+) enantiomer is 5 to 38 times more active than its racemate.Although previous syntheses of (+)-methylphenidate involved classic resolution, researchers at Novartis reported an enantioselective synthesis of (+)-methylphenidate in 1997. As depicted in Scheme 2.1, the synthesis began with a diastereoselective... 

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