Ritalin Methylphenidate

Methylphenidate (Ritalin). Methylphenidate was developed in the late 1950s and its first use was the treatment of what we now call ADHD. Since that time, it has also been approved for the treatment of narcolepsy. Its only other use is the treatment of severe refractory depression either in medically ill patients who need rapid clinical improvement or as an augmentation agent when added to other antidepressants. In the treatment of ADHD, methylphenidate not only improves attention but also reduces hyperactivity and impulsivity. Verbal and physical aggression typically decreases as well. 

The best-known products come from the amphetamine group (see Table 1.12) Dexedrine1 1 (generic name d-amphetamine) and Pervitin 1 (methamphetamine) were particularly used in the 1950s and 1960s as stimulants and also as appetite suppressants, but today play hardly any role in medical practice. Ritalin (methylphenidate) has some relevance its psychostimulant action is said to be weaker than that of amphetamines and it is apparent ) less abused than the latter. Because methylphenidate also possesses mild antidepressant activity, in some countries it is used to combat not only narcolepsy and ADHD but also mild depressions without suicide risk (Satel and Nelson, 1989). 

Even when effective in controlling behavior, Ritalin and other stimulants have side effects common with use of amphetamines. These include nervousness, insomnia, and perhaps some more long-term problems such as dependency, slowed growth, or depression. Critics sometimes note the similarity between cocaine and the active chemical ingredient in Ritalin, methylphenidate. Both stimulate the dopamine system of the brain, but cocaine does so quickly and methylphenidate does so slowly. The similarities show in the abuse of Ritalin for its pleasure-inducing qualities. 

The primary drug therapies are psychostimulants which are indicated for both emotional based sleep disorders (i.e., narcolepsy) as well as ADHD. The drugs of choice are Ritalin (methylphenidate), dextroamphetamine or Cylert (pemoline), all CNS stimulants that effect the monoamine systems. The current therapies provide symptomatic relief but the current medications are not without side effects, including abuse potential, cardiovascular effects, insomnia, appetite suppression, head and stomach aches, crying and nervous mannerisms. 

Methamphetamines are still legally produced in the United States for attention-deficit disorder (ADD) under the trade names Desoxyn or Ritalin (methylphenidate). As the street name speed suggests, amphetamines elevate mood, heighten endurance, and eliminate fatigue. 

Ritalin (Methylphenidate). Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC). [Pg.354]

Ritalin (methylphenidate), amphetamines (Adderall), and other stimulants are widely used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

ANTAGONIST and (D2) DOPAMINE RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST activity. It has recently been introduced as an oral antipsychotic to tranquillize patients suffering from schizophrenia and other acute and chronic psychoses. Ritalin methylphenidate. 

Ritalin methylphenidate psychostimulant ADHD, conduct disorder, autism appetite reduction, delay in falling asleep, headaches, weepiness, increased heart rate... 

Ritalin (Methylphenidate hydrochloride). Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd UK Summary of product characteristics, June 2007. 

Ritalin (Methylphenidate) is probably the most common drug for the treatment of ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Ritalin is a stimulant, increasing the levels of dopamine in your brain. Your brain normedly releases dopamine to communicate feelings of pleasure and to increase the rate at which your neurons fire, which is supposed to help you focus. 

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