Ritaline

Khantzian EJ, Gawin F, Kleber HD, et al Methylphenidate (Ritalin) treatment of cocaine dependence—a preliminary report. J Subst Abuse Treat 1 107—112,1984... 

Martin WR, Sloan JW, Sapira JD, et al Physiologic, subjective, and behavioral effects of amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, phenmetrazine, and methylphenidate in man. Clin Pharmacol Ther 12 245-258, 1971 McCormick TC Jr, McNeil TW Acute psychosis and Ritalin abuse. Tex State J Med... 

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. 

Methylphenidate (Methylin, Ritalin) 5 mg two times daily 5-20 mg two to three times daily (60 mg/day)... 

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). 

Reducing problematic behavior to biological causes calls for pharmaceutical solutions and here too powerful corporate interests foster such explanations. The redefinition of hyperactivity as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), for example, has significantly benefitted the pharmaceutical industry. The use of Ritalin as a treatment for ADD has doubled since 1995, and it is prescribed to over 4 million children in the US. Production of the drug is up 700 % since 1990, and 90 % of the production is consumed in the US where pharmaco-genomics is a burgeoning field. Europeans have been more cautious, and the International Narcotics Control Board of the UN has expressed concern about the growing tendency to redefine behavior as amenable to pharmaceutical modification. 

Scheme 9. The asymmetric Rh-catalyzed C-H insertion routes to ritalin by Davies and Winkler (1999).

Schedule II—The drug or other substance has (1) a high potential for abuse, (2) a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions, and (3) abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Examples cocaine, PCP, morphine, fentanyl and meperidine, codeine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, 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]. 

Ramos, L. et al., Liquid chromatographic/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry enantiomeric separation of DL-fhreo-methylphenidate (Ritalin ) using a macrocyclic antibiotic as the chiral selector. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 13, 2054, 1999. 

Bakhtiar, R., Ramos, L., and Tse, F.L.S., Quantification of methylphenidate (Ritalin ) in rabbit fetal tissue using a chiral liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay, Rapid. Commun. Mass Spectrom., 16, 81, 2002. 

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