Ritalin

Ritalin, the trade name for methylphenidate, is a medication prescribed for children with an abnormally high level of activity or with attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is also occasionally prescribed for treating narcolepsy. It stimulates the central nervous system, with effects similar to but less potent than amphetamines and more potent than caffeine.

Although we do not understand fully how it works, Ritalin has a notably calming effect on hyperactive children and a “focusing” effect on those with ADHD. When taken as prescribed, Ritalin is a valuable medicine. Further, research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that people with ADHD do not get addicted to their stimulant medications at treatment dosages.

Because of its stimulant properties, however, in recent years there have been reports of its abuse by people for whom it is not a medication. At their December 1996 meeting, members of NIDA’s Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG)* noted that:

• Illicit methylphenidate appears to be more available in Texas and Michigan than elsewhere in the country, with Michigan historically having one of the highest per capita levels of distribution.
• In Chicago, some stimulant users mix Ritalin (or “West Coast”) with heroin, or with both cocaine and heroin for a more potent effect.
• In Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul, middle and high school students crush and inhale the drug or take the pill orally.
• In Phoenix, some adults have been admitted to treatment programs for abusing the drug from their children’s prescriptions.
• In Boston, according to reports by youth treatment providers, adolescents continue to abuse the drug, which is most easily available through diverted prescriptions. Drug abuse treatment staffs in Boston also report an increase in abuse among adults.

Because stimulant medicines such as Ritalin do have potential for abuse, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has placed stringent controls on their manufacture, distribution, and prescription. For example, DEA requires special licenses for these activities, and prescription refills are not allowed. States may impose further regulations, such as limiting the number of dosage units per prescription.

In January 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that in studies of rodents given methylphenidate (Ritalin), the drug produced a “weak signal” for the potential to cause liver cancer. The cancer occurred in male mice, but not in female mice or rats. FDA continues to regard Ritalin as a safe and effective drug, but says the potential risk needs to be considered and further studied because of the increasing and often long-term use of Ritalin in children. The FDA also noted that the kind of liver tumor found in mice is extremely rare in people, and its occurrence in recent years has not increased despite an increase in the use of Ritalin.

For more information on treating ADHD, please call the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, at 301-443-4513.

• Crack and Cocaine
• Ecstasy
• Heroin
• LSD
• Marijuana
• Methamphetamine
• Pain Medications
• PCP (Phencyclidine)
• Ritalin

Courtesy of NIDA (National Institue on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health)