 Chemical name: Methylphenidate  Brand name: Ritalin › Other brand names: Concerta, Methylin ER, Methadate ER and CD  Street names: › Vitamin R, Rids, Smarties, kibbles and bits, and R-ball

 Stimulant › CNS › Changes natural substances in the brain  Release and increase dopamine  Causes increased concentration, alertness and focus. Also helps with sleepiness  Produces mental and behavioral effects in children and some adults

 It is a schedule II controlled substance  High potential for abuse › This substance has potential for abuse › may lead to severe psychological and physical dependence.

 Ritalin or methylphenidate is known to help control symptoms of children and some adults with ADD and ADHD › Difficulty focusing › Controlling actions and remaining still or quiet than other people of the same age

 First synthesized in 1944 and known as MPH  Trademark Named Ritalin in 1948 › Owned originally by CIBA › now Novartis Corporation  195o it was improved and 1954 it started being tested on humans  First licensed by FDA in 1955  1957 Ciba Pharmaceutical Company began marketing MPH to treat chronic fatigue, depression, and narcolepsy

 1960 : › try counteract symptoms of barbiturate over dose  Barbiturate- CNS depressant that causes relaxation and sleepiness › Focus became on the treatment of hyperkinetic syndrome which later became called ADHD  Ritalin use to treat ADHD increased in the 1970s and early 1980s  Ritalin sale increased 500 percent in the US

 To treat ADD and ADHD (Attention deficit Hyperactivity disorder) › Help those who suffer from ADD and ADHD focus  To treat Narcolepsy and some times depression. › Narcolepsy- daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks  Usually given a gradual dosage throughout the day and needs to be strictly followed › Important to be accompanied with a snack or a meal

 Appetite Suppression  Increased heart rate and blood pressure  Feelings of being energized › Wakefulness › heightened alertness

 Could be more outgoing than usual (talkative and social)  Could have opposite effect on people with ADHD › Calming effect › Some may experience drowsiness  Behavioral Changes

 Dependency (addiction)  Insomnia  Nervousness  Loss of appetite › Could lead to anorexia  Growth suppression  Could also cause irregular heart beat and breathing › Heart palpations  Skin rash, fever, nausea, dizziness, headache, and abdominal pain  Generalized Anxiety

 Restlessness  Tremor  Aggression  Hallucinations  Panic states  Twitches or spasms (hyperreflexia)  Rapid heart beat  High blood pressure  Symptoms of Depression  Delusions  Dehydration  sweating  Vomiting  Could cause sudden heart attack in severe cases

 s-and-effects-of-the-methylphenidate-a- drug-also-known-as-ritalin/ s-and-effects-of-the-methylphenidate-a- drug-also-known-as-ritalin/  h/PMH / h/PMH /  ct/pi/pdf/ritalin_ritalin-sr.pdf ct/pi/pdf/ritalin_ritalin-sr.pdf  htm htm  alin.asp alin.asp  es/index.html es/index.html