The prescribed use of methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has risen dramatically in recent years. The relative roles of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the therapeutic action of these drugs was assessed by comparing the responses of extracellular nucleus accumbens dopamine and serotonin and hippocampus norepinephrine to the acute adm...

BACKGROUND The stimulant methylphenidate (MPH) has been a mainstay of treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for many years. Owing to the short half-life and the issues associated with multiple daily dosing of immediate-release MPH formulations, a new generation of long-acting MPH formulations has emerged. Direct head-to-head studies of these long-acting MPH formulations ...

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder affecting 5% of children. Methylphenidate (MPH) is a common medication for ADHD. Studies examining MPH’s effect on pediatric ADHD patients’ brain function using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have not been compiled. The goals of this systematic review were to determine (1) which areas of the brain...

Several amphetamine analogs are potent psychostimulants and major drugs of abuse. In animal models, the psychomotor and reinforcing effects of amphetamine, methamphetamine (METH), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy), and methylphenidate (MPD; Ritalin) are thought to be dependent on increased extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) in mesocorticolimbic and mesostriatal pathways. Howe...

The prescribed use of methylphenidate in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is widespread. The intranasal and parenteral abuse of methylphenidate (Ritalin) among teenagers is becoming increasingly more common, and deaths have been reported. Newer medical treatment options of long-acting stimulants offer effective treatment with a lower risk of abuse potential. We d...

INTRODUCTION The research described here is a continuation of an ongoing project whose aim is the synthesis and characterization of derivatives of (±)-threo -methylphenidate (TMP; Ritalin) with potential in the treatment of cocaine (COC) abuse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . The reinforcing and stimulant effects of COC are thought to be due, at least in part, to the drug’s ability to block dopamine (DA) ...

Ethylphenidate is a stimulant novel psychoactive substance that is an analogue of the prescription drug methylphenidate (Ritalin ®. Methylphenidate is used commonly for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Due to its stimulant effects ethylphenidate is being abused. There is a single case report of a death associated with ethylphenidate in Germany, and a case series of 19 ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacodynamics of a new multilayer-release (MLR) formulation methylphenidate (MPH; Biphentin) with immediate-release (IR) MPH (Ritalin) in a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled study in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD Patients were randomized to equivalent doses of MPH as MLR (once per day), IR...

Methylphenidate (MPH, Ritalin), has been prescribed to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) since its approval by the FDA over 50 years ago. Diagnoses of pediatric patients with ADHD and the administration of MPH to treat the symptoms have increased in prevalence in recent years. A 2005 study by El-Zein et al. reported statistically significant increases in cytogenetic anomalie...

This young man presented initially and repeatedly over a period of twenty years with symptoms of irritability, depressed and withdrawn mood, impulsivity, out-of-control behavior, and suicidal ideation and behavior. These symptoms occurred with disabling intensity at ages 3 year, 6 1/2 years, and 8 1/2 years, when he had not yet been adequately diagnosed and treated with appropriate psychopharma...