LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Ritalin: Methylphenidate
built 277 days ago
Ritalin is the brand name for Methylphenidate hydrochloride. It contains an amphetamine and is a central nervous system stimulant. Ritalin is most commonly used to treat ADHD: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder... known as ADD: Attention-Deficit Disorder. Ritalin is also used to treat narcolepsy.
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Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It has effects similar to, but more potent than, caffeine and less potent than amphetamines. The way Ritalin works in a user is not completely understood. What is known about how Ritalin"works" is that it produces malfunctions in the brain rather than by improving brain function. This is the only way it works.
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[S]ynthesized in 1944, the Ritalin formula (at that time commonly known as MPH, from methylphenidate) was improved in 1950, and by 1954 it was being tested on humans. In 1957, Ciba Pharmaceutical Company began marketing MPH as Ritalin to treat chronic fatigue, depression, psychosis associated with depression, narcolepsy, and to offset the sedating effects of other medications. It was used into the 1960s to try to counteract the symptoms of barbiturate overdose. For a short time MPH was sold in combination with other products, particularly a tonic of MPH, hormones and vitamins, marketed as Ritonic in 1960, intended to improve mood and maintain vitality. 4
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Three new studies conducted in animals, published in the December issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, provide evidence that misuse of the stimulant methylphenidate (Ritalin) may have long- term effects on the brain and behavior. While methylphenidate and other stimulant medications are the recommended treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), based on the more than 150 controlled studies demonstrating their safety and efficacy when used as prescribed, these three studies showed changes in the brains of young (adolescent or pre-adolescent) animals that persisted into adulthood. In both animals and humans, the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence. If the current studies are applicable to humans, they could have important implications for young people who use stimulants for recreational purposes.
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Most brand-name Ritalin is produced in the United States, although methylphenidate is ... produced in Mexico, Argentina and Pakistan by respective contract pharmaceutical manufacturers and is most commonly marketed under the brand name "Ritalin" for Novartis. In the United States, various generic forms of methylphenidate are also produced by several pharmaceutical companies (such as Methylin, etc.), and Ritalin is also sold in the United Kingdom, Germany, and other European countries (although in much lower volumes than in the United States). These generic versions of methylphenidate tend to outsell brand-name "Ritalin" four-to-one. In Belgium the product is sold under the name "Rilatine" for Novartis.
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Ritalin (Methylphenidate) is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Ritalin-SR) is ... used to treat narcolepsy (uncontrolled desire for, or attacks of, sleep). Methylphenidate is in a class of medications called central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain.
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Methylphenidate