Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a shortage of amphetamine mixed salts Oct. 12 and said ... Adderall is made from amphetamine mixed salts and Concerta is made from methylphenidate. ...
Most stimulants are amphetamine-based (Adderall, Vyvanse) or methylphenidate-based (Concerta, Ritalin), and come in immediate-release (short-acting) or extended-release (long-acting) formulations.
Methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin (/ ˈ r ɪ t ə l ɪ n / RIT-ə-lin) and Concerta (/ k ə n ˈ s ɜːr t ə / kən-SUR-tə) among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant indicated in the pharmacotherapy of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
Amphetamines and methylphenidate are classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as Schedule II controlled substances, the same designation given to cocaine, OxyContin and fentanyl.
A 2018 Cochrane review found that methylphenidate might be associated with serious side effects such as heart problems, psychosis, and death. The certainty of the evidence was stated as very low. [31] The same review found tentative evidence that it may cause both serious and non-serious adverse effects in children. [31] [a]
Despite having a similar therapeutic mechanism of action as first-line medications containing amphetamine, the prescription of dextromethamphetamine for ADHD is rare due its relatively greater reinforcing potential, in addition to the comparable efficacy and presumably greater safety of methylphenidate and amphetamine.
Long-term amphetamine exposure at sufficiently high doses in some animal species is known to produce abnormal dopamine system development or nerve damage, [27] [28] but, in humans with ADHD, long-term use of pharmaceutical amphetamines at therapeutic doses appears to improve brain development and nerve growth.
One in four U.S. adults suspects they may have ADHD and drugs are a first line of treatment for this condition. But what does research say about their impact on the brain and quality of life?