Ritalin

What Ritalin LA is used for

Ritalin LA contain the active ingredient methylphenidate hydrochloride. Methylphenidate hydrochloride is a central nervous system stimulant.

Ritalin LA (long-acting) capsules are used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Ritalin LA is a stimulant that increases attention and decreases impulsiveness and hyperactivity in patients with ADHD. Ritalin LA is thought to work by regulating specific chemicals in the brain that affect behaviour. It helps to focus attention, shut out distraction and allows impulsive people to think before they act. If successful, it will enhance an inattentive person’s natural ability.

Ritalin LA should be given as part of a total treatment program for ADHD that may include other measures (psychological, educational and social). It is not intended for use in patients who have symptoms due to environmental factors and/or other primary psychiatric disorders, including psychosis.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you or your child. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another purpose.

Ritalin LA, like all medicines containing central nervous system stimulants, will be given to you only under close medical supervision and after diagnosis.

This medicine is only available with a doctor’s prescription and your doctor has special permission to prescribe it.

There is not enough information to recommend Ritalin LA use in children under 6 years old.

Before you take Ritalin LA

When you must not take it

Do not take Ritalin LA if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to methylphenidate (the active ingredient) or to any of the other ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body; rash, itching or hives on the skin.

Do not take Ritalin LA if you have any of the following medical conditions:

• periods of severe anxiety, tension or agitation
• Tourette’s syndrome (a condition with uncontrolled speech and body movements or tics) or you have a family history of this disorder
• tics (muscle twitching which is usually in the face or shoulders) or if your brothers or sisters have tics
• increased pressure in the eye (glaucoma)
• an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or other thyroid problems
• heart problems such as heart attack, irregular heartbeat, chest pain (angina), heart failure, heart disease or if you were born with a heart problem
• very high blood pressure (hypertension) or narrowing of the blood vessels (arterial occlusive disease, which can cause pain in the arms and legs)
• severe depression or other mental illness
• a tumour of the adrenal gland, which sits near the kidney (pheochromocytoma)

If you are not sure whether any of the above medical conditions apply to you, check with your doctor.

Do not take Ritalin LA if you are taking a medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have been taking it within the past 14 days. Taking Ritalin LA together with MAOI medicines may cause a serious reaction with a sudden increase in body temperature, extremely high blood pressure and severe convulsions.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure if you have been taking one of these medicines.

Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. In that case, return it to your pharmacist.

Before you start to take it

Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives. Your doctor will want to know if you are prone to allergies.

Tell your doctor if you have any of the following medical conditions or behaviours:

• any heart defects (e.g. structural cardiac abnormality)
• a family history of sudden death and /or irregular heart beat
• hardening of the arteries
• any other current or previous heart problems
• any disorders of the blood vessels in the brain, e.g. weakening of the blood vessel (aneurysm), stroke, or inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis)
• severe depression, bipolar disorder or other mental illness
• epilepsy (seizures, convulsions, or fits)
• high blood pressure
• history of alcohol or drug abuse or dependence
• acute mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions (psychosis) or feeling unusually excited, over-active and un-inhibited (acute mania) – your doctor will have told you if you have this
• psychotic symptoms such as seeing or feeling things that are not really there (hallucinations)
• aggressive behaviour
• suicidal thoughts or behaviour
• fingers and toes feeling numb, tingling and changing colour (from white to blue, then red) when cold (‘Raynaud’s phenomenon’).
• have or develop eye problems, including increased pressure in your eye, glaucoma, or problems with your close-up vision (farsightedness).

Your doctor may want to take special precautions if you have any of the above conditions.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Ritalin LA in this case. Ritalin LA is not to be used during pregnancy unless specifically prescribed by your doctor. This medicine may affect your developing baby if you take it while you are pregnant.

Do not breast-feed during treatment with Ritalin LA. The active ingredient in Ritalin LA can pass into the breast milk.