OFFICIAL NAMES: Methylphenidate, Ritalin, Methylin, Metadate, Concerta

STREET NAMES: Vitamin R, West Coast

DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS: Schedule II, stimulant

Overview

Methylphenidate (MPH), one of the most commonly prescribed psychoactive drugs in the United States, is the drug of choice for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, adolescents, and adults. It is also a drug of choice for thieves: MPH is on the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) list of the top 10 prescription drugs most often stolen.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, legal use of MPH in the 1990s increased by about 700% between 1990 and 2000. However, as the legal usage of MPH increased, so did its abuse. That abuse is well documented among high school and college students who use it to overcome fatigue and to enhance memory, without realizing the drug's dangers.

Children with ADHD are inattentive...