title: Enantioselective aspects of the disposition of dl-threo-methylphenidate after the administration of a sustained-release formulation to children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: It has been shown previously that immediate-release dl-threo-methylphenidate (Ritalin) undergoes stereoselective disposition in human adults as well as in children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Although the sustained-release formulation of dl-threo-methylphenidate (Ritalin-SR) has been demonstrated to be effective in sustaining the attention of the children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, there are no data on plasma levels of methylphenidate after administration of the sustained-release formulation. The purpose of this present investigation was twofold: (1) to determine whether the levels of methylphenidate were sustained for over a time period of 8 h, and (2) to examine enantioselective aspects of the pharmacokinetics following the ingestion of the sustained-release formulation. Six children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder were given 20 mg of sustained-release dl-threo methylphenidate. Plasma samples were harvested for a period up to 12 h following ingestion of the drug. The levels of both the enantiomers were sustained for a period of 8 h (the plasma levels of d-methylphenidate were 8- to 10-fold higher than those of the l-enantiomer in the profiles of all six children). Mean areas under the plasma level time curves were 132.78 +/- 92.47 ng.h/mL for d-methylphenidate and 12.73 +/- 7.37 ng.h/mL for l-methylphenidate. The values of oral clearance and apparent volume of distribution calculated for l-enantiomer were higher than the corresponding values for the d-antipode.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Midha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D008774:Methylphenidate