Parents sell children's Ritalin to drug users, newspaper reports

3.15pm


Parents selling drugs prescribed for their behaviourally troubled children are fuelling the black market trade in Ritalin, the Press newspaper reported today.

Use of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs such as Ritalin is spiralling.

Figures from government drug-buying agency Pharmac show 17 per cent more methylphenidate -- commonly known at Ritalin and Rubifen -- was dispensed in the 12 months to July than in the previous year.

Thirty-three times more methylphenidate is now dispensed to treat children with ADHD than a decade ago when estimates suggested only 242 patients were receiving the drug.

Many patients are now likely to be prescribed both short- and long-acting strengths and hold two prescriptions.

Now Pharmac estimates 5550 patients are taking ADHD drugs -- up 15 per cent on last year.

Some health experts are unconcerned at the increased prescribing of methylphenidate but worry about its illicit use through the black market.

Methylphenidate is similar to methamphetamine or speed, although not as powerful, and is often used as a substitute for methamphetamine.

It cannot be prescribed without special authority from a psychiatrist or paediatrician but, despite tight controls, is readily available on the street.

Community and alcohol drug service consultant psychiatrist Dr Roger Morgan said the Christchurch service saw many people with a problem use of methylphenidate, particularly among those on the methadone programme.

"There's quite a brisk illegal market for Ritalin. Methamphetamine and Ritalin are the biggest trend in drug use, and would be second behind cannabis," he said.

A card of 10 tablets cost about $150 and was not difficult to find.

Parents of children prescribed methylphenidate for ADHD were selling it to supplement their benefit, while there was anecdotal evidence children had been selling it at school, Dr Morgan said.

The National Addiction Centre director and psychiatrist, Associate Professor Doug Sellman, said the more methylphenidate was used for ADHD, the more families would trade it.

"The temptation to sell Johnny's medication is stronger in poorer families, and ADHD tends to be found more in lower socioeconomic families," he said.

In the past year, several people have been arrested for trading or abusing methylphenidate, including:

* a Timaru man addicted to his child's methylphenidate who was sentenced to nine months in prison last August, after his partner obtained 510 tablets for him over a three-month period -- their child needed only 135 tablets;

* a Christchurch mother jailed for a year after trying to sell her son's Ritalin to raise money to send him to Australia;

* a Timaru mother who was sentenced to six months prison for selling her child's Ritalin to a drug syndicate for $1800.

- NZPA