AUTHORITIES WORRY RITALIN CATCHING ON AS RECREATIONAL DRUG

CHICAGO - Its street names include ``Vitamin R'' and ``R- Ball,'' and
federal drug enforcers list it among the top controlled prescription
drugs reported stolen in the United States.

It is Ritalin, the mild stimulant commonly prescribed for young
children to treat attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

Authorities fear Ritalin is becoming increasingly popular as a
recreational drug among teens and pre-teens.

``It's an area of concern,'' said Rogene Waite, a spokeswoman for the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. ``It has the potential for
abuse, so we would be looking at that and we'll continue to monitor
it.''

Some psychiatrists point out that there are no definitive studies on
the extent of any abuse and that Ritalin is milder than other
stimulants. Even so, the DEA lists Ritalin, also known as
methylphenidate or MPH, as one the agency's ``drugs of concern.''

``A significant amount of data from school surveys, emergency room
reports, poison control centers, adolescent drug treatment and law
enforcement encounters all indicate a growing problem with the abuse
of MPH among school children,'' Gretchen Feussner, a DEA
pharmacologist, wrote in a recent report.

Administrators at Lake Zurich Middle School North had heard about
Ritalin abuse in the community for almost three years, Principal
Philip Zarob said. But they did not know of abuse within the school
until a teacher spotted two students passing something in a restroom
last month.

Since then, 15 students have been suspended.

The case is not uncommon, according to the DEA. The agency cited a
1997 Indiana University survey of 44,232 students that included a
question about the nonmedical use of Ritalin. Nearly 7 percent of high
school students surveyed reported using Ritalin recreationally at
least once in the previous year, and 2.5 percent reported using it
monthly or more often.

The DEA also counted nearly 2,000 cases of methylphenidate theft from
January 1990 to May 1995 - ranking the drug among the top 10
controlled pharmaceuticals most frequently reported stolen.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., the maker of Ritalin, said in a
statement that millions of ADHD patients have been treated safely
using the drug.