SCIENTISTS SAY LESS MAY BE MORE WHEN IT COMES TO RITALIN

DALLAS -- Half the medicine in each dose of Ritalin is ineffective, and may
cause side effects in children who take the drug for hyperactivity,
scientists reported yesterday.

Ritalin is the drug prescribed for millions of children, and some adults,
with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD occurs in 3-5
per cent of school-aged children, making it the most common psychiatric
disorder of childhood.

Children with ADHD have a persistent inability to sit still, focus on
tasks, and control impulses. Ritalin is the drug-of-choice for controlling
the symptoms.

Physicians prescribe almost $400 million with of Ritalin annually.

Previous concerns about Ritalin involved possible over-use, especially in
normal children who teachers or parents regarded as difficult-to-control.
Others involved the drug's side effects, which include stomach aches,
nervousness, loss of appetite, insomnia, and a temporary slowing of growth.

Dr. Yu-Shin Ding told the world's biggest conference of chemists that
Ritalin's side effects might be reduced and its effectiveness increased by
administering only the medically beneficial form of the drug. In its
present form, 50 per cent of the Ritalin in each pill has no effect on
ADHD, she said.

Dr. Ding is with the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N. Y.

She reported here at the 215th national meeting of the American Chemical
Society (ACS).

With more than 155,000 members, the ACS is the world's largest organization
devoted to a single science. About 10,000 members are expected here for the
meeting, which will include more than 4,700 reports on new discoveries in
chemistry.