Methylphenidate
![](/Images/godic/202501/27/Methylphenidate-2D-skeletal.svg3337.png")
![](/Images/godic/202501/27/Methylphenidate-enantiomers-3D-balls3337.png")
![Top: this depicts the acute expression of various Fos family proteins following an initial exposure to an addictive drug.Bottom: this illustrates increasing ΔFosB expression from repeated twice daily drug binges, where these phosphorylated (35–37 kD) ΔFosB isoforms persist in mesolimbic dopamine neurons for up to 2 months.[74][75]](/Images/godic/202501/27/ΔFosB_accumulation.svg3337.png")
![Methylphenidate synthesisMethod 1: Methylphenidate preparation according to Jeffrey M. Axten et al. (1998)[116]Method 2: Alternate methylphenidate synthesis[117]](/Images/godic/202501/27/Methylphenidate_preparation.svg3338.png")
Methylphenidate, sold under various trade names, Ritalin being one of the most commonly known, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the phenethylamine and piperidine classes that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The original patent was owned by CIBA, now Novartis Corporation. It was first licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1955 for treating what was then known as hyperactivity.