Ritalin is one brand of the drug methylphenidate hydrochloride. The Department does not hold data on the number of patients prescribed methylphenidate hydrochloride drugs but the table shows the number of prescription items dispensed in the community for the areas requested.
Estimated figures are based on a sample of one in 20 prescriptions and have been grossed up to reflect the population totals and rounded.
Thousand 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 England Prescription item dispensed 186.2 208.5 254.0 314.5 359.1 389.2 456.9 Estimated number of items dispensed to children 160.0 190.0 230.0 280.0 330.0 350.0 410.0 Estimated number of items dispensed to the elderly 2.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 2.0 5.0 6.0 North East England Prescription items prescribed in North East England n/a n/a n/a 15.0 17.9 19.4 22.7 Primary care trust (PCT) Prescription items prescribed in Langbaurgh PCT (to end September 2006) n/a n/a n/a 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.6 Prescription items prescribed in Redcar and Cleveland PCT (from 1 October 2006) — — — — — — 0.3 Prescription items prescribed in Middlesbrough PCT (to end September 2006) n/a n/a n/a 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.5 Prescription items prescribed in Middlesbrough PCT (from 1 October 2006) — — — — — — 0.3 Notes: Primary care trusts were reorganised with effect from 1 October.