Ritalin is a brand name for methylphenidate hydrochloride. The product is also available under the different brand names Concerta, Equasym, Metadate and Tranquilyn.
The number of people prescribed a medicine is not held centrally. The number of prescription items for methylphenidate hydrochloride dispensed in the community in England for the period requested is shown in the following table.
Calendar year Number of prescription items dispensed (Thousand) 1998 126.621 1999 157.952 2000 186.190 2001 208.452 2002 253.956 2003 314.460 2004 359.068 2005 389.186 2006 456.909 2007 535.328 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) Data