adhd - Drugs for ADHD

focalin (previously marked as Attenade) is a more highly refined version methylphenidate (ritalin). It only includes the R-form of the methylphenidate instead of mixing it with its structural but inert mirror image, the L-form.  Because it only includes the active element, the fact that dosage is typically half that of ritalin is clinically meaningless, since half of Ritalin is inert anyway. Because the prescribed dosage of focalin tends to be about half that for Ritalin, parents often feel less guilty about giving a strong drug to their child. However, since the reduction in prescribed dosage only reflects leaving out the inactive L - form half of Ritalin, the child is really getting the same amount of active stimulant. Thus, the child is not being spared anything.