Attempted abuse of Concerta. (Letters to the Editor).

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, July, 2002

To the Editor:

In his Letter to the Editor (2002), Dr. Steven Jaffe recounts his experience with three dual-disorder adolescents with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who attempted to "snort" Concerta[R] (methylphenidate HCI) Extended-Release Tablets. In all three instances, the patients reported that their anticipated stimulant high did not occur. The following offers a possible explanation.

Under normal circumstances, the methylphenidate in the Concerta tablet is very difficult to extract or even crush if the tablet is chewed accidentally. ...