The Ritalin that a Yilan County cram school had allegedly fed its students likely came from another student, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
Yilan County Public Health Bureau Director Hsu Nai-wei (徐迺維) on Tuesday evening said that a cram school had allegedly given its students medication to improve their concentration and learning.
An on-site investigation had found that two students had been given Ritalin, a controlled substance, so the bureau reported the case to the Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office, Hsu said.
Photo courtesy of the Yilan County Government via CNA
Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant that is usually for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, he said, adding that it has a half-life of about two hours, but can be detected in a person’s urine for three to seven days.
Hsu said that misuse or an overdose of Ritalin can cause side effects such as vomiting, anxiety, hyperreflexia, hallucinations and a rapid heart rate.
The cram school has been barred from recruiting new students, and health consultations and testing services are being provided for students who have concerns, the Yilan County Education Department said.
Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office chief prosecutor Tung Liang-tsao (董良造) yesterday said that the office had applied to the Yilan District Court for search warrant on Friday last week, and searched the cram school on Saturday.
It summoned the cram school owner, three parents, three students and two witnesses, and found 51 Ritalin tablets, Tung said.
FDA Deputy Director-General Cheng Hwei-fang (陳惠芳) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday that the main ingredient of Ritalin is methylphenidate, a Class 3 controlled drug limited to medical treatment or scientific research, and it must be prescribed by a doctor.
The cram school might have breached the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), she said, adding that the Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating the matter.
The preliminary finding is that the source of the Ritalin was another student at the cram school, but teachers should not give it to other students, she said.
Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung Department of Health on Monday reported that four of the city’s clinical physicians have been properly prescribing drugs containing phenobarbital, also a Class 3 controlled drug used for treating seizures.
Chen yesterday said that the FDA has informed local health departments to especially focus on phenobarbital and benzodiazepines during inspections of controlled drug prescriptions.
Whether compound drugs containing phenobarbital should also be included as a controlled prescription drug would be discussed at a specialists’ meeting, she added.
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