Ritalin la and Narcolepsy - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Narcolepsy is reported as a side effect among people who take Ritalin la (methylphenidate hydrochloride), especially for people who are female, 30-39 old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 6 months also take Ritalin, and have Sleep disorder.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Narcolepsy when taking Ritalin la. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 2,254 people who have side effects when taking Ritalin la from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Ritalin la?

Ritalin la has active ingredients of methylphenidate hydrochloride. It is often used in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. eHealthMe is studying from 2,563 Ritalin la users. Check the latest studies of Ritalin la.

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy (brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally) is found to be associated with 422 drugs and 740 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Narcolepsy.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.

On Aug, 31, 2026

2,254 people reported to have side effects when taking Ritalin la.
Among them, 12 people (0.53%) have Narcolepsy.

Among these 12 people:

How long have people been on Ritalin la when they have Narcolepsy? *

What is the gender of people who have Narcolepsy when taking Ritalin la? *

female: 66.67 %
male: 33.33 %

What is the age of people who have Narcolepsy when taking Ritalin la? *

What are other drugs people take besides Ritalin la? *

What are other side effects people have besides Narcolepsy? *

Drug Ineffective: 5 people, 41.67%
Convulsion (muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body): 4 people, 33.33%
Catatonia (unresponsive to external stimuli): 3 people, 25.00%
Waxy Flexibility (the person is nearly or completely unresponsive to stimuli and remains immobile for long periods): 2 people, 16.67%
Hyperhidrosis (abnormally increased sweating): 2 people, 16.67%
Anorexia (eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight): 2 people, 16.67%
Fainting (loss of consciousness and postural tone): 2 people, 16.67%
Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears): 2 people, 16.67%
Sleep Disorder: 2 people, 16.67%
Sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs in the body, but mostly the lungs and lymph glands): 2 people, 16.67%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Sleep Disorder: 4 people, 33.33%
Drowsiness: 3 people, 25.00%
Fatigue (feeling of tiredness): 2 people, 16.67%
Waxy Flexibility (the person is nearly or completely unresponsive to stimuli and remains immobile for long periods): 1 person, 8.33%
Rapid Eye Movements Sleep Abnormal: 1 person, 8.33%
Cataplexy (loss of muscle tone accompanied by full conscious awareness): 1 person, 8.33%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Ritalin la and have Narcolepsy?

- Check whether Narcolepsy is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Ritalin la:

Ritalin la (2,563 reports)

Narcolepsy treatments and more:

Narcolepsy (79,888 reports)

Browse all side effects of Ritalin la:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Narcolepsy:

Narcolepsy (422 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Narcolepsy:

Narcolepsy (740 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on methylphenidate hydrochloride (the active ingredients of Ritalin la) and Ritalin la (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.