Evaluation of electrocardiography of dog heart following oral administration of methylphenidate

Abstract

Introduction: The lymphatic system as a key component in the organism's body can be affected by used drugs. Methylphenidate or Ritalin is widely used to treat behavioral disorders and in some people with depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular safety of such drugs by evaluating various parameters on the ECG in dogs.
Materials & Methods: In this study, 12 native dogs were randomly selected and after clinical study and animal health assessment and ECG, all of them were prescribed Ritalin or methylphenidate at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 7 days and immediately after the last dose.
Prescriptions were taken again from those ECGs. Data were expressed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for data analysis.
Results: The results showed that following the use of Ritalin in dogs, significant changes were observed in increasing heart rate, increasing p-wave height, and increasing P-wave length (p≤0.05).
Conclusion: Taking Ritalin can have an effect on heart rate.